Can anyone recommend a good fitting and comfortable bench seat for 52 F1?

Thanks,

Oscar

 

You should consider a bench seat from a ford ranger.

 

Hey Oscajo,
You asked about seats - so.. for your late night reading - here is the seat stuff from up in the "tips section" at the top of the forum from Fomoko. We found a nicely redone S10 bench seat to use in our '50. Our limitation was the seat couldn't be any wider than 52 inches or it would hit the doors - needs to be a little narrower than that so you have room to mount the seatbelts.

Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin

"Here are some measurements that you might want to consider when looking for a new seat.
· Inside cab width from door panel to door panel (where the seat bottom is the widest)
o 1948-1952 F-1 = 53.5 inches
o 1953-1956 F-100 = 58 inches
· Distance between the door handle tips
o 1949 F-1 = 51.5 inches
· Distance between the fat part of the door handles
o 1949 F-1 = 45-5/8 inches
· Distance across the cab at the rear door post
o 1949 F-1 = 57 inches
· Distance from door panel to door panel
o 1957-1960 F-100 = 62 inches
· Distance from door handle to door handle
o 1957-1960 F-100 = 56 inches
· Stock bench seat width
o 1960 F-100 = 59 inches
There seems to be an issue (particularly found by older members of the forum) with the space between the steering wheel and the seat shrinking over time, resulting in limited intestinal accommodation. Fortunately the newer seats use a different type of spring so they tend to be thinner in the back. This provides more room in that area. This is something to think about before you buy a big, fat seat out of a Cadillac or Lincoln or some other land yacht. With a newer seat, you will usually pick up storage space under the seat bottom as well.
The following suggestions are based upon input from this forum. There is also an article in the August 2004 issue of Classic Truck that deals with this subject and contains many pictures of the suggested alternative seats. Note that we are not spending time discussing bucket seats. Once you ditch the console, you can pretty much fit any bucket into any truck, although generally you’ll end up with a built in headrest sticking up in your back window.
1948-1952 Trucks – Seat Width No More Than 52 Inches
· 2000 Ford Escort buckets
· Mid/late 1980s to 1996 Ford Ranger or Broncos
o 60/40 bench or buckets
o Perfect fit
o Used by many
o Bench is 51” wide at it’s widest point
o Back folds forward
o No headrests to poke up in the back window
o 2-door donors fold, 4-door donors don’t
o Very popular with members of the forum
· 1989 through mid 1990s Ford Explorer
o Buckets or 60/40 bench
· Middle or rear seats out of a 1996 Dodge Caravan
· 1996 and newer Chevy Astro Van
· 1996 and newer full sized GM van middle or rear seats
· 1995 and newer Toyota Tacoma
· 1994 and newer Chevy S-10/Sonoma
1953-1960 Trucks – Seat Width No More Than 58 Inches
· 2001 F-150
NOTE: There are several different styles of bench seats used in the late 1980s through late 1990s GM trucks – quasi-buckets, 60/40s and full benches. They all tend to have thin backs which helps to increase leg space where needed. Some have built in arms rests and a level of seat bottom sculpturing to them, some don’t. These seats are also well liked by a number of the members of this forum.
· 1988-1998 GM truck seats
o Excellent looking brackets
o Easy to adapt
o Headrests tend to be removable
· 1988-1994 Chevy Silverado bench
o No headrest
o Fold down arm rest
o Very stylish
· 1997 and newer F-150 bench
o Has a built in headrest
o Brackets are a bit of a challenge
· Late 1990s Chevy Suburban
· 1987 Chevy pickup bench
· The 2000 and newer Suburban
o 60/40 bench
o Removable headrests
o Not the most stylish thing
o Brackets are clunky looking
The 1999 and newer GM Silverado 40/20/40 “bench” is an interesting possibility. It’s 60 inches wide, but it’s really more like two buckets with a “jump seat” between. You could easily omit the middle section and put in a narrower console or nothing. They do have built shoulder belts, saving you the issue of mounting the shoulder restraint to the wall between the rear window and the doors. You might fit this whole set up into a 1953-1960 F-100. The 1994 through 2001 Dodge truck also has a similar set up, though less stylish than the GM version. It will have the same pluses and minuses.
Another issue to consider is that you need to build some sort of bracket to mount your new seat(s) to your truck. If you’re using the 1988-1998 GM seats, it’s pretty straightforward. Just look at the stock GM mounting brackets and it’s a no brainer. However, if you’re using Ford seats or buckets, this can get a little tricky. For a few good pictures of the brackets one member made to install a later model seat check out this thread. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=114729 The work was done by KAI - our German buddy. He was putting a 1980 F-350 seat in a 1954 F-100. His brackets deal quite nicely with the weird bend/angle in the front of the stock Ford brackets. They are wonderful in their simplicity and could easily be modified to compensate for a shorter driver.
For an excellent example of brackets fabricated to hold the 1996-2000 Ranger 60/40 bench/bucket, check out those made by Scott123 (Scott Jones). He has provided pictures and plans, so you could make a copy of the “Scott123 Super-Duper seat frame 2000” if you wish.
Check out their galleries for the pictures/plans referred. <!-- / message -->
< !-- sig -->__________________
Fomoko1..Morris "

 

Hey Oscajo,
Here is a pic of our S-10 Seat just to help you visualize. Note you probably will need to build some sort of platform for whatever seat you choose so you can sit comfortably & see out.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Thank you very much. You have been a big help.

Thanks,

Oscar

 

Here's a 1990 Ford Ranger regular cab bench seat I used in my 48 F-3. I even used the original seat frame with some modifications. Took two inches off the rear legs to lean the seat back some. The original seat was so straight up that it made me feel like I was leaning FORWARD and I was looking through the top 1/4 of the windshield. After leaning it back I could look through the center. You can also use the original gas tank and tool tray with this seat...

 

Another vote for the ranger. Get one that looks like verns, without the headrests.

 

Having been rear-ended and suffering accordingly (not in my 52), I'm curious why you don't want the headrests? A question of fit?

 

IMHO, they just don't look right in a classic truck...

 

I used a 40/20/40 bench seat out of a Dakota.



Good Luck,
-DV

 

I don't have a photo of it but if your running a floor shift, a seat out of a nisson pu works well. The center of the bench has a notch to allow the shifter to move freely. Thats what was in Jon's truck when we started and it fit very well.

I still have it in storage if your interested.

Gary

 

One suggestion to consider when looking at replacement seats is the contour. I went to a wrecking yard and found a nice seat out of a Honda Passport that measured out right and looked good.

When I got it home, I discovered that the way the seat was contoured for the drivers posterior moved your seating position out toward the door and not centered on the steering wheel.

If you get a straight/smooth bench this wouldn't be an issue, but something to consider with buckets or contoured benches.

 

I bought a new one through LMC Truck made by TMI just for the F1 which has the same width as a '52. Looks great. You can get an optional center console