That Ain't Stock #2: Removing the Jump Seats

So - remember this puppy?

Aww, he's so cute!

Well, he's 7 months old and over 65 lbs now.  So, he looks a lot more like this:

OMG, he's gonna eat me!

Needless to say, the small back seat of our 2009 Ford Ranger barely has enough room for him to stand - much less turn around, lay down, and chill out while we drive to our next camping adventures.  RDB and I  both had the thought of removing the jump seats in the back to give him a little room - and sure enough, if you Google it, some one's done it.  We followed the tutorial found here as it had great photos and pretty clear instructions.

Step #1 - Go buy new tools (we both liked this step!)



(I should point out - you don't need the deep socket set, but RDB wanted to get them - he also wanted me to point out that you don't need them... of course, that was before we realized that you do need a set of sockets that aren't deep in order to complete this project - so we ended up with a set of those too, by the time we were done.)

Step #2 - Unscrew stuff.

Step #3 - Repeat Step #2 on the other side.

Step #4 - Lather, rinse and repeat.  (There was a lot of unscrewing stuff). Until you can finally remove the jump seats on both sides.

And then realize that the jack stand is kinda in the way, but nobody talks about that in the tutorial to replace your jumps seats with ear-drum-deafening sub woofers.  We needed room for a different kind of, um, Woofer.  So, we took it a step further, unbolted the jack and relocated it to the utility camper shell we have on the back.  So, to continue....

Step #5 - Remove the bolts that hold in the jack stand (there were only two, I think - maybe three).

Step #6 - Once the unit is removed (I was impressed by how easily it came out - gotta love the Ford assembly line ingenuity!) find a place to secure it elsewhere in the vehicle - because as sure as you don't travel with it, you'll end up needing it.  We located it behind the fishing poles that live in the utility shell.

Step #7 - Securely fasten.  And I mean securely.  When RDB engineers something, he does it so that it can withstand my driving the test of time!

Notice the Leatherman!! My inspiration!

Step #8 - Step back and enjoy your handiwork!

Gotta have the fishing poles - in case we have a blow-out by a lake!



From this....

... to this!

I'm sure our not-so-little puppy is gonna love all the extra space.  Now, if we can just get the weather to cooperate....


One project always leads to another: That Ain't Stock #3: More Misc Mods!

**Update** After having the Ranger for about a year - and especially after doing this project - we were kinda wishing that we had bought our second truck first.  I mean, the Ranger is great for the set-up we have now, but we want to be able to do more as our family (and our dog) grows... I guess the old saying is true: Be Careful What You Wish For.