Rear Seat Delete! How Many Fiesta Owners Are Interested?

39210 Views 47 Replies 16 Participants Last post by David, Oct 21, 2020

LP

Discussion Starter · Nov 14, 2013

We are currently designing a rear seat delete kit for our shop Fiesta ST. This will replace the back seat entirely and convert your "seating area" into more of a cargo area. This kit will be constructed of 6061 aluminum and will be upholstered with ultra-suede or carpet, plus the option of powder coating. Weight savings will also be posted soon.

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rodmoe

· #2 · Nov 15, 2013

Sweet let me know when you have an idea of price and how easy is it to reinstall the rear seat if need be ?

LP

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 15, 2013

rodmoe said:
Sweet let me know when you have an idea of price and how easy is it to reinstall the rear seat if need be ?

I will post details including price once we complete this prototype. The seats are easy to remove, there are a handful of large torx bolts holding them in but that's all. This part will look great when we are finished. Photos coming soon

Reactions: 2

Wheelhopper

· #4 · Nov 15, 2013

I am more interested in hearing the weight savings once completed. Are you also removing all the rear seat belts and attaching hardware?

Thibs

· #5 · Nov 15, 2013

I would be interested in doing this... Excited to see the final result

94Gt5.0

· #6 · Nov 17, 2013

Hmm, would be interested to see the suede setup! And it'd have to be easily swapped back and forth imo to be practical.

LP

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 17, 2013

Wheelhopper said:
I am more interested in hearing the weight savings once completed. Are you also removing all the rear seat belts and attaching hardware?

Yes, the bottom portion of the belts can be removed with one bolt. The top part feeds into the interior paneling and will be secured in place with fasteners. More photos and info will be posted once we complete the setup.

LP

Discussion Starter · #8 · Nov 17, 2013

94Gt5.0 said:
Hmm, would be interested to see the suede setup! And it'd have to be easily swapped back and forth imo to be practical.

This setup can be installed in under 30 minutes. The seats are held in place by a handful of torx fasteners, but other than that they come right out.

focusedintntions

· #9 · Nov 17, 2013

Ij don't know about you all, but when the seats are down and the cover is gone, there's a lot more road resonance and you get a lot more road noise in the cabin. I'd think bare aluminum would only add more noise in the cabin.

rodmoe

· #10 · Nov 17, 2013

focusedintntions said:
Ij don't know about you all, but when the seats are down and the cover is gone, there's a lot more road resonance and you get a lot more road noise in the cabin. I'd think bare aluminum would only add more noise in the cabin.

Being for me this is a track day thing noise is of little consequence as all non anchored down stuff gets left at your pit area .. and if im hauling track tires it will be nice not to worry about rear seats being beaten up.. that's why the ease and quick install is also a plus ...
And yes a cross brace would be a nice place to mount the Go Pro ... hmmmm delightful .. Now get to work on a light weight hood option either aluminum or some other material

Superfly

· #11 · Nov 17, 2013

I can see this being useful for track setup - like someone said, hauling tires. But that's about it. It depends on the cost/benefit ratio. If this setup will cost $500 and save 30lbs, than I'd say no.

Wheelhopper

· #12 · Nov 18, 2013

Superfly said:
I can see this being useful for track setup - like someone said, hauling tires. But that's about it. It depends on the cost/benefit ratio. If this setup will cost $500 and save 30lbs, than I'd say no.

Back when I was drag racing my Terminator, a lot of us would do a rear seat delete to save about 35lbs. The deletes would cost around $135, give or take a little. That was worth it. It was just not that one 35lb drop. It was just part of the several items we could remove to lose around 250lbs. If it costs several hundred I doubt I would go for it.

rodmoe said:
Now get to work on a light weight hood option either aluminum or some other material

How much lighter can this hood get? I don't know if an aftermarket hood would be worth it. The factory hood is so light that a fiberglass or composite hood would only save 10lbs or so and would probably cost well over $300. Not worth it for me.

focusedintntions

· #13 · Nov 18, 2013

Wheelhopper said:
Back when I was drag racing my Terminator, a lot of us would do a rear seat delete to save about 35lbs. The deletes would cost around $135, give or take a little. That was worth it. It was just not that one 35lb drop. It was just part of the several items we could remove to lose around 250lbs. If it costs several hundred I doubt I would go for it.

