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Mike A's Achievements
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Hi Mike,
I have a 1980 M20K with a rear bench seat and I too was longing for some space in the back that would allow me to carry two dogs or my tri bike when I wanted. My going in purchase requirement was a 1982 or newer with the removables. But alas, I walked from 2 pre-buys, one a 1984 and one 1 982 due to maintenance issues. I found my 1980 which maintenance and previous owner wise was a solid investment. However, bench back seat. I have attached a backseat conversion process I found online. I started doing it and it will work however I found through the process there is an easier way to settle. What I ended up doing is swapping my lower hinges and upper bolts from from bolts and nuts to pins and cotter keys. I took off one screw from each upper bracket so my seat brackets swivel down out of the way and I put them up when I need them. So what I basically do now is:,- pull out the lower cushion, leaving the springs and set it aside for the moment
- Unscrew the lower hinges from your seat back and take the seat back out. This will be faster the next time once you replace these nuts and bolts with pins and cotter keys
- The two upper brackets on the seat back have an inner and outer screw that screws into the seat back. Remove the outer one from each and push the brackets down so they are out of the way hidden behind the back upholstery
- Now, take your seat back and lay it flat on the lower seat springs as if you folded the seatback forward and down
- Now take your lower cushion and lay it width wise behind the seat back in your cargo space making the cargo space and the folded seatback all level
- Now I took a pet/scotch carded blanket (or you can use a piece of carpet you cut/ordered) and lay on top of everything to pretty it up and make it look even.
- Instant space, no weight and balance needed due to all parts being in the plane and mechanic says no major modification also
- When you need the seat, pull the lower seat pad out and set it aside.
- Pull the seat back out and attach the lower hinges with the pins and cotter keys
- Swing the brackets out of the seat back and run a pin and cotter key through the bracket and seat post hole that’s already welded to the airplane as before
- Attach seat belts to pins as before (my seat belts are clips so they clip right onto the seat hinge pins)
- Put seat cushion back on
Putting the seat back up takes me about 20 minutes