3rd row seating ideas

OK so we recently had our 3rd child, Rowan he is our 3rd boy! [man o man]
Anyways it was an unplanned PG and now my family will not fit in the Jeep anymore! I would like to install a 3rd row of seating in the rear, just one seat possibly a bucket from another XJ then i will install the child seat into it.

The problem is actually mounting the pedestall in the rear cargo area.
I realize that the area is sheet metal so i thought that when i drop my gastank to replace the fuel pump and gasket i could possibly install... well thats just it what would i put there that would actually work?

maybe some strips of steel? i dunno doesnt sound very safe to me..

I did do a search and didnt find anything.. but again i have a newborn and a 2.5yr old and a 5 yr old so time is pretty tight right now and I could not look through every page that the searches came up with.

has anyone else done this mod? if so do you have pics..

I would naturally prefer to install a roll cage of some kind if not exo it.
that would obviously be the best way to mount seats but i was hoping to keep the total cost below 1G..

All in all i want to keep my XJ and not consider the commander which would be the only other option but then again its not really a good wheeler..

ok so that enough for now sorry for the long post and yeah i am totally sleep deprived!

Aaron

I would do a rear facing bench seat. Like the station wagons back in the day. I think the lake model caprice wagons also had a rear facing bench for the 3rd row. Just find something in the junk yard that matches in color and cut and modify it. I think it would be pretty cool actually.

find some wrangler rear seat hardware, should fit pretty good and they are removable. then run a few pillars up for seat belts and youll be good

ok i can dig this, but not facing rearward... thats totally unsafe, not to mention i have a rear swing out bumper tire carrier. So he would be staring at the tire not too fun.

So is there any recommendations for how to mount the rails to the floor itself?
if there is no "frame" just the Unibody, wouldnt you want to somehow reinforce the mounting points from below the floor itlself? maybe a plate of steel on each side or a square under each mounting point. 3/8ths maybe. then do grade 8 hardware ...

Aaron

had this problem myself a few years ago with more kids I have 4
sold it at # 2 and bought a used Suburban turned around and bought a older XJ for next to nothing...got out the sawzal locked it added a few inches and 33s and the rest is history
Have you ever seen a HARD rear end collision on a Xj or stepped on a beer can for that matter. I worked in the fire service for years and I would not risk my little ones in the back storage area period

aroncullok said:

i can dig this, but not facing rearward... thats totally unsafe

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Unsafe?? How? I disagree 100%. In any collision where the Jeep is moving forward the rear facing is actually safer. Many old military planes used to have all seat face backwards. You can fit the seat in to face forward, but you will lose most of the leg room because of the angles. My kids fight over the back seat, the same as my sister and I did in the stationwagon when we were kids.

aroncullok said:

So is there any recommendations for how to mount the rails to the floor itself?
if there is no "frame" just the Unibody, wouldnt you want to somehow reinforce the mounting points from below the floor itlself? maybe a plate of steel on each side or a square under each mounting point. 3/8ths maybe. then do grade 8 hardware ...

Aaron

Click to expand...

A mounting plate would work, or even large washers. If you mount the seat backwards you can use the same seatbelt mounts as the stock rear seat, then you wouldn't have the same forces on the seat.

Actually i meant "unsafe" as in rear end collisions. It is clear to me that a front end collision with the seat facign rearward is safer being that the child seats have to be rearward facing for as long as possible as it is..

But really the problem now is that the rear cargo area is sooooo small i dont think the seat would actually fit back there forward facing..
Wont do rearward since the tire is mounted there... bummer man i need to carry 3 kids and theres no room!

OH yeah and the wife thought the whole idea was crazy mostly due to the size of the cargo area.. so yeah not going to go there thats just asking for the can crushing syndrome... no way

thanks guys for you input

look out here comes some un-solicited advice.

The third row seats would be fine for off roading.

you can mount the seat anywhere the rear uni-frame comes up and runs just along the side of the wheel wells so the bolts will be just inbetween the frame rails and is as safe, if not more so than the regular rear seat/seat belts as they are just bolted to sheet metal with a very large washer.

I would like go argue against the beer can idea... My XJ was in what i would call a "Hard" rear end collision 40 - 45mph. it did not crumple like a beer can. I was hit by a small car. Now if i get hit by MRMOM and his suburban thats a differnt story, but I don't know a car that would stand up to that tank.

BUT,
I would agree, I would not put my kid back there for daily driving, I would not put a seat back there for all the time driving. You want to hit some trails with the fam, go for it.
But if you are looking for a reliable, safe Family veh. Keep the XJ, and get a commander, and off road the xj.

PiCs...
rear end accident damage.


The weld marks is where the frame comes up. the two little bolts sticking out of the fender is where the rear seat is attached. and the little weld squares in the center left and right of the trans tunnel is where the seat belts attach.


That square hole is where the seat belt mounts with a large 3" x 1.5" oval washer/mounting plate.


keep on wheelin...

Maybe I missed something but the Cherokee has room for 5 occupants. When we had our 5th I stepped up from a Wrangler to a Cherokee - my wife refused to get a minivan (what a great woman). We are discussing getting something bigger right now because my oldest is 14 and is constantly complaining about leg room, but they all fit widthwise.

fender said:

Maybe I missed something but the Cherokee has room for 5 occupants. When we had our 5th I stepped up from a Wrangler to a Cherokee

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agreed, especially 5 small occupants. when i was growing up, there was mom and step-dad in front, me, my 2 stepbrothers in the backseat and my brother and step sister in the cargo area (its LEGAL in georgia-no seatbelts needed in the back of an SUV)

btw, thats 7 people...

-Tim

I've got 3 boys, 19,13, and 5. The 2 oldest are big boys and both play football(19: 6ft 175, 13: 5"6 155) They fit but its tight, of course the 19 year old doesn't want to be seen with us any more so he just follows in his XJ.

I think what you are saying is that the car seats just won't work 3 in a row.

Why not a jump seat out of a Ranger or something mounted on the passenger side kinda like the RR Discovery. It could be folded out of the way when not in use. Also just make sure you put in a good restraint mounted to solid steel, and you should be O.K.. As far as rear 3rd row seats, there are plenty of OEM wagons that come that way so it shouldn't be all that unsafe in normal driving conditions, of course you can't prevent everything from happening!