How much lighter can this hood get? I don't know if an aftermarket hood would be worth it. The factory hood is so light that a fiberglass or composite hood would only save 10lbs or so and would probably cost well over $300. Not worth it for me.

The hood could get a lot lighter. Imagine a 10lb hood vs the factory 40 or so. I have CF hood on my BMW which is bigger. OEM was like 60lbs and the CF one is 14.

Reactions: 1

rodmoe

· #14 · Nov 18, 2013

My thoughts exactly to combine this with say a super light weight battery and it may end up taking 30 or 40 lbs off the nose of the car as you stated it all adds up as long as it is cost effective .. unless you are going for a certain look then cost may become secondary .. LOL But it never hurts to ask and talk about it

good input Thanks

focusedintntions

· #15 · Nov 19, 2013

rodmoe said:
My thoughts exactly to combine this with say a super light weight battery and it may end up taking 30 or 40 lbs off the nose of the car as you stated it all adds up as long as it is cost effective .. unless you are going for a certain look then cost may become secondary .. LOL But it never hurts to ask and talk about it good input Thanks

If you're looking for weight reduction, there's a lot you could do. Lighter weight wheels make a huge difference. Get rid of the harmonic weights on the suspension, and install a lighter set of coilovers, CF hood, lighter battery, rear seat delete. There goes probably 100-125lbs if not a bit more

Mightymango

· #16 · Nov 19, 2013

How much actual weight are the rear seats so we know what the real savings would be.

94Gt5.0

· #17 · Nov 19, 2013

Wheelhopper said:
Back when I was drag racing my Terminator, a lot of us would do a rear seat delete to save about 35lbs. The deletes would cost around $135, give or take a little. That was worth it. It was just not that one 35lb drop. It was just part of the several items we could remove to lose around 250lbs. If it costs several hundred I doubt I would go for it.

How much lighter can this hood get? I don't know if an aftermarket hood would be worth it. The factory hood is so light that a fiberglass or composite hood would only save 10lbs or so and would probably cost well over $300. Not worth it for me.

You over on SVTP? Name looks familiar!

And agreed on the hood, you might shave 10-15# off, but in return you'll have a hood that most likely fits like crap, and have to do paintwork on a brand new car..not my cup of tea! I'd find the weight elsewhere.

rodmoe

· #18 · Nov 19, 2013

94Gt5.0 said:
You over on SVTP? Name looks familiar!

And agreed on the hood, you might shave 10-15# off, but in return you'll have a hood that most likely fits like crap, and have to do paintwork on a brand new car..not my cup of tea! I'd find the weight elsewhere.

That's what makes the world go round I will look into it and see as it would be a race day hood im not too worried just unload the car from the trailer with hood on it and off to get the car teched .. put the steelie on for daily driving.. not even sure I would bother to paint it if it is CF .. time will tell on the cost effectiveness till then all things are in play .. like hmmm how much does that silly AC weigh .... LOL

Wheelhopper

· #19 · Nov 20, 2013

94Gt5.0 said:
You over on SVTP? Name looks familiar!

And agreed on the hood, you might shave 10-15# off, but in return you'll have a hood that most likely fits like crap, and have to do paintwork on a brand new car..not my cup of tea! I'd find the weight elsewhere.

Yep. I am on SVTP and several other forums. I use the same name just to keep it simple. Corner Carvers doesn't like it though.

I am all for saving weight. I am just not going to spend hundreds of $ to save a few lbs. And who ever mentioned a 10lb hood compared to a 40lb hood is dreaming. There is no way that the stock Fiesta hood weighs more than 20lbs. Now if you could save 30lbs by replacing the hood and the hood cost $300, give or take a few $, then I would say go for it.

LP

Discussion Starter · #20 · Nov 20, 2013

Hey guys,

So I just finished weighing the components from the rear seating setup and the total amount of weight savings is 60 lbs. I will post more once I get the replacement sheet set in place.

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