Hello everyone,
I've been lurking for a few weeks but this is my first post.

I recently purchased a 2004 15-passenger Express. I only need the first row bench seat, and I want to convert the rear to a cargo setup. I want to cut the bench seat rails behind the first seat and remove the rearmost portion. I noticed that access to the nuts from underneath would be quite complicated, is there a trick to it or will I have to cut them off?

Any ideas?

 

About half of the nuts can be removed from underneath, pretty much the back half. Remove the spare tire and drill out the rivits holding the two sections of the exhaust heat shield together to get to them (you can slip a socket and extension between the heat shield then). The remainder must be removed from above. To do that, locate where they are and use a 3/4" metal hole saw to gain access through the top of the 2x2 square tube. Centerpunch the top of the bolt, pilot drill the bolt head with a 1/4" bit and then finish with a 7/16" bit (If your drilling is off center you may need to finish with a 1/2" bit). When you think you've drilled deep enough, wack the heck out of it with a punch and hammer. A 3/8" drill is good for the 1/4" bit, but you really need a 1/2" drill for the 7/16" or 1/2" bits.

 

I ended up removing all the nuts from underneath by cutting the heat shield where needed. It was a pain, but it allowed me to cut the rails into sections that I will sell with the benches for easy installation.

 

Harbor Freight has a double-handled pop rivet tool that will handle the large pop rivets used on the heat shields for about $20. Lowes and Home Depot have plastic plugs and putty tape to seal the bolt holes.