two seater hatch conversion? anyone done it?

[Nerfdude]

well, i've got my interior stripped out as i'm doing a little custom work on the rear interior panels (carbon fiber 6x9 mounts where the armrests used to be), and i took out the back seat... and i always have it folded down anyway, and i rarely ever have more than one passenger. the car just isn't built for four people. so i was thinking... why not just rip out the seatbelts back there, build a shelf level with the trunk, and have it upholstered to match? two seater 240sx, just like it's Zcar roots. has anyone done this, or have pics of anything like this?

[hookedup240]

I had the same idea awhile ago when i started putting my backseat down when a friend of mine who was never in a 240 said "Is this a 2 seater." I was like no, but it would be pretty cool.

I am also curious to see if there are any pics of this.

[crioten]

i made a cool shelf that swivels up and down on the same hinges that are used for the seat back...these pics are old and there is now a 10" sub between the 2 6x9's...it took about 2 hrs, and i think it looks great...



i keep all my tools and other crap i dont want floating around in my car, the space actually is usefull now.

-glen

[240SxTYLE]

i cant find the pic, but wasn't there a ugly s14 that had a center channel sub on the dash. iirc it also had a slopped type rear deck.

i agree though. i think if the rear deck came forward at the same hieght it would look nice. you could make slopes behind the two front seats so you could recline, but having the rear deck end up between the two seats would be sick. you could go five million different ways with that... boost controller, turbo timer, etc.

hmmmm... project time for someone

[Nerfdude]

yeah, project time for ME. i could make a sweet hidden amp rack.... have the rear deck on hinges, flip it up and bam, there's my amp, capacitors, sirius reciever... and maybe a storage compartment for all the crap i have floating around in my car all the time. oh, and i could put put in cupholders behind the armrest, since no one would ever be sitting back there. finally, a decent place to put my beverage while delivering pizza.
expect to see a badass conversion within the next two or three weeks, guys. car goes in for paint this week... 350z ember orange... when it comes back, i'll go to town on the interior.

[AKADriver]

I took the back seat out of my car, removed the carpet from the seatback, and laid it over the floor.

BTW, the S chassis has a distinct history from the Z, no "Z roots" here, just this:

[hookedup240]

Originally posted by Nerfdude
yeah, project time for ME. i could make a sweet hidden amp rack.... have the rear deck on hinges, flip it up and bam, there's my amp, capacitors, sirius reciever... and maybe a storage compartment for all the crap i have floating around in my car all the time. oh, and i could put put in cupholders behind the armrest, since no one would ever be sitting back there. finally, a decent place to put my beverage while delivering pizza.
expect to see a badass conversion within the next two or three weeks, guys. car goes in for paint this week... 350z ember orange... when it comes back, i'll go to town on the interior.

nice!! Can't wait to see pics. Keep us updated.

[andrave]

go with fiberglass, mdf weighs too much. besides, glass looks way cooler too.
Or CF or kevlar if you have the budget.

[Nerfdude]

i'll probably go with 3/4" plywood... but we'll see. and as for carbon fiber or kevlar... i know a guy who works at a shop where they do all kinds of stuff with CF.. he's grabbed me some pretty big scraps before. all i'd need would be a couple sheets of resined cf the size of the back seat... this may turn out to be one helluva project.

[andrave]

1.)
plywood is bad. It is made of plies, so its not as non resonant as other materials, and its heavy for what you get. I'd go with 1/2" mdf if you must go with wood.
2.)
why get resined sheets of CF?
get a few yards of cloth and a few quarts of resin and mold something... now that would be much cooler.

[DMC]

what would u guys think of having no upper stuff and just having a flat back?

