Can the middle row be moved backwards?

[TURNz]

I'm looking to buy a 2001 to 2006 Tahoe and have couple questions.

Some of the one's I've seen posted online have captain's chairs in the middle row. I assume that means there is or was a third row.

I did a search and see that I can install a bench seat without modification, so that's good.

What I'd like to be able to do, whether I find one with a bench seat, or I install a bench seat, is I'd like to remove the third row, and be able to move the middle row back a few inches for more leg room, but maintain the rear cargo space. By that I mean, I don't want to remove the middle row for leg room and compromise the cargo area.

Is there a way to move the middle row backwards maybe 4-6 inches and still be a safe install? I don't want the seat to break loose in an accident.

 

[TURNz]

I guess that's a no.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I'm looking to buy a 2001 to 2006 Tahoe and have couple questions.

Some of the one's I've seen posted online have captain's chairs in the middle row. I assume that means there is or was a third row.

I did a search and see that I can install a bench seat without modification, so that's good.

What I'd like to be able to do, whether I find one with a bench seat, or I install a bench seat, is I'd like to remove the third row, and be able to move the middle row back a few inches for more leg room, but maintain the rear cargo space. By that I mean, I don't want to remove the middle row for leg room and compromise the cargo area.

Is there a way to move the middle row backwards maybe 4-6 inches and still be a safe install? I don't want the seat to break loose in an accident.

I would say the only proper way to achieve this would be to custom fab your own brackets.

 

[VDV18]

I have zero knowledge regarding fabrication (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night ), but whenever you move something back towards the rear it's going to compromise cargo space. Right, or am I missing something?

 

[TURNz]

I have zero knowledge regarding fabrication (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night ), but whenever you move something back towards the rear it's going to compromise cargo space. Right, or am I missing something?

What I said was one option to increase leg room for back seat passengers would be to remove the middle row, and make the third row, the back seat. As it turned out, I bought the Tahoe that doesn't have a third row, so that point is now moot.

I'm ok with losing the 6 inches or whatever in the cargo area, to gain it in leg room though.

 

[PG01]

Cant because of the shape of the floor. Imo

I should really read more before i post....lol

 

[TheAutumnWind]

What I said was one option to increase leg room for back seat passengers would be to remove the middle row, and make the third row, the back seat. As it turned out, I bought the Tahoe that doesn't have a third row, so that point is now moot.

I'm ok with losing the 6 inches or whatever in the cargo area, to gain it in leg room though.

I've seen it done on here. Gonna have to do a search. The person fabbed his own brackets.

 

[rockola1971]

What I said was one option to increase leg room for back seat passengers would be to remove the middle row, and make the third row, the back seat. As it turned out, I bought the Tahoe that doesn't have a third row, so that point is now moot.

I'm ok with losing the 6 inches or whatever in the cargo area, to gain it in leg room though.

You sure the 3rd row just isnt missing and the 3rd row brackets are there?

 

[TURNz]

You sure the 3rd row just isnt missing and the 3rd row brackets are there?

Clean floor, no brackets, just carpet. There are cup holders in the fender humps though.

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[PG01]

The shape of the floor between the middle seats and cargo area will prevent you from moving it back, UNLESS, you fab brackets to go up and over the 'curb' so to speak. If you can get it back as it sits i think you may only get 2-3". Is that worth it.
3rd row or not they all have cupholders on the back, gm's way of 'saving' by molding or building 1 thing per body style instead of 19 diff rear panels.

 

[BigDaddy13440]

I've seen it done on here. Gonna have to do a search. The person fabbed his own brackets.

That'd be me.

Pretty easy, actually. I just bought some 1/4" thick by 2" wide bar stock, and cut the pieces to 3 1/2" long. Then I drilled holes 2 1/2" apart, and ran a bolt, washer and nut through one hole. Flipping it so that the bolt faced up, I then bolted it onto the studs coming up from the floor. Essentially, all I did was relocate the studs back 2 1/2", and bolted the seats back down.

I did have to take a 5lb sledge hammer to the inside floorboard, behind where the seat release is on the passenger side. Didn't break any welds or bust any seams, just made a nice little dent, giving me enough room to slip my fingers behind and flip the lever. If you have different seats (like my older '01 Suburban), and don't have the lever, you might be able to get 3 1/2 - 4" more room than stock, but certainly no more, unless you plan on cutting up your floorboard and relocating everything backward.

FWIW, it might have taken me 2 hours to do, with no help. The hardest thing to do was to wrestle the seats in and out, just heavy and bulky. Well worth the effort though, as my 15 yr old son and 13 yr old daughter don'tt have to chew on their knees with the front seats all the way back - I'm 6'7 and 320 lbs, my daughter is 6' and she sits behind me. My wife is only 5'7 and has the seat up about 2 inches, but my son sits behind her, he's pushing 6'3 and 360 lbs. They both have plenty of room.

You can see where I added washers under the bracket where it bolts to the floor, the same thickness as the head of the bolt. If I didn't, tightening the bracket down would've bent the studs.

 

[TURNz]

That'd be me.

Pretty easy, actually. I just bought some 1/4" thick by 2" wide bar stock, and cut the pieces to 3 1/2" long. Then I drilled holes 2 1/2" apart, and ran a bolt, washer and nut through one hole. Flipping it so that the bolt faced up, I then bolted it onto the studs coming up from the floor. Essentially, all I did was relocate the studs back 2 1/2", and bolted the seats back down.

I did have to take a 5lb sledge hammer to the inside floorboard, behind where the seat release is on the passenger side. Didn't break any welds or bust any seams, just made a nice little dent, giving me enough room to slip my fingers behind and flip the lever. If you have different seats (like my older '01 Suburban), and don't have the lever, you might be able to get 3 1/2 - 4" more room than stock, but certainly no more, unless you plan on cutting up your floorboard and relocating everything backward.

FWIW, it might have taken me 2 hours to do, with no help. The hardest thing to do was to wrestle the seats in and out, just heavy and bulky. Well worth the effort though, as my 15 yr old son and 13 yr old daughter don'tt have to chew on their knees with the front seats all the way back - I'm 6'7 and 320 lbs, my daughter is 6' and she sits behind me. My wife is only 5'7 and has the seat up about 2 inches, but my son sits behind her, he's pushing 6'3 and 360 lbs. They both have plenty of room.


View attachment 78222 View attachment 78223 View attachment 78224

You can see where I added washers under the bracket where it bolts to the floor, the same thickness as the head of the bolt. If I didn't, tightening the bracket down would've bent the studs.

Very nice. What about the rear bolts?



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[BigDaddy13440]

Very nice. What about the rear bolts?



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Same thing, brackets to move the rear "studs" back. The first pic with the amps, if you look at the lower rear corner (driver's side rear seat), you see the bolt and washer. I don't have a nut holding it down, didn't realize until after I had everything in that it was a metric bolt with some funny thread. Sooner or later, I've got to either find the correct nut, or swap out the bolt.

 

[TURNz]

Ok, I see that now. And why is the seat bracket sandwiched between two nuts on top of the adapter plate?

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[BigDaddy13440]

Ok, I see that now. And why is the seat bracket sandwiched between two nuts on top of the adapter plate?

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You have to put a nut between to elevate the frame of the seat up above the nut holding the bracket to the stock studs.

Each new relocated "stud" is as follows, from top to bottom:

nut
washer
frame of seat
fender washers (to spread the load evenly, in case the hole is about the same size as the nut)
nut
bracket
bolt

And, correspondingly, on the original studs, from top to bottom:

nut
washer
bracket
fender washers
stud

As I said, I stacked fender washers so that the bracket is spaced off the floor enough so that the head of the relocated "stud" bolt has clearance, and the bracket sits flat. Additional fender washers are under the frame of the seat to lift it high enough to clear the top nut on the original stud. All told, it probably lifts the rear seat up about 3/4 of an inch.

 

[TURNz]

Got it, thanks. I guess I have a project for next weekend.

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[BigDaddy13440]

Got it, thanks. I guess I have a project for next weekend.

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My recommendation is to unbolt the seats, then leave them loose, and push them back as far as you can. Check for interference (like I had with the release lever), and modify (meaning: beat and/or bend) whatever needs be to get your maximum room. Set the seats back in, measure the distance from the holes in the seat frame to the studs, and fab the brackets up.

 

[MadDogDelpho]

Do you have any pictures of it finished?

 

[BigDaddy13440]

Do you have any pictures of it finished?

It would look just the same as without being moved back, except the trim panels would be up off the carpet a bit, and the brackets would stick out from underneath. Me, I wasn't worried about the trim plastics, they just get in the way - I carry an expandable 5 foot long snow brush, I slide it in under the rear seats.

 

[BigDaddy13440]

I thought of something today.... Mine is a Yukon XL, with the full rear doors. The floor in the rear is even with the wheelwells, the whole frame of my seats is in front of the "shelf" of the rear floor. I don't know if the regular Yukon or Tahoe has the same type of brackets - I know my OBS '96 Tahoe had brackets that were vertical, and mounted up against the "shelf", with the backs of the seats hinging from the "shelf". If your rear seat does this, about the only option you have to move the seats back would be to get a third row seat, go to a junkyard and cut the recessed mounts out of the floor of a wrecked vehicle, and cut/fabricate/install those mounts as far forward in the rear cargo area as you can. If you wanted to go through all that trouble, you'd have about 12-15" more legroom for the rear passengers, and the same amount less in the rear cargo area.

If yours looks like this, then you're SOL.....

My bad.