Seat Swap
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 84
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
Seat Swap
Hey guys, had some (hopefully quick) questions. I found some front bucket seats out of a bronco and bought both along with the console. So far I have the drivers side bolted where I believe I want it with the console and passenger seat just resting in the cab.
My questionson are:
1) Are there any tricks you guys know of for installing these so the line up nicely?
2) Should I reinforce the center side rear bolt of each seat? The floor seems to bend up and down when I wiggle the seat on this attaching point. (The other 3 points are on bent parts of the floor so they are more rigid.)
3) How would I go about this reinforcement if it is necessary.
4) With the center console, has anyone tried using self taping screws to avoid having to bolt down through? (Thoughts about whether this would work would be appreciated also if no one has tried. I thought of this because the console won't be seeing much side to side force.)
Any thoughts from people who have done this swap, or ideas from anyone with some ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
(Also, trucks a 4WD and has a manual 4 speed on the floor)
My questionson are:
1) Are there any tricks you guys know of for installing these so the line up nicely?
2) Should I reinforce the center side rear bolt of each seat? The floor seems to bend up and down when I wiggle the seat on this attaching point. (The other 3 points are on bent parts of the floor so they are more rigid.)
3) How would I go about this reinforcement if it is necessary.
4) With the center console, has anyone tried using self taping screws to avoid having to bolt down through? (Thoughts about whether this would work would be appreciated also if no one has tried. I thought of this because the console won't be seeing much side to side force.)
Any thoughts from people who have done this swap, or ideas from anyone with some ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
(Also, trucks a 4WD and has a manual 4 speed on the floor)
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 56,980
Likes: 2,735
From: Virginia
We had a couple of threads on this awhile back. You definitely need to re-enforce the floor, the sheetmetal won't hold the seat. Over time it will crack and during a accident it will pull through.
I believe some people pulled the metal out of the Bronco, while others tried to re-create it with angle iron.
I believe some people pulled the metal out of the Bronco, while others tried to re-create it with angle iron.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 5,006
Likes: 72
From: Roseville, MN
The simple answer is that Bronco seats / consoles simply bolt into SuperCabs (and vice versa) while regular cab and crew cab seats are interchangeable. Not saying it's impossible, but it's not a simple bolt-in to cross between those.
Gary Lewis (on this forum) has dug into this a bunch, and probably has everything he's figured out pretty well documented on his Garagemahal site. And Diesel_Brad (mostly on the '87-'96 forum, but also here) is also a wealth of knowledge on this.
Gary Lewis (on this forum) has dug into this a bunch, and probably has everything he's figured out pretty well documented on his Garagemahal site. And Diesel_Brad (mostly on the '87-'96 forum, but also here) is also a wealth of knowledge on this.
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 84
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
Thanks bob, I'll go check gary's website out to see if I can find anything. I have everything installed, but i was nervous for the center rear one on the drivers side. The floor here is flat sheet metal and it wobbles when you move the seat side to side.
The passenger I wasn't so worried about because the floor here is ribbed around where the bracket mounts.
@Franklin2. The passenger side I used a 2 or 2.5 inch washer top and bottom. Would this avoid the cracking of the sheet metal?
The passenger I wasn't so worried about because the floor here is ribbed around where the bracket mounts.
@Franklin2. The passenger side I used a 2 or 2.5 inch washer top and bottom. Would this avoid the cracking of the sheet metal?
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 6,477
Likes: 19
From: Sheffield, AL
Here you go, Beedy. Gary Lewis has done a tremendous favor to all of us by developing his site.
Seat Interchangeability - ???Gary's Garagemahal
Seat Interchangeability - ???Gary's Garagemahal
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 84
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
Here you go, Beedy. Gary Lewis has done a tremendous favor to all of us by developing his site.
Seat Interchangeability - ???Gary's Garagemahal
Seat Interchangeability - ???Gary's Garagemahal
Kind of glad I went with this method when all was said and done because I have short legs and a long torso. As it sits now, my eye level is about 3 or 4 inches higher than before and the seat requires being much farther ahead to reach the pedals. Not sure how much I would have enjoyed having the 40/20/40 seat pan as Gary's seats seem to sit higher off the floor. I'll try to figure out how to put a picture on here of my seats later on as I still have 1 or 2 things to do to them.
Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 84
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
Here are the seats I installed today. They were supposed to have came from an 88 bronco. A little dirty but nothing a cover won't fix until I can get them upholstered.
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Thread Starter
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 84
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From: Michigan
Ha, those are after about an hour of cleaning each... The original owner used them in their Woods buggy and when I got them they were exceptionally dirty. To the point that the slides and the back rest didn't want to move.
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