I'd like some ideas for ways to get a floor across the back of the MINI. I removed the rear seats to see what was under there and this is what I found.

 

I'm with you - for most of us this is just a two seater. I'll put on my thinking cap and see what i can come up with. Great pics, good start.

Vincent

 

The rear seats are pretty easy to remove. I didn't attempt to get the seat belts out though. Ideally, I'd like to get a nice flat surface with a little lip at the very front (i.e. just behind the front seats) to keep stuff from sliding too far forward.

 

Do you have any idea the weight of the seats?

 

Dave:
I've built many (portions of) floors by using simple pinewood (2x2s, 2x4s, etc) to frame up whatever. In the MINI, since you cannot see many wires, cables, etc, underneath, I would be tempted to use an adhesive to hold the frame down. Once down, you can carpet, or whatever, the surface and screw it to the frame. Just one man's idea! What do you plan on placing on the surface?

 

I didn't weigh them, but the lower cushion is pure foam, so that's light weight and the seat backs aren't very heavy either. I'd be surprized if there was more than about 30 lbs there total. If you went crazy and removed the seat belt attachment points, pulled off the side moldings to remove the belts and the pretensioners, and then reinstalled the molding you'd get another few lbs out.

[quote]What do you plan on placing on the surface? OR some kind of non slip surface for the floor, so that stuff doesn't go sliding around in the back.

 

A great idea! I am expecting my BRG Mini any day now. I anticipate removing the rear seats to make room for my big Yellow Lab. I suspect he will love the panoramic sun roof also! I will try to get ahold of a piece of ABS plastic and cover it with an indoor/outdoor carpet. I don't think I can bring myself to putting plywood in my new high tech vehicle.

 

You could get a sheet of something covered in rhino lining or a similar spray on bed liner.
They come in many different colors and you could probably find a color to match the interior. The stuff is very durable and as nonstick as you can get.

 

Well you could make a pattern with plywood, then cut some aluminum diamond plate to fit. That would be wayy cool.

And you should install a roll cage, while you are at it.

 

I want the flat cargo thing too. My friend works on Discovery's Monster Gargage so I'm going to talk to some of the fabricator types and see If they can't come up with something that looks good and is removable. I'll let you guys know.

 

My friend works on Discovery's Monster Gargage so I'm going to talk to some of the fabricator types and see If they can't come up with something that looks good and is removable. I'll let you guys know.


YOU LUCKY STIFF!!!

 

Actually, maybe this is something Mini should look into. I can't remember
the last time my rear seatbacks were in the upright position :smile: .

 

I had a little time yesterday to poke around at this a little more.

bit. Most Torx bit kits only go up to T-30, so it took me a little while to hunt one down. The Torx bit to remove the rear seatbelts is even larger (I'm guessing T-40).

Now here's my main problem, how to remove the center seatbelt piece that the seat belts clip into. There are no visible fasteners, even if I lift up the little rubber boot around the base.

EDIT: after seeing no visible fasteners, I was orginally guessing that the seat belt clips were fastened from below, but after putting the car up on ramps, it's pretty clear that would be a major PITA to get to. The exhaust runs directly under that point, so there is the pipe, plus the heatshields to contend with.

So, if anyone has actually be able to remove the seat belt clips, I would appreciate knowing your method.

 

I have built on for the back area with two lockable trunks out of aluminium. As soon as I get some info back on a pat i wil be selling them.

 

Interesting. Very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing some pics once you get the pattent issues straightened out.

Also, welcome to MCO!

 

DaveinDenver,
I was curious as to what i need to do to remove the rear seat bottom cushion. I have popped the clips in the front of the cushions, but it seems to be secured pretty tightly in the rear. I don't want to bust the attachments. Any advice?

 

skier-clay: those four black plastic covers at the back of the seat cushion help hold it in place. You will have to pop those off (if you flip up the little hatch, you can see the bar behind it and how the plastic is clamped over it. Those are the anchor points for the LATCH child seat attachment). Once you unclip the four black plastic pieces your cushion should come right out..

Let me know if you still have problems.

 

Here's an example of what you can do with a flat floor!

 

Wow mightyMiniz! That's incredible!!

I bet Engelbert Humperdinck never sounded better.

 

>>Here's an example of what you can do with a flat floor!

hahaha...reverse that design around and open the hatch and you got mini-thrusters..hehehe...

DVLMINI - we could always put in the thursters used in Monster Garage for the Chevy Tracker converted to a Hot Air Balloon. BTW - I don't know if I missed it yet but I heard on one of the episodes they were going to use a MINI...heard anything about this?

 

Mini Snow Plow.....


Anyways, that audio mini was from England, not mine Thank The Maker!

Vroom

 

DaveinDenver
Very easy. Thanks.

 

>>>>BTW - I don't know if I missed it yet but I heard on one of the episodes they were going to use a MINI...heard anything about this?


It's set to show in February. Check the website for details.

R

 

Anyone ever make any progress in turning their MINI into a true two seater? After "gutting" my MINI last night to simply install 2 new Pioneer TS-A6985s, I really liked the look of the car without the backseats. Not to mention, it seems as though it would be fairly easy to interchange between the the seats and a flat deck in the rear, as the seats go in and out with ease. Any further suggestions?

 

First post. Haven't gotten my mini yet. However, I had an idea how to flatten the floor. Don't laugh, but you can make a form fitting foam "seat replacement" using a low expansion-high density urethane (the type that comes in a pressurized can). I'd suggest becoming familiar with the expansion properties of the foam - making sure a low expansion product is used. Make a form with plastic bags where the rear seat resided, add the foam into the form and let it harden. You might want to add the foam in layers, I'm not sure. Remove from the form, flatten the top with a hand saw and shape as desired. You could also do the same thing in the boot area to bring all areas to the same level. :smile: