Has anyone tried to do this? I've been searching long and hard to see if its possible to make this VERY useful mod to our cars. Its absolutely annoying how little space our cars have in spite of the fact they're so big. I've had so many instances lately where my car was utterly useless because I couldn't fold down the rear seats. Even with my little 98' Corolla I could at least fit my bicycle in it.

Is it possible to move the gas tank somewhere else in the car? Could I buy a smaller tank and relocate it somewhere else? I don't really need a big 20 gal tank. A 13 or even a 10 gallon one would work fine for me.

 

Sounds like a lot of work :\
Get a truck?

 

get a bike rack

 

theres always the flashy roof rack

 

option 1:
get a fuel cell, cut out spare tire well, and put it there

option2:
get a fuel cell and put in the spare tire well

option 3:
get a supra. that way you have all the fun you would with an SC and still have a hatchback

honestly dude if you dont like all these things about the car(looking at all your threads and replies lately) maybe you should consider getting another car. its not practical to get a car and then try to change what it is to suit your needs. we all modify cars but not dramatically. every car has a purpose to it and being a bike carrying all around car it is not. if you want something that will do that get a camry. it will cost too much money unless you can do all the fabrication and upholstery work yourself.

 

what good is a folding rear seat, when there is a wall (most would need to be removed) and a gas tank right behind it without much room, about the only thing i found useful for that space was amps for my car.

its just silly, we have a odd shaped car, since our gas tank is inside, it takes up space, where most would have that extra part for trunk room. i agree with others bike rack, or just don't bike, you have a SC

 

sell it.........

 

 

cutting out that wall would seriously mess up the structural integrity of the car, dont do it. and yes, i agree with the others, you might want to look into getting a different car.

 

Just my two cents....

 

Its not just a bike, I only used that as an example. I haven't removed the seats/covering before so I didn't know there was stuff back there part of the suspension. I thought it was just for the gas tank. I can live without fold down seats, I was just trying to get some feedback to see if anyone had tried this.

All I can say is WOW. Ever since coming here, I've noticed a lot of people on these forums have some real chips on their shoulders and try picking fights. Maybe I should just go back to Lexus Owner's Club forums; they are a just a bit more civilized than this.

 

LMFAO! Good one

 

some people on here might seem like as*holes but trust most of the time its not the case. internet is very bad at showing people for what they are. most of the time it makes you look more of an as* then you are

there are some people on these forums, including myself, that have done everything imaginable to an SC. starting from basic maintenance to advanced mechanical things all over the car, as well as electrical and everything in between.

from my experience taking apart the SC and working on it i can honestly tell you that this idea has crossed my mind several times and it would not be that hard to do if you do all the fabrication work yourself. i have access to a machines shop, mechanic shop, all fabrication tools, and well as 3 welders in my garage alone...and that not counting two welders at my dads work too. if i was to do this type of modification it would not be hard to actually. it really easy to cut out the spare tire well and weld brackets to mount a fuel cell. the sheet metal between the seat back and the gas tank has absolutely no structural purpose. it is actually siliconed in place and highly doubtful that it does anything but prevent noise from the trunk to enter the cabin. hence why the lexus is so darn quiet and heavy....lots of sound deadening and insulation all over the place.

the rear seat modification would be the most expensive part for me since i dont know how to do it myself and dont have any friends at upholstery shops. if i did then that wouldnt be a problem either.

i think its a valid question and i bet if people would search this subject you would come up with few threads on this....most of which are going nowhere.

i would honestly do this but the only thing that is holding me back right now is that my SC is my DD and the 240 has somewhat of a priority.

if you go somewhere to have it done then it would cost a chit load. honestly i cant even imagine how much something like this would cost.

even if you dont want to cut out the spare tire well you can buy fuel cells that drop into the spare tire compartment. the hardest part would be the smallest things like routing the gas fill tube and fuel lines. those little things are not even that hard either. they are just time consuming to do.

since this thread has no positive direction right now we should leave the matter as is until someone actually decides to do it. the things is that most lexus owners dont have to worry about this problem since most have a second car....or two that serve the utility purpose. some lexus owners dont even drive their cars in the rain and god forbid snow. lol.

 

yep, or if you need more space, take the bottom carpet out, etc. for things smaller than a bike I'd actually prefer no back seat really but only if the trunk area, etc. were closer up (like NSX, etc.). Yeah, it is unfortunate that the seats can't go down and connect the trunk/cabin. But I guess it's an SC and not a truck. Bike rack is the best option, unless you want to tow one of those small U-Hauls behind you

 

I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, its just that for the price of a modification like this, you could pick up a cheap civic hatch or something. That way if you're transporting something messy as well, you can keep your Lexus looking clean. Your best bet if you want to haul things around is to just get another car.