Driver seat mounting bolts

[alteredvision]

Link to the photos (http://picasaweb.google.com/alteredvision702/4Runner022009?feat=directlink)

History: I bought my 1996 4Runner and I new that buying an older car would have some problems and over all I am very happy to report some engine work and some interior pieces, that I will have soon, my 4Runner is amazing. I am a very long Toyota owner and an even longer import vehicle owner.

My 1 major problem is that the driver seat feels like a rocking chair. I looked into this and it seems that 4Runners have an amazingly weak mounting point on the 2 front bolts for the front seats. I thought well I will do what all the other people do and just put a bolt with a big washer on it and it will be simple and an easy fix. I have let this go and not taken the time to do the modification and I have moved states and done some trails and just neglected to get it done.

The other day it really started rocking to the point I felt I might fall into the back seat. I took the seat out and found that not only have both the bolts RIPPED OUT of the little tin metal that they were supposed to hold into but they have actually torn the metal like paper.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-iTJu93I/AAAAAAAALXg/dzfD3u5Bcf0/s400/DSC01810.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-jtjFLTI/AAAAAAAALXk/QJIxbhsRTEQ/s400/DSC01811.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-kqWiQNI/AAAAAAAALXs/yPvFWQhF4_o/s400/DSC01812.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-lD2Rv_I/AAAAAAAALX0/jT4NihTDr80/s400/DSC01813.JPG

So now I can not just use a couple washers and a new bolt and I was not big on drilling a hole above the transfer case and all the hoses and wires that are coming out of the top of it. So off to Home Depot and $11 later I have a piece of flat steel and 2 grade 8 bolts and nuts.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-lUJpg6I/AAAAAAAALX4/09YBbBry3jo/s400/DSC01814.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-lpPnURI/AAAAAAAALYE/1nkYDxmqV8I/s400/DSC01815.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-l6vOQ_I/AAAAAAAALYM/GhTs2SXxQGU/s400/DSC01816.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-mqfB_II/AAAAAAAALYQ/8PgVmRIMPTE/s400/DSC01817.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-m4eQHZI/AAAAAAAALYY/4OJkh79a0K0/s400/DSC01818.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2Eer1fIlPyg/Slf-nCz112I/AAAAAAAALYc/-GuQed297kw/s400/DSC01819.JPG

All I then did is weld them into place and the seat is solid and not going anywhere. It also feels completely different driving experience and I do not have to grip the steering wheel so tight.

Hope this helps someone and if anyone ever needs help with this I would be happy to assist.

[thefatkid]

Are you or the previous owner really hefty? Was the vehicle rear ended bad?

I have never seen anything like that from normal use.

[alteredvision]

I weigh in at 208 and there is no accidents on this vehical ever reported. It is a very documented thing and there are TONS of posts about it. Here is one that I follow on the YotaTech forum: http://www.yotatech.com/f2/seat-bolt-ripped-out-143912/

If you look at the metal, or so they call it, that the bolts are put into then you will understand how this happened. It is kinda like a pop can but a little weaker with all the bends they put in it.

[mrdoug]

Yeah Brian, you should take a look at that and learn something :rolleyes: :lmao:

AlteredVision, if you think that's scary, you should see what your rear seat mounts too... it's not much better. I reinforced mine when I put new sheet down there as well, but not the front.

theFatKid was right about saying that's not normal seems kind of odd given the placement of the bolts and the kind of force that would have to be applied to make it rip that sheet (20 or 22 gage I think). If the front has ripped like that, then i'd take a close look at the rears. The seat would have to either a) rock backwards hard and often to rip the fronts or b) something heavy would have to bounce on the seat either way, the rears would see similar force applied I would think.

[alteredvision]

I have looked at the other seat bolts and not seen anything but thanks for the heads up and I am going to go take a better look at them now.

The side close to the door was broken first and I just did not fix it for awhile so that may have caused the ripping of the metal.

[mrdoug]

FWIW, those same mounts in the 85 I bought were ripped too, but then, the rear body mounts had punched thru the floor pan and there was a good amount of other problems with the truck, so I chalked it up to some idiot before me had either jumped or severely abused it in some fashion.

Judging by the various bolts/washers/etc used by the PO to repair it, I think they ended up making it worse than better. Your fix looks good and should last.

I have to wonder if the bolt loosening up would have amplified the problem?

[alteredvision]

I think that because the one bolt was gone it did cause the other bolt to tear the metal like that. I do still question the weak metal that was used to mount it to though.