[crioten]

i dont think that it looks good, i tried it to see what i like...but it just doesnt look good...

i used plywood, and i think it works great, and it cheap, so if ya screw up, which ya prolly will (i did lol) it wont set ya back like $10k lol

and who cares if it resonates at all, its not like its going to be air tight or anything, and mine is prety strong, ive sat on it and it holds me up fine (im 6' and weigh 185)

-glen

[Nerfdude]

ok, here's what i'm thinking right now. this is great. finally, a project that will keep my mind off the g/f (who has moved 1100 miles away for college)...

i'm going to use the factory hinges to create a hidden storage compartment. the back will be carpeted to match the trunk and rest of the interior, but when it opens up.... the inside will be covered with carbon fiber, with four 15% tinted plexiglas windows, behind each will sit:
750 watt Alpine v12
two rockford 1 farad capacitors (one window)
Sirius reciever
and one will be empty. i'll put another v12 in there to power my 6x9's as soon as i have the cash.

the whole thing will be built from 1/2" MDF. yes, it's heavy. but my car isn't 100% performance oriented.... i have a pair of 12" subs in the trunk, for god's sake. you guys are out there removing sound deadening, while i'm buying boxes of Dynamat and layering it over every panel in my entire car.... but it's not like i'm throwing on hydros and 24's, either, you know....

[azn_romeox]

Crioten,

Nice setup man. I actually really like how you did yours. Could you post some more pics of it.

[crioten]

those pics are old...ill have to take new ones sometime, but here ya go...these are the only ones i can currently find on my comp, you can tell that these are old, and i took them before i finished putting carpeting on the lower part. and like i said before there is now a 10" sub betweem the 2 6x9's





if ya want any more info, just email me...

[808rps13]

here's something they sell in Japan, it's been in recent Option2, Drift Tengoku, & Young Version mags as well as on Yahoo Japan auctions:






IIRC retail price is between $500-600 USD. if i can find what issue it was in i'll scan a pic that shows the rest of the car...

[azn_romeox]

HRM...........thats actually interesting. Looks like a mr2 wanabe. I need more pictures!!!!!

[crioten]

yeah, definately need some more pics, but it does look interesting...

i assume that it opens like a regular hatch...well, its definately unique

[radhaz]

I've seen that before for kit cars and if memory serves me correctly that was a factory option for 3rd gen firebirds (albeit a rare one).

If that is of similar style and make it's a simple drop in replacement for your hatchback glass. It's definitely got some unique style to it and would provide incentive to scrap the worthless backseats....however that would drastically reduce your rear visibility. Nothing wrong with that for the most part but all in all something to consider.

I would probably pay 500-600 for something like that though I would be interested to see if a sliding/removable window pane could be incorporated in the back (i'm sure it could).

[adey]

I'm trying to figure out how much (if any) weight you'd save (I imagine this was the main purpose for this piece) with that rear hatch glass insert. It's sexy looking; I like it! $500 seems reasonable, $600 getting into the pricier side.

[fiebru1119]

whoa.. that looks pretty sweet. i'd have to see it actually on a car b/f i'd consider it, but 500-600 isnt bad

[exitspeed]

hey you should model this thing behind your seats after the 350z's. That looks awsome in that car. You could even put a nice 240sx logo on it or something. Anyone got a pic of what im talking about?

[Fastback180]

Why don't you just gut the whole back portion of your coupe? Seat, seatbelts and all.

Then you'll have a good excuse for all those "hey dude, lemme get a ride w/you guys" freeloaders.

I've found that after I did that w/mine, when ever I wanted to go on grip runs, I would have to throw a couple of tires in the back.

[Nerfdude]

actually... the main reason i want to do this conversion is because i hate having more than one passenger in the car at any time. if there's three, the front passenger has to scoot up so far i can't see my sideview, and if there's four, _I_ have to scoot up and be uncomfortable. so to hell with the back seats. the conversion starts today.

[radhaz]

Hmm that flat lid of sure could use two cupholders in it



Thats almost enough incentive for me right there.

[crioten]

im thinking about making another lid, one that has a little lip on the front, so that crap doesnt slide off, and maybe a divider going down the middle. i mean, it works and i dont want a back seat in there for the same reason, all my friends and i are 6 feet tall...so it really sucks to sit back there

[old_s13]

that is what roll cages are for, fack friends.

[crioten]

well, i dont really need or want a roll cage (right now at least, but maybe later), and i sure as hell cant afford one lol