Die seat die!

[Dirtman]

Seat swaps being out of the question on a regular cab I gotta do what I can to make the stock seats more comfortable...

Step one - KILL THE 60/40 SPLIT!!!!

To my suprise removing the side seat on my 2009 is actually much easier than on videos I've seen of older trucks. There is no solid pan underneath to trim, just a bar.

All the upholstery just clips on so after peeling that back and simply slicing off the excess foam all you gotta do is chop off the two ends of the support bar.

And wala, no more stupid 60/40 split. Now just gotta creatively trim and tuck the seat cover. I don't need to be super neat about this because now that the seat is normal size I can put afternarket seat covers on it which are coming tomorrow. Before I do that I'm adding an inflatable lumbar pad I got from @Grumpaw.

Gonna do some other stuff but this is all for now

 

[Dirtman]

Installed the lumbar support. This was a really awesome idea, thanks again @Grumpaw!

It just slips behind the seat cover, used a little adhesive to keep it from moving around.

Dunno if you can see it but here is deflated vs inflated, it adds a ton of support.


Normal....

Inflated...

Trust me its ALOT more support than it looks...

 

[snoranger]

And wala, no more stupid 60/40 split.

It’s a great idea, especially for a truck with side airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, and all that crap... but you lost me at “wala”.

 

[Dirtman]

My truck doesn't have side airbags/airbags in the seats. The pre-tensioner is unaffected. It's all still intact. There are no other electronics on the drivers seat. There is weight sensor crap on the passenger's seat but that doesn't need to be touched.

All still safe and secure. Nothing was mounted to that middle support beam. Even the center seatbelt was just an old fashion lap belt bolted to the floor.

Before...

After...

 

[Dirtman]

These are the seat covers I ordered. We will see if they fit properly tomorrow, they are "universal fit" but as I said now that the center peice is gone the seats are just standard size so they should fit fine. I have a gel seat pad I'm going to put between the old stock seat covers and new seat covers for some extra butt support.

Debating building my own custom console or just nabbing one from out of an explorer from the junkyard. Like to see some ideas if anyone has built their own console or used a factory one from something else...

 

[Grumpaw]

Glad I could help Dirtman...glad it worked out for you.
Snap some pics when you get the new covers on. Same boat as you in regards to seat swap. Looked easy to eliminate the center, may go that route, especially if seat covers look good.
Me, personally, I'll be looking for an Explorer console...lots of info and pics on site as to how it looks. Never could get too excited about an aftermarket or a DIY as they always look "so-so",
never a factory look.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

In my '85 a first gen stubby Explorer sat too far ahead, the floor profile was different so I had to shim it to sit higher too.

That first gen stubby console was an option in Rangers until the end, I don't know if the mounting is different for a Ranger and/or if it was an option in a later standard cab though.

A Guide To Center Consoles - The Ranger Station

Ford Bronco II / Ranger / Explorer Center Console Examples 1983-1985 Ford Ranger Center Console 1984-1990 Ford Bronco II & Ford Ranger Center Console 1991-1994 Ford Explorer Center Console 1995-2001 Ford Ranger & Ford Explorer Short Center … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

Interior Electronics & Upholstery - The Ranger Station

DISCLAIMER: Activities and vehicle modifications appearing or described at The Ranger Station and it’s pages may be potentially dangerous. We do not endorse any such activity for others or recommend it to any particular person – we simply describe … Continued

www.therangerstation.com

 

[Dirtman]

Glad I could help Dirtman...glad it worked out for you.
Snap some pics when you get the new covers on. Same boat as you in regards to seat swap. Looked easy to eliminate the center, may go that route, especially if seat covers look good.
Me, personally, I'll be looking for an Explorer console...lots of info and pics on site as to how it looks. Never could get too excited about an aftermarket or a DIY as they always look "so-so",
never a factory look.

So far a junkyard explorer console is what I'm leaning towards. I suck at working with wood/upholstery so making a custom console would probably be a disaster. Getting the seat back in and taking some measurements so I know exactly what will fit is first though. I've also seen some really cool aftermarket center consoles made for older jeeps. They have a more utilitarian rugged offroad look and don't really match the interior though.

 

[Dirtman]

Used the foam from the armrest to make a headrest. Sat in the seat and cut and fit it till it was perfect. Tried gluing it right to the vinyl but that didn't work so I cut the vinyl and glued it right to the existing foam. Yea it looks ugly as hell but once it dries ill glue some extra fabric over it for extra strength and then the new seat covers will cover it all anyway.

 

[Dirtman]

Let the foam glue dry then went a little crazy with the E6000 glue and just dumped it in to completely fill all the gaps and seal the cut vinyl. That bastard aint going anywhere! Still looks like hell but now its nice and smooth despite its appearance. (And yes this glue stays very soft when cured, won't effect the squishy-ness of the foam)

Also I didn't take a pic but the headrest foam peice isn't solid, it's hollow in the middle so it has lots of give to conform around my neck and head.

Fun story, I used tooth picks to hold the foam in place while I fit and glued it. I then removed them before final assembly. Except one! I missed one and when I went to test it after the first glue dried I plopped down on the seat and laid my head back with authority. And now there's a toothpick sized hole in my neck...

 

[Dirtman]

I've made it clear I suck at upholstery so I'm really hoping the new seat covers are nice and fit well to hide my sloppy work. Since my seats are vinyl I found it really hard to get it to tuck nicely after removing the extra material from the center seat. The stuff is just to stiff and doesn't stretch or fold nicely. So, I took the bottom peice off. Holy crap was that a hassle. It wasn't just snaps and velcro like the back peice. It had 8 hog rigs attaching it to peices of wire embedded in the bottom seat foam.

So now I'm gonna just try to put the new cover on the bare foam.

Currently fiddling with support cushions, the thing on there now is just a gel pad I use in my kayak but obviously it's too small so need to find something bigger. Gonna go to walmart tomorrow and see what they have. I know they sell seat pads for fat people for their office chairs...

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I'd fart in that seat.

 

[Dirtman]

I'd fart in that seat.

You're too late, It already has 11 years of farts in it. And some clam chowdah in it.

 

[ericbphoto]

You're too late, It already has 11 years of farts in it. And some clam chowdah in it.

 

[Grumpaw]

Make sure you plug that hole with a cork or something.....
You don't want to have any lower "brain leakage"!!!