Trap,

Again, you can't make it do what it isn't made to do. The third seat is small and will remain small. You can take it out or live with what is there.

Many times, folks will biatch about making the D do this, or the D won't do that. In the end, the Durango is probably the most capable SUV in it's class. At the time of introduction in 1998, and still in 1999 which is the year of your D, there was nothing else size wise in it's segment.

Stop banging you head or wishing for what it isn't and enjoy it when you have times that the entire family doesn't have to ride along. Your Suburban is perfect for an All-Skate. That and the Grand Caravan has always been a very nice and capable ride if you wanted to look into a mini-van.

I was kid #4 in a 6 kid family myself. Wow the memories!

IndyDurango

 

I don't really want to make it do anything else. Just in case of emergency was all I am looking for. Had a Grand Caravan and didn't care too much for it. It was capable but lacked 4WD!!! Plus I don't want to be confused with a soccer mom.

 

I would suggest for a second that you could "try" to convert. Pull out the second row and see how it is bolted down. Then look at your third row seat. I would assume the reasoning behind the 2 seat belt conversion in the very back was because of height. The very back seat is flat because it sits over the fuel and axle uplift in the floor board. This seat had to have a different makeup because of this.

Now can you modify a second row to the third row? IDK, will it be safe? IDK


One thing we did a long time ago (I and the forum don't convey as this is my opinion) modify a 2 seater into a 3 seater. We disconnected the middle female reciever and re-anchored them. For the anchor, we bolted a wide (maybe 2 inch X 1/4 inch plate steel) along the floor board under the truck and bolted through the OEM plates. Then drilled through this anchor and the floor board and with grade 5 lag bolts and large fender washers with Nylock nuts bolted the new generic belt and OEM belts down to the anchor/floor.

 

way to be a trouble make hydra

 

Just sayin......ya know!

 

I have 3 kids and 1 wife. All I want to do is turn the 3rd row bench seat into a 60/40 (or 50/50, or 70/30, or some kind of split) seat, so that each kid has a chair while I still have enough cargo room to haul groceries home from the grocery store. This shouldn't be that hard. We are talking about changes to the interior seating arrangement, not a chop and rebuild of the vehicle hardware. I'm not b*tching about the Durango in general or trying to put a full size adult in the 3rd row or put multiple child seats back there or any of the other weird guesses you and others have made about what I'm trying to do... so if you don't have an a solution to my problem, may I humbly suggest you keep your mouth shut rather than making a bunch of rude remarks that have no applicability to the original question.

 

Ok,

We have never done this before so if you wanna do it for us then please feel free to take the initiative to do a DIY thread so users can learn from you and you can further help them. Sorry if we came into this thread to try and give you some information that you ask for.

If you need more room then you need to get a different vehicle. There is no other option that we know of other than unbolting seats and from what it appears like, you will be doing a fair amount of "chop and rebuild of the vehicle hardware" either way.


Indy does have a funny way of stating certain things (and some that are controversial) but in no way did he invoke such a humbly remark.

 

Never say never. Wouldn't be easy and probably wouldn't be worth the effort but nothing is impossible.

Nothing? My sister's Pilot has a split 3rd row seat. Don't think that's a full size SUV.

Who are you to judge how a person uses his truck or what they want to (or need to) do with it?

 

Rev,
That response was to Trap, not you. Nothing in that response you quoted and got all pissy about was directed to you. My apologies for not realizing you were asking about a type of 60/40 fold down. I missed the title entirely when you asked for something you " could raise and lower each side independently."

Want a 40/60 split, cut the seat in half and finish it off. Find a mechanism at the junk yard for connecting the two pieces together in the up position. Done.

gr8,
LOL @ U. Was there a Honda Pilot even made in 1998 when the D paved the way for midsize SUVs? Explaining that putting an Adult full time in the Ds 3rd row is now Judging? LOL. I call it torture. With that said, Trap explained it was a child so a moot point. No need to drag it back up.

Also, with the suspension, the gas tank and the shock mounts, it would be HIGHLY impractical to weld in your own floor pan. While EVERY question here could be answered by "take it to a shop and custom hack it to death... you can do anything if you want to"; that isn't practical nor how forum responses are generally provided. The generally accepted response is one for a common answer for common user.

If I say the sky is blue, is that going to create an argument too? I can get you all some fresh cut flowers if that would make your 'every post needs to be lovie dovie' dispositions feel better. OR, you can read a response for what it is and stop getting sand in your vaginas. Want love? Go ask your priest for Durango advise.

IndyD

 

Wow, too many people getting their panties in an uproar. Rev, you can do what you want with modifications. There are no aftermarket seats to replace the 3rd row seat to do what you would like to do. For one thing, part of the cargo floor is also part of the rear of the third row seat when you fold it down. You would have to modify that part also to make it a split type seat. Indy has a habit of stating facts in a harsh type of way and one has to get to know him and his way. Sure, there will always be personality clashes but all in all, this is a forum and we all try to answer it the best we can even if one's feathers get ruffled. The forums are not a place to have a pissing contest and see who can pee the farthest, but how we all can come to a solution, whether it be right or wrong in one's eyes.