Building your own seat?

[rockin86ranger]

I just ripped the old seat out my ranger and am now realizing that i will more than likely have to have a seat custom made or build one myself. i basically need to be about 2-3" off the floor to have a nice ride and have my legs where i would like them to be, and since i cant think of anything off hand that would have a seat that would work, im looking to build my own seat it will be a bomber style bench seat i think, or a set of bomber buckets not sure yet. They will also more than likely be bolted in with no adjustment since im the only that drives my truck and everyone else can just get over it

what i want to know is are there any regulation on building seats for a truck? do they have to be D.O.T aproved, or can i drive around on a seat made out of 2x4s as long as i wear a seat belt? And does anyone have any advise on making my own seats, like material thinkness and tips on making thinks line up, id like to make them out of aluminum but thats gonna be pretty pricey.

i would also be willing to take sugestions on a place i can get a set of seats cheap or a car that might have something that would work.

 

[7.5L_STX]

you can find decent racing buckets on ebay for cheap. as for making your own, consult gwaii. he's like the metal working genius on here.

 

[rockin86ranger]

yeah i know he does some crazy awesome work, but after doing a little more reseach i found out that alot of rat rod seats are made on a plywood base, instead of a metal base with a plywood insert so im thinking about mounting a piece of plywood directly to the back of the cab then doing some forming on the foam to get a shape i like and for the bottom its gonna be a plywood base all the way across the bottom with about a 2" maybe 3" foam piece that ill form a little and then cover with either a mexican blanket, green fabric like the army uses or vinyl. not sure what to cover it with yet. then in the middle ill ill do a custom center console or i might even just make it a solid bench so i can still haul 3 people ocassionally. im gonna try to get a rough sketch made up to describe what i want.

but until then Paging Doctor GWAII any insite would be awesome on what to use. i have some old barrels and my brother suggested making the seats out of that which could be kind of neat i guess but ill just have to wait and see

 

[rockin86ranger]

i had another thought, what about boat seats, like the kind you find on a bass boat, anybody ever put those in a truck? they are similar to bomber seats in a way

 

[2.3LRNGR]

Do they sell racing bucket seats on ebay for a 93 Ranger XL????

 

[spdcrazy]

honestly its not hard to make a seat work. go take a stroll through your local junk yard and find a seat ya think you like. then bolt it to ur stock slider, or build it with the right bolt spacing to bolt the floor where the orig seat bolted.

did that on mine with mk3 supra seats. works great and holds ya at the hip when wheeling

 

[gwaii]

honestly its not hard to make a seat work. go take a stroll through your local junk yard and find a seat ya think you like. then bolt it to ur stock slider, or build it with the right bolt spacing to bolt the floor where the orig seat bolted.

did that on mine with mk3 supra seats. works great and holds ya at the hip when wheeling

this would be my suggestion too.the plywood/foam/blanket idea just seems a little too hokey.

i don't even want to think about the 45 gallon drum idea.

 

[rockin86ranger]

my problem is there arent any seats that would give me enough leg room thats why im looking at building my own some way. i basically sit on the back of the cab to get a comfortable seating position, there arent any seats that would let me sit far enough back. and im going to ditch the tracks because they add too much height and put my knee into the steering wheel and turn signal when shifting. and the barrel thing was something my brother mentioned i didnt really like the sounds of either.

and the plywood seats would either be a shoter version of the bench thats already in the truck or it would be bomber style seats that would have a plywood base that would be upholstered with a metal back

 

[gwaii]

hmmmm.sounds like maybe you need to be looking into an extended cab.i know the regular cab can be a little tight for room.

 

[rockin86ranger]

well i used to have ex cab but it wasnt the same as driving a reg cab, plus i like the looks of a reg cab better and this was my first truck which i just bought back off my friend and really want to keep it for sentimental reasons, of course it has crossed my mind make this into a true crew cab, but i dont really have the time or money to do that right now

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/hot-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5640db5196

heres what i was talking about, instead of what the mexican blanket is here i would use a red and white one to match the trucks colors and interior, and i think i would make it 20" wide instead of 18". this guy is selling them for rat rods and stuff so surely its safe right? i think a set of these would look good in a 1st gen and with the thin backing and short 3inch cusion hieght i think it would give me exactly what i want but i cant afford to pay $200.00 for seats especially since i could make them for like $20.00 and some stuff i have laying around.

and just fyi this truck is going to be a kind of rat rod work truck, itll have a very mind lowering kit maybe 2-3" and really simple interior with a nice new red paint job and white accents on stock steel wheels with beauty rings and stock hub caps and a set of real white wall tires, baiscally a modern day traditional hot rod truck that ill use to pull some trailers and haul crap with.

 

[gwaii]

if you can pull it off,all the power to you

but be carefull,as secure seating is still very important to vehicle safety.

 

[Robert_1967]

If you have ever watched "Gearz", Stacy was showing some Bomber seats that a company makes, but I can't remember who he says that sells them.


That might be your best bet, unless your on a tight budget.




Robert

 

[rockin86ranger]

yeah im on a VERY tight budget, going to school takes up about 98% of my money