I'd like to know if a 2nd row captains seat can be use as a replacement for the 1st row driver's. I'm referring to the seat section itself, not the entire frame. I found some excellent condition seats but they are from the 2nd row. My Aero is a '95 and I don't know(yet) which year van the seats came out of.


Any help with this is much appreciated!

 

if you mean the seat cushions and the back, I think yes, the seat mounts and tracks should be interchangeable.

 

I went ahead with the swap yesterday and after a bunch of warm afternoon hours in the garage, got it done! Today was the first day driving the Aeroshuttle with the 'new' seat and I had to adjust the rear view mirror angle. I must be sitting at least three inches higher than before. The original seat with 163k was all but done. The overall difference is amazing and all the work was definitely worthwhile.

The donor pieces came from a couple 2nd row captain seats I picked up. Only the foam and fabric cover from the donor seat is needed. THIS IS YOUR ONLY OPTION IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE INFLATEABLE LUMBAR FEATURE. Basically the driver's seat comes apart to where the bottom foam cushion and fabric cover is swapped out. Removing the seat from the van and taking everything apart is very straight forward. If I had to do this again everything would easily take me less than two hours.

If anybody is thinking about doing this swap I highly recommend. I almost feel like I'm driving a new Ford Aerostar. The best part is I'm saying this before the suspension gets a complete overhaul!

 

this is good to know.i saved my second row seats just for this reason.

 

i looked at mine today.i have a pair of perfect second row seats.i reliezed that i would have to seperate the bottom and back of the seat plus trim the new cover for the lumbar control so i decided to just install the secondary seat but i couldn't do that either because the seat bolt pattern is different.i'll deal with this when i have more time.

 

Update:


The swapped in seat cushion was still very much worth the time and labor. (Mainly cause the original was tearing open and flat as a pancake!) However, after ~3k miles of use by my 205lb body, the foam is starting to soften more than I was hoping. Still MUCH better than the original's condition but definitely loosing its 'shape' by the mile. I'll eventually need to come up with something better. My plan is to take a few road trips with the Aero and I'll need more long distance support. Until that happens, and if the current cushions worsens too much, I might swap in the other unused 2nd row cushion sitting in my garage to get me by for the time being.




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I guess 20 year old foam can only take so much! Also, it's such a plain seat design, After driving the family car to work for a week (98 Bonneville), I really noticed how flat and unsupportive the Aero seats are! I may try some sort of swap, if I can find a suitable pair in the salvage yard. Then again, the Bonnie has a 60/40 split bench, so I'd have to find matching passenger seats...

 

F29Z-11632A22-A is the part number for the foam, and it looks like there are 3 left in the world:

F29Z-11632A22-A | RearCounter.com | 3 found at 2 sellers

FYI, before they went obsolete, their cost was $260, but now it could be any price.

Another option is contacting a local apolsetry shop and see if they can make you one. Again, this will not be cheap.

 

I heard back from Bob Allen Ford. The foam cushion price is $255 plus shipping.


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The seat bottoms are interchangeable from the passenger seat...FYI. Been there, done that.

 

I also heard back from Collectors Auto Supply regarding the one NOS foam cushion they have on hand. Price is $203 shipped.

I agree with you on the overall 'feel' of the seats in my '95 XLT Aerostar. However, the seats in my '88 Aerostar (Eddie Bauer edition!) are the MOST comfortable seats I have ever sat in. That is one reason why I kept the van for as long as I did. The quality of foam Ford used definitely went downhill between '88 and '95.


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Should I scour the junkyards to see if I can find a driver's seat cushion in good shape? Mine is pretty worn as well, and will need to eventually replace it.

 

Encouraged by this thread, I picked up two pristine backseats from craigslist and swapped over the bottom foam cushions and covers.

• The bottom foam cushion swaps right over. I used a good set of curved jaw pliers to dislodge the springs.
• The covers are different depending on which side the tilt adjustment is on. Both backseats had it on the right, driver's seat on the left. I had to cut holes in the seat covers for the seatback mounting bolts, and another hole for the lumbar adjusting wheel. Didn't do the prettiest job but it all gets covered up after.
• I also took apart the seatbacks so I could swap the broken armrest bracket and repair the lumbar mechanism. Unfortunately the backseat seatbacks are a different height so I couldn't swap either the foam or the fabric.

I'll second Car Guy's take, I'm sitting at least 2 inches higher now - and having a working armrest and lumbar support is a godsend.