Current Situation: Disassembling Driver Seat for Welding Repairs
Stupid is as stupid does…
One snowy day last month, I spotted a Mazda 3 stuck in the snow on the shoulder as I was getting on I-80 coming home from the mall. (Malls are still a thing in Flyover Country.) Knowing I had my entire recovery kit in the back, I decided to try my hand at Good Samaritan-ing. Pulled over and offered to help.
Long story short: Front skid plate was bent enough that I couldn’t get the snatch strap over the recovery hook, so–like a complete and total fucking moron–I just secured it to the top of the brush bar. 
Threw it in reverse, the Mazda moved all of one foot back–and further off the road. At that point, the tow truck pulled up behind me, so I decided to disconnect and be on my way. Guy was appreciative all the same.
As I was pulling onto the highway, I noticed I no longer saw my brush bar from the driver’s seat. Got home and found it rotated forward by something like 20-30°. I used a concrete bollard outside an ATM at a closed-for-over-a-year bank to gently tap it back into place.
Paint has flaked off on the top, driver’s side, and on the front, where I tapped that bollard. You can also see the top surface of the bumper is raised near the bases of the brush bar. It was a real stupid thing to do.
My back hurts…
PSA 1 for Gen 2 Montero owners: If the back of your seat starts creaking/squeaking while you’re driving, you might want to pull some covers and check on it. Mine did it for about a year before just snapping one day. It’s going to require welding.
PSA 2 for Gen 2 Montero owners: If you have to remove the back of your seat to get it welded after the hinge breaks, you can wedge a headrest between the bottom seat cushion and the metal back of the seat base so you’re not sliding out of the saddle when you inevitably have to drive it somewhere before the seat’s back together.
