About three weeks ago I got a chance to get back up to where my truck is being stored and started looking at rear seat options. I'm doing all this as part of my restoration plans (currently saving some cash and waiting to finish classes) I graduate from college this may and was looking at buying a new F150 but the ridiculously high prices are stopping that, $40k for a truck is not an option so I decided to restore my 78 back to brand new shape.

While I was up looking at it I scrapped an 04 Chevy venture and helped my sister scrap her 96 F150. I took the front seats from the 96 which were the buckets with a foldable center console all on one rail and I took the rear seats and middle two buckets from the Chevy in case the ford seats don't work out for some reason.

The three options I mentioned in the title are this.
1. Keep the stock rear bench but put on the 4" lift for it (stock height is way to low)
2. Use the Chevy back seats which would require some simple fabrication for brackets and would be made to bolt into the stock bench bolt holes.
3. Use the stock front bench seat in the rear and put the 96 seats up front. This would be my first choice if the stock front bench seat will fit.

What I'm not sure about is if the stock front bench would fit in the back with any leg room. When I was setting the Chevy seats in I had to tip the seat cushion up a little so your legs weren't pushing right into the front seat, it's still comfortable but it would require a little more fab work.

So what do you guy think. If I can get the 96 seats to fit in the front they will be in regardless of rear seat option and I would prefer to fit the stock bench in the rear but do you guys think it would fit? I'm a decent road trip from the truck again and can't check.

Here's some pictures.

Everyone knows what the stock tiny rear bench looks like.


Here's the chevy rear seats without being angled back. They may work once the 96 seats are in the front but I didn't have those in when I was test fitting. The second picture is with the driver side one tipped back for leg room.




After looking at several other peoples supercab interior pictures I've noticed it looks like there was some kind of trim like a door panel in the back. Mine doesn't have that so what am I seeing in other peoples pictures and if there was some trim where could I get it? When I put the chevy seats in there was this gap which is fine. I could just make some arm rests or something for there. Can anyone post up pictures of their supercab rear seats with the trim I'm talking about?

 

I also forgot to ask about the rear seat lift. Could anyone post up what is involved with that? I'm guessing that it's just some blocks and some kind of drop bracket for the latch but at over $100 I think I could make the kit myself for half the price if I saw some pictures of the parts involved.

Here's some food for thought on truck prices. According to NADA my 78 F250 custom was $5500 brand new in 78. With inflation that's around $19,000. A new F250 today is $40,000+ Regardless of new technology or not no vehicle value should double like that for just a pickup in my mind.

 

I totally agree with you on how ridiculous new vehicle prices are. It used to be said that you couldn't build a 'new' vehicle out of a parts catalog as cheap as buying a new one off the lot. That isn't true any more.

The trim you see in some folks' Supercabs was an option. I've only seen a couple of Dentside Supercabs that had it. My dad owned three and none of them had it. I've got one with and one without in my 'mothball fleet'.

 

Could you put some pictures of it up? Is there anywhere that you know of that sells it or would you want to get rid of it? I was looking through LMC the other day and didn't see anything there that mentioned it.

 

Here's a couple. Trim needs some TLC, but you can get the idea. I've never seen aftermarket versions of this trim. You'd have to find it on a parts vehicle.

 

I guess I'll have to start looking around then. Any idea on the stock front bench fitting in the back?

 

I can't figure out how to load the damn images. I've done this before, but I'm stumped now. My stock front bench is 35 inches deep. You don't have anywhere near that much room in the back.

 

I'll have to measure mine and see. I'm guessing it's the same.

If you use photobucket for your picture uploads. Copy the image code line and paste it into a reply to a thread. It should be about the same for other websites.

 

If I run across any of the trim, I'll let you know. I plan on using the trim in the one I have when I rebuild the pick up....sorry. It's a Ranger Lariat F-350 Supercab, so I want to leave all the options on it when it's rebuilt.

 

Understandable that's a nice and rare truck. It's just about impossible to find supercabs in my area. I had to drive across the state to get mine and that's just an F250 custom so nothing to special.

 

Go check out FTE member V10Crew for seat pics...This is what I am planning to do to my 79 F350 4x4 SC. Great guy, awesome build!! He used IIRC 1997 F250 ext. cab seats for both front and rear. The ext. cab seats have the "flip/slide" forward brackets on them so you can access the rear seat area. Much more convenient especially if you are going to have others seating in the rear seats daily.

Here are his pics:
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - V10Crew's Album: Garage - Fordzilla

 

Looks like a nice build. Looking at those pictures makes me can't wait until I get to tear into mine. I keep hitting myself for not grabbing the rear seat out of that 96 as well. I don't know what I was thinking. If I get a chance to get some rear seats like that for super cheap I might go that route but since I already have the Chevy seats and the stock one I will probably go with one of those options esspecially since I will be having them reupholstered anyways.

Does anyone have pictures of the stock rear seat lifted? I've seen a few pictures in other peoples galleries but they only show part of the seat and aren't very good pictures of it in general and I never see any of the brackets. If anyone has pictures of those I would appreciate it if they would get linked here. I'm still doing some searching around google and the forum for pictures of it.