DarkMint's Gen1 Tundra DC Rear Seat Delete / Flat Platform Install

Hey folks. This 2004 Tundra is new to me, bought at 178k miles. I don't need the back seats, instead I need the rear seat space for my two dogs. The 1st gen Tundra has huge space in the back row!

You'll need a 14mm wrench. Socket optional.

Step 1, remove the back seats. We start here. I started with the single seat unit instead of the double seat unit.


Swing 'em up. (I'm missing an emergency jack here. Should've checked that at the used car dealer.)


Get these bolts out and remove the seat unit itself from the floor brackets.

Bolts out.


Now that the seats themselves are out, time to take out the floor brackets.


There is a hidden bolt under the carpet that you can get by either cutting the carpet and using your socket wrench, or sticking a 14mm open-ended or box wrench in the carpet gap and getting it out that way. That's what I did.


Floor brackets out.




Working on the double seat unit now. Same steps, remove seat, remove floor brackets.


Once the floor brackets are out, I bolt them back onto the removed seat units for storage. Extra bolts that won't fit in there are kept in a nearby bag.

 

Time for the rear platform. I ghettoed/rednecked a flat platform using a piece of plywood and some 2x4 from Home Depot. Vinyl covering and foam are from Joanns. Get it from wherever. I used vinyl because it's waterproof and will protect the plywood platform from moisture. Wet dogs will ride here.
Dimensions:
Plywood is 58" wide (left to right of rear seat space), 37" long (front to back of rear seat space).
2x4 wood "legs" are 4.75" tall.

Step 1, mocking it up.
2 extra smaller plywood layers under the main large top board to add volume underneath the main board and flatten out the board's support (the rear space is slightly slanted); you want ZERO flex in the plywood platform. Look at where the legs go. Note how the platform slides into/under the front seat center console's diagonal lower half.


Cutting foam to fit the main plywood piece.


Here's another view of the extra plywood boards under the main large board. These are to level-out the main platform board. I duct-taped the edges because they were rough after being cut down to smaller size.


Legs nailed in and main platform edges duct taped as well.



Final foam attachment and vinyl wrap. The vinyl is stretched taut over the foam and around the bottom of the platform. I secure it using a staple gun. You can do it however you want, but don't use nails. You don't want anything sharp sticking out up through the platform. I used staples because with a staple gun I can really secure the shit out of this vinyl wrapping and over-staple that mf into the underlying plywood, namsayin?



The finished product! Look at all that space, bay-beeeee! Once again note how the platform slides into the diagonal bottom portion of the center console. Perfect, level fit. I have to tilt/angle the platform front-to-back to slide it into/out of the rear space during install or removal.
Back of the platform goes up, front of it goes down to slide under the center console slant. Vice versa to remove. Make sure your platform legs are straight up-and-down and not tilted after platform install.

 

77lb shepherd and 58lb collie/aussie riding. They have never been more comfortable in the car and have stopped complaining about long rides entirely. Plenty of room to both lay down fully and travel in style. I am 100% satisfied with this project.
Next step is to maybe set up a safeguard system so they won't get flung to the front seat area in event of a crash. Not sure on how yet.

Driving without the back seats has given me a lighter-feeling ride. Better acceleration and noticeabley more "spring" in my truck's step. Slightly less "ker-chunk" going over bumps. Those seats are heavy. Beware of spinning-out rear wheels!

 

Good dogs and good job.

Thank you for sharing..

Makes me miss my 2005 DC...

 

Thank you! I understand why one would miss their gen 1 Tundra, this truck has been awesome so far. So much more power and better in every way than my 3rd gen Tacoma (which I dumped for this Tundra).

 

That's a serious flex, using a sheet of plywood these days.

 

Gotta do what works, not what's expensive. I got rid of my tacticool-autoloan-bromagnet "gunmetal grey" (yes, Toyota actually calls it that) 3rd gen Taco because in reality it was an anemic, plastic with tons of problems, subpar rusty materials, wobbly and loose build tolerances, and clunky Mattel interior. Sheet of plywood in a real truck is more my style. No ragrets.

Oh and guess what, it was a double cab long bed, and the rear window didn't slide down. Just goes to show even more how the Tacoma is just Toyota's cheap cash-grab. You can tell I feel strongly about this.

Let's not derail the thread. Look at my cute dogs.

 

I did this on my 2007 DC too but for secure locked stacking tool bin storage and not for Dogs or my friend Mark who never misses an opportunity to try a new nap spot out?

 

Definite nap spot.

 

Sorry I type on Computer but post Pics from phone!

Look up!

 

Awesome! Cool pups. That interior looks like it’s in great shape, too. Good score!

 

A fellow Anti Taco Grasshopper! You’ll do well here.

 

Are you saying you'll post pics of the tool boxes in your truck? I'd like to see how it turned out (if you ever cleared your pal off of the nap magnet).

p.s. Great post, OP. Thanks.

 

Sorry never going to happen.
I have long since sold that truck and have no pics of it back there with tools other than the biggest tool that I showed!

I really did this though to be able to stack those big black bins with yellow lids that they sell at Home Depot and stack them it did!
It travelled well but was a total pain to try to work from as I always seemed to something on the bottom of a pile of bins somehow!?