Deuce passenger seat installed

Since the Forest Service had moved the batteries to a location under the hood, I don't have the battery box in my cab. With two boys, it was a bit tough for all "the Taylor boys" to have fun driving around in the M715, since there's only one passenger seat. So I got a Deuce passenger seat from Mike that I adapted to fit.

Here's what I started with:

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/999/deuceseamj4.jpg


I wire-wheeled the rust and flaky paint off the frame, primed it and sprayed it USMC green. I threw out the old covers along with the nasty horsehair and rusty springs, cut out a new base out of 3/4" plywood. I got 4" closed-cell foam for the seat base and 2" for the padding on the back and got a new set of canvas covers from Mona at New Life Canvas.

I cut off the front left leg and shortened the others to fit reasonably close to the stock height of the driver's seat. Installed a third seatbelt and now I'm good to go!


http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5...eat001aom5.jpg


http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6...eat002amh4.jpg



The seat back still folds down for a nice diamond-plate base and the seat bottom flips up for access to underneath. Perhaps I'll put a box down there for loose stuff.

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/252...eat004avg8.jpg



It was remarkably easy to make this modification. If anyone would like detail pics of my hack-job on the legs, just say the word.

All I can say is WOW. I may have to do the same...

Although I like my kid's girlfriend to be a bit further away.
Nice work dude. And to think I didn't get your autograph while I was in Seattle...

Phil starts banging head against wall.:usehead:

Nice work!

Timmah! Excellent Work! Looks Factory! You want to come to my house and make my stuff look so purrty!

That looks good Tim.

Looks good Tim.

How was the wood on the seat bottom? I need to make my M35 seats work in the M35 and the wood is all rotten is why I ask and am looking for tips on making a new one.

The wood was shot. One of the two hinge brackets had ripped out through the wood. The other I ground the two studs off and then used carriage bolts to secure them both on the new wood.

I just got a piece of 3/4" plywood and traced out the shape using the old one laid on top of it and cut it out with a jigsaw.

I cut the front left leg completely off to the level of the sheetmetal that runs from front to back. I cut 3" off the back legs and 2" off the front right. Were I to do it again, I'd have cut 2" off the back as well. The seat base would have been a bit higher, but the back wouldn't be so reclined. I could grind a little off that front left area and cut another inch off the front right leg, but it's not that big of a deal.

I went to drive the duece this morning and my seat was GONE! Anybody seen one laying around lately? :D





















Nice work Tim! Very well done.;)

That's great Binford! I might have to do the same with mine in the POS mod truck. I hate to lose the center console, but I like that 40/60 bench style seating. If I can get a lock box under the seat, I'm going to put out feelers for a deuce seat and copy your setup.

If possible, please provide a photo or two of the seat bottom in the up position, so I can see how much space you've got under the seat for a box. Thanks in advance.

The space under the seat measures 8" high at the lowest point at the back and 9" high at the front (since I took 3" off the legs on the back and only 2" off the front). The angle piece running horizontally across the back is 6-1/2" above the floor, which would be the lowest-most point under the seat. That angle is 16" from the front of the seat.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9...eat005agn2.jpg


With the seat bottom flipped up, you still have the 8 inches under the lowest point of the seat and the floor is completely opened up 9-1/2" (from the front of the leg to the now-vertical seat bottom).

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/238...eat007aou3.jpg


And here's one more low-angle view of the space:

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/7...eat010afe0.jpg


Hope that helps....

Thanks Binford. That's a nice set-up. I like that there isn't a horizontal bar support across the front, which allows clear access under the seat.

I can envision a wide shallow 3" deep lock box welded to the drivers side and a larger deep box welded to the passenger side.

Did any of the original seat frame mounting holes align to the deuce seat?

I assume that your leg fabrication included three cuts, heat and bend for each leg mount. Pretty simple?

No stock seat holes matched up. I just set the seat in there once the legs were cut to size, then I marked and drilled the three holes, then mounted the seat in with 5/16" bolts, washers and lock nuts.

The legs are just L-angle. I cut one side to length and left the other ~1" long and just bent it over (no heat) with a vice grip, then hammered flat. Even simpler!

The seatbelts are properly mounted and it is they that would hold the passenger(s) in, so all the seat bolts have to do is hold the seat in place.