4x4Wire - Removing the Jumpseats from a Discovery I

Removing the Jumpseats from a Discovery I

http://www.4x4wire.com/rover/interior/jumpseat_removal/

Short Cuts

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By: Joe Micciche - 12/02

Removal of Jumpseats on a non-Rear Air Discovery I

In order to remove the rear jumpseats from a Land Rover Discovery I without rear air, you will need the following tools:

T30 Torx bit
Phillips and flat-blade screwdrivers
10mm, 13mm, and 17mm sockets
Small vise grips, pliers, or other similar tool that can reach into a small space


The installed seats.	The cargo lamp and rear light access panel must be removed.

Begin by removing the rear cargo cover and the two plastic mounting brackets to which it attaches. Each mount is held in place with two Phillips screws.

The rear cargo lamp will need to come out as well. Carefully slide the flat blade of a screwdriver in at the top and gently pry it out. Take note of the wires and connectors, disassemble and set aside. Then flip the cap on the screw on the large rear light access panel, and remove that phillips screw and set the panel aside.


Upper mounts removed.	There is very little space to access the lower outer bolts, hence the use of the bit and a small crescent wrench.	Seats removed, trim and seatbelts remain.

I found it easiest to remove the seats from the mounting brackets: this allows plenty of space to work. Use the T30 Torx bit/driver to remove the bolts in the swing brackets from the anchors protruding from the trim. The lower outer bolts will be difficult to access or get a ratchet on, that's why I used the bit and turned it with a small crescent wrench. There are a total of 6 bolts per jumpseat, 2 on each lower mount (X2) and one each on the upper mount (X2).

Move on to the upper trim, which has to be removed to access the lower trim. Each speaker is held in place with four phillips screws: remove these and the speaker grill, and be prepared to catch the speaker should it fall out. Disconnect the audio cables and set aside. You can then pull the upper trim piece off. It is held in place with two plastic screws at the top, so carefully pull it off.

Remove the cargo cover rear hangers. They are held in with two phillips screws.


The arrows show the location of the 5 plastic rivets per side.	Let the trim fall forward to access the seat belt bolts.

You can now begin removing the large lower trim piece. Working from the rear of the vehicle, slide your hand behind the lower trim and push out at the most rearward plastic anchor, just enough to get it started. Then pull the anchor from the front. There are 4 of these plastic anchors in the trim face, plus a fifth just behind the rear seat (tumble it forward for easy access). Using a combination of starting from inside and finishing from outside, these come out easily with no damage to the trim.

The trim will remain in place until you remove the seatbelts. Use the 17mm socket to remove each seatbelt mount (one per side), then pull the belt and tab out through the front. Once the belts are removed, you can move the trim to a safe place.


The rear upper bracket.	The location of the "hidden" bolt.	Using vise grips on the unthreaded end of the bolt just to get it started.	Completed job with the old trim reinstalled. The cutouts will be handy for future mounting and tie-down options.

The lower jumpseat bracket's remaining bolts are all 13mm hex head, remove them and set aside. The upper brackets each use three 10mm hex head self-tapping bolts. The most forward bolt of the forward bracket is a little tricky to get without removing more trim: I found it effective to remove the other two bolts, then access this one from the bottom to get it started (using the vise grips or pliers - it is self-tapping so it has blank area at the tip to grab without damaging threads), then I threaded it out by hand from the top.

Once all of the brackets are removed, you can reinstall the lower trim by driving the plastic anchor screws in by hand - don't forget the forward one! Then reinstall the cargo cover rear hangers; the rear speakers, trim, and grilles; the cargo area lamp can be popped back into place, and the cargo cover mounts refastened.