bucket seat install

[drummin89]

I bought a pair of front bucket seats (leather and power) from a 07 ford freestyle for my 52. I don't have them yet, should be sometime in the next few days.

I have a plan in my head but was wondering what everyone else that installs bucket seats in these old trucks does. Pictures?

[sgtusmc]

I used some Heated leather seats out of a 03 Accord for my '53 GMC.

[drummin89]

how did you modify the floor to mount them?

[drummin89]

My seats should be here tomorrow. My plan so far is to remove the stock seat frame/skirt, probably by just drilling out all the spot welds. This way if anyone needs it for their project they can have it. Once I get the seat frame out, I'm going to cut out most of the rear floor. From just behind the trans access panel to just before the rear cab support (that the stock seat frame also connects to) and about a inch before the door sill. I am going to weld in some supports (1/2" x 1.5" rectangular steel tubing) going left to right, 1 were I cut the floor right after the trans access panel and then 2 that my new seats will mount to, and those will be connected with cross supports.

To raise the seats up a bit, I am going to make some seat frames for each seat using some 3/4" square steel tubing. These will mount to the floor where I welded in the 2 supports.

Ill post pictures as I progress, probably in a week or two.

[54 jimmy]

you'll have fun getting all the spot welds out. i used a 99 dakota buckets with the center console that makes it a bench seat. give me a pm if you would like to come take a look at mine in person as you are a stones throw away from wilkesbarre. i just posted pics ofmy seat installed as i am working on my interior.

[drummin89]

Got my seats today. I knew they were power (as that's what I was looking for) but I had no clue that they were also heated as well as the driver seat being memory (they have 2 preset settings you program). Very comfortable, should be no problem on long drives.

The only problem is there is a TON of wiring. Some I won't use, like the side air bags, the wires for the seat belt, the preset memory thing also controls the mirrors and pedals so there is a bunch of wires for that. Then the switches for the heated seats and the memory were on the dash.

I'm really not interested in using any of the memory crap, the heated seats would be nice, I may try to wire them up.

[sgtusmc]

Keep the airbag wires clear of any power...hahaha It's all fun and games till you blow half your seat off. Airbag wires should be in a yellow wire loom. I used a sh!t load of electrical tape on the end of the plug and zip tired it up under the seat. Looks like the front mounting point are flat and will be easy to mount to the floor. I found some nice size washers at ace hardware (1/2 thick by 4" x 4") and used them under the floor via grade 8 bolts.

[enick72]

nice looking seats, I'll be watching since I will be doing interior upgrades soon.

[drummin89]

Thanks, I got them on ebay for $250 plus $100 shipping.

I joined a Ford Freestyle forum to see if they could help me with the wiring. I figured most of it out using my multimeter but there was still a bunch of wires left that I had no idea what they were for. Luckