Ok, so here it is. I've seen it asked a bunch, I've heard of a few folks that have done it, but here it is. How to convert a standard Duster over to a fold down seat. Most of these pictures are mine, some of them are not. I should have taken more pictures of my conversion parts before I started.
So, here's what I started with. Your basic standard non-folding seat Duster with cross bracing.
To do this, you probably need a parts car. It's the only way to do it and get it to look original, that's for sure. For those that don't know, the fold-down seat cars are not just standard cars with the cross brace removed. The package tray is completely different and has additional bracing added, as does the floor, to make up for the lack of the cross brace.
Here's your basic fold down car...
And the extra bracing...
And all the parts that you'd need for a full conversion...
But you see those black arrows in the first picture? That's all you REALLY need. The upper part of the seat, the filler neck, the pass-through floor support, and the latches and hardware for the security panel and upper part of the seat. Sure, you'd have to fab the seat brackets and floor braces, but that stuff is really just sheet metal. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to get everything but the package tray from the local wrecking yard. And that's where my conversion is going to differ, because I'm not a fan of the fold down package shelf or the gaping hole it leaves behind the seat on a stock fold down car.
So, here we go. :D
So, here's what I started with. Your basic standard non-folding seat Duster with cross bracing.
To do this, you probably need a parts car. It's the only way to do it and get it to look original, that's for sure. For those that don't know, the fold-down seat cars are not just standard cars with the cross brace removed. The package tray is completely different and has additional bracing added, as does the floor, to make up for the lack of the cross brace.
Here's your basic fold down car...
And the extra bracing...
And all the parts that you'd need for a full conversion...
But you see those black arrows in the first picture? That's all you REALLY need. The upper part of the seat, the filler neck, the pass-through floor support, and the latches and hardware for the security panel and upper part of the seat. Sure, you'd have to fab the seat brackets and floor braces, but that stuff is really just sheet metal. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to get everything but the package tray from the local wrecking yard. And that's where my conversion is going to differ, because I'm not a fan of the fold down package shelf or the gaping hole it leaves behind the seat on a stock fold down car.
So, here we go. :D
