To have a back seat or to not... opinions?

[Steve1968LS2]

Well im working on the design of my interior and im trying to decide if I even want to bother with a back seat..

In my last car I never ended up riding anyone back there.. I will be running a 6 point rollbar so its not going to be easy to get to the back seat anyways. the lack of a backseat would also make for a nicer stereo install.

But, I would never have the ability to carry people.. also, sometimes (when i see a car with no back seat) it looks a little.. boring? or just doesn't look right..

Thoughts? any pics of interiors with no back seat that look good?

I get to go see the car today will all the paint so im pretty much :jump:

[MarkM66]

I'd want a back seat for sure.

[Steve Chryssos]

On an GM A-Body or Challenger--something that actually has room, I say definitely. On an F-body I say NOT.

I personally have alienated all of my munchkin friends by making fun of their pointy shoes--and am racially opposed to smurfs and elves. Collectively speaking, they sing too much. :woot: "Hi ho, hi ho we're going too fast oh no...." "SHUT THE !@#% UP!!!! you little blue *******s!!"

Furthermore, consider the effect of the added weight (400lbs?) on your lowered suspension when driving 4 up. You may bottom out frequently. By eliminating the back seat, you will appreciate the extra "trunk" space. I built a horizontal shelf that rests on the tunnel mated to a rear firewall which can be very important for track days--regardless of whether or not they are required. Email me and I will make recommendations on bar placement to facilitate access to the rear for storage. I'll try to take some fresh pix--though I am a bit embarrased by the temporary placement of my CD player (I wanted to see if it would skip before cutting a recess in the shelf)
/Steevo

[Budnik Wheels]

Well,
The very definition of a Muscle Car includes the fact that it has a back seat...
But who's staying true to that?
Just thought I'd throw that out there to consider. Also, consider resale. I know, you're never going to sell it... but just another thought.

I kinda like having a backseat in mine. It complete's the interior. And since I know you are all about show AND go, maybe just doing something trick with some late model camaro bucket rears, to go along with your Recaro's?

Talk later Steve. We should get together again before the summer season is over. Car show this weekend at the OC fairgrounds. Come by on Saturday if you get a chance. We'll be there, with my car, and it's new paint scheme. :woot:

[Stokes]

Another consideration is the safety of any passengers (especially if any children are ever included) in the back seat with a rollcage. Hopefully it would never happen, but in an accident, a head against a metal bar, no matter how much padding, will not turn out good. This is true for the front seats too, but probably more so for any rear passengers.

I do not plan on a back seat for this reason, plus gaining a little extra space and weight savings as previously mentioned.

Chris

[68 stang]

I say forget the back seat. It is a pain to get into the back of an F-body anyway, and then with a 6-point cage.

I am going to take out the back seat and put in a piece of sheet metal and then carpet over the top it. Ultimately it is your car and you have to live with it.

[mar3]

I vote for keeping a back seat or at least a middle seat like I had in the Pro-Street '68 Bird I just sold two months ago to a friend...for the '68 'vert Bird, I'm planning on keeping the back seat, heavily modified, with an 6 point roll bar and a "monkey" bar down low like you see on the import cars. I'll do a drawing when I get home and see if I can post it tonight...for all those going, "Who the heck is this guy?!", I just found this neat website....here's a link to one of my usual hangouts...regarding passengers and impacts to the roll bar, don't even start the car if anyone refuses to strap in...:icon996:

The CBird Story at Pontiac Zone (http://www.pontiaczone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7317)

[MarkM66]

To me I'm always thinking resale.

Everyone can accept a car with a backseat, as in the way it came. Not everyone will accept a car with out one.

[rockdogz]

I'm running a back seat for the kids, and have already welded in another horizontal bar just above the package tray to mount racing harnesses for them.

[will69camaro]

I am still unsure whether my back seat will stay in or not. When i put a roll bar in my car i've beent thinking about taking out the back seat and replacing it with a fold down panel for trunk access or to make room for large items in the trunk. I'm not worried about resale because this was my first car and the only way i'm letting it go is if it gets completly demolished...

William

[Nine Ball]

I like back seats. Even if they aren't usable they fill that empty area.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

I'm not personally running a rear seat. Like Steve said, there's not much room on an F-body as is. Since I'm running a 12 pt. cage, there is really no access to it, so it's just taking up space. A rear firewall will replace it. Plus, there's less packaging concerns with the 3-link. If you were running no cage, I'd say keep the back seat, with a 6 point, I might personally leave it out, especially if you're planning on using the space for stereo equipment, but you could get away with keeping the back seat also. Especially if resale is a concern, like Mark mentioned.

[LS1NOVA]

In My Opinion It Just Doesnt Look Right Without The Back Seat. But Its Your Car, Go With What You Want.

[Ishmael]

If you can get a person back there you can get the seats in and out. I say carpet the area (maybe in speaker carpet), leave the tabs so you can put the seats back in as required but modify the bolts for the back piece to get them in and out quicker, clean up the undersides of the seats so they don't mess up the carpet and try to utilize the seat tabs to hold down some big mother speakers. When you go racing everything comes out with a few clicks. As far as the CD player you can install it with an underdash tray which I think a little out of the style of the car, put it in the glove box where you can't reach it or mount it in the dash with a install kit from a volvo(has the right angle). The stereo can't add too much weight and I always thought the point of these cars was to have the best of all worlds, I think these ideas might get you there.

[boodlefoof]

I decided against putting mine back in when I put in my roll bar and refinished my interior. I put in a rear firewall and carpeted the empty space. Looks pretty good to me and I'm never going to be toting anyone around back there. I also don't plan on ever selling the car... and even if I did I've deviated from stock quite a bit already, figure I might as well keep going! Nice 40 or 50 pound weight savings.

[JamesJ]

I vote with the crowd that says leave it in. Just so it looks right. I will have mine in and don’t plan on ever having people in the back. You can still throw a bag or something on it.

[jp455]

Personally I want to remove mine. But rather than having nothing where the seats used to be I want to have a shelf there kind of like 65 shelby mustangs or 60s ferraris and such where they didn't have a trunk and they had fitted luggage that went on the shelf. I want to carpet it just like the floor and maybe put some stainless steel strips along it.

My thinking is also that the trunk is going to be so full with a fuel cell, fuel system, stereo amps, pre oiler etc...that i wouldn't be using it to put stuff in anyway.

manuel scettri

[Rick Dorion]

You shouldn't have anyone in the rear with that cage for safety reasons. I put the rear seat in, but not used, for a more completed appearance with my 8-pt.

[parsonsj]

I'll have a back seat with mine. I've put in 3 point retractable harnesses to keep kids heads where they belong.

My cage brace bar is removable and won't be in there when the kids are.

Doing all that was a lot of extra work, but it made the project more palatable to my wife, since it wasn't ALL about me. I consider it a good compromise.

jp

[Steve Chryssos]

Here's a shot of my back seat area. Now that I know it doesn't skip with my stiff suspension, the CD player will be mounted vertically into a recess that will be cut into the horizontal shelf. It will be located behind the passenger seat. That way I can reach back and swap discs or stand outside the car, fold the passenger seat forward, and swap discs.

The shelf is mounted on a lower cross bar in the front. The upright section is sealed. No cutouts for speakers. Speaker enclosures are removable. CD player is permanent. Anyone know where I can buy bulk carpet on the internet??

Also note shoulder harness installation (seems like a popular question)
-They wrap around the main cross bar (not anchored with bolts)
-They mount at about shoulder level (not floor level--belts would be too long resulting in excessive stretch on impact)
-They are separate (Not a Y harness which uses one belt to carry the entire load. The load capacity is doubled in this way)

[Pro-touring towncar]

With kids I gotta have a back seat.

Tim

[Steve1968LS2]

Thanks for the pic Steve :) -- who's rollbar are you running??

Im surprised at the comments.. it seems about 50/50 on the back seat issue and I would have expected less people to say "take it out"...

No kids here (yet).. but this car is "all about me".. I can't see riding people in the back but the seat does give it a more finished look.. However, I will be seeing if my interior shop can design something nice that leaves out the backseat.

I was thinking of making a flat platform with two "hatches" where I could stow extra stuff and a CD changer..

Thanks for the input and if anyone comes across pics of cars (especially Camaros) without the backseat just let me know :)

Oh, and I cant afford to sell my car.. ;) If I was worried about resale I wouldnt have deleted heat and A/C...

[BillyBobL71]

How can you go parking without a rear seat? :-)

Billy Bob

[baz67]

I say keep it. That is what I plan on doing. I follow all of the arguments on both sides. It is just a matter of personal choice. Build it like you want to.
Brian

[zbugger]

I'm having the same debate on whether to kill my back seat. I may remove it alltogether. I'd do the hidden compartment thing and hide... Umm... Amps in them, yeah, that's it. No porn in here officer.... Just stereo equipment. Wanna hear it?

[gchandler]

My dad used to get my brother and me in the front seat of his 1980 corvette. Now when I see one of those cars I can believe how small we were.

I can tell you that even with the 4pt bar and no spreader in my chevelle the back seat is pretty much 100% worthless for anything other then appearances. Also you should talk to someone who has installed or removed a back seat in a car with a real rollcage. Tri-flow, crowbars, and lots of strange bodily contortions are involved.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Take a look at how we did this 69 camaro that is currently down at the shop. Removed the whole package tray area and made a sheet metal firewall. The rear of the cage tires into the screw jack assembly for the rear suspension.

[gchandler]

Also it seams to me if the kids are small enough you could probably just mount the child seats to second spreader bar welded between the rear diagonals.

[mikesz]

...regarding passengers and impacts to the roll bar, don't even start the car if anyone refuses to strap in



Not that I have any first hand experience, but I believe that the elasticity of the belt and the even greater elasticity and flexability of the human body will not keep your head off a roll bar in a crash. IMO if your going to run a rear seat with a bar it should be for looks only.

Mike

[mar3]

I suppose if you're trying to use the factory seat belt, God help you, or one of the tri-point seat belt upgrades, that would be possible. With a camlock 4, 5 or 6 point harness, that is not going to happen....what do you think killed Earnhardt, Sr along with a host of others before the HANS device became mandatory in most sanctioned racing bodies? The bodies went nowhere, the skull and helmet kept going forward just enough for the infamous basilar skull fracture, the Kiss of Death in the back of the neck.

If you've got a serious Pro-Tourer with brakes to stop 3400 lbs in 118 feet or less from 60 mph, you should have ditched the factory stuff a loong time ago...

[jannes_z-28]

I think a car has a more "racier" look without a backseat. If it has one it is a more streetable car. Without a backseat it usually looks kinda empty.

Jan

[LS1Z28]

Hey Steve, you could always put in a wet bar so we can party at the car shows. :seizure:

[USAZR1]

Back seat?? I don't need no stinkin' back seat. :lmao: