Rear Seat Delete Info/Ideas/Pics

[Pino]

Can we get a thread going where we share ideas on deleting the rear seats?

I've yet to see a really clean/simple example. I'm thinking of going with a cage and two seats again and I'm looking to minimize the interior as much as possible. That includes taking out the rear seats, but I want to build a flat shelf or something with wood wrapped in carpet or whathaveyou. Some inspiration would be nice. Any information, experience, pictures, etc would be awesome. Thanks!

Here's a good writeup of some guy's e46m3: http://m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=243902


Mr325/Janderson made these panels up, but I havent seen a picture of them installed:


From m3forums:


Inside of a 2002:


Best I could find off s14:

[nrubenstein]

Seems like a lot of weight added and not very good looking. Why wouldn't you just skip the panels and run carpet?

[F34R]

Seems like a lot of weight added and not very good looking. Why wouldn't you just skip the panels and run carpet?

This is what I am doing, but maybe he just wants looks.

[Jand3rson]

Mine are a temporary solution until I find an M3 rear seat for cheap in need of reupholstering, at which point I'll have them done to match my Recaros.

Mine fit pretty well in my car, they definitely need a little refinement. And the grey carpet doesn't jive as well as I'd hoped, I think I'm going to wrap them again over the existing carpet for a little more thickness with black, make them disappear a little more. I'll try to get some pics, but it's kind of hard to get pics of the whole assembly inside the car.

[blefevre]

It looks like the last one is just carpet. I was thinking of doing mine in a heavier carpet then stock, and black as well. I think I will let the wife do it for a project and see what she comes up with. It would be just like the stock carpet, just a tighter fit to cover up all the corners that the stock one doesn't. I'm not doing it for weight. I have the luke box and can't find a ski pass rear seat. And putting anything on the rear seat of an E30 doesn't stay put and just slides around like crazy.

[slammin.e28]

I want one in my 'vert.

[CHIF8008]

instead of carpet, maybe cover the metal with rubber undercoating to reduce noise?

[drutt23]

I've thought about doing aluminum panels in mine. I think it'd look clean and it shouldn't really add too much weight. Still workin on a solid design though.

[nando]

a standard E30 back seat isn't *that* heavy. I guess every lb counts, but the seat bottom weighs what, 10lbs? the back is about the same?

[Pino]

Yeah I dont necessarily need panels of wood or metal, I just think it looks the cleanest. But by all means, show me some simple carpet wraps.

Where can I get thick carpet material by the yard that I could wrap with? Or high quality carpet in general. I'm going to have to spray color my existing carpets black (from gray) anyway so I could paint whatever carpet I get to match perfectly.

I'd be putting a cage back in, and I'm thinking i'll do Lizard Skin as well.

[Jand3rson]

I got mine at a car audio place, most people just use sub carpet.

[Pino]

That stuff can be painted black, like anything else, with SEM carpet dye spray right?

[Jafxod]

IMHO the only reason to pull the rear seats is if your running a cage and need to run to the strut towers, or if your running non-reclining seats in the front and cant even get into the back seats. It looks ugly with them missing.

[Pino]

Yeah thats part of the point ^ I wont be able to get back there anyway when I put in the corbeau fixed backs.

[325ix]

I don't see where all this added weight is coming from by adding a piece of thin wood with some carpet on it. It will most likely break even. I rarely have people in my back seat, I like the way they look without them, especially that 2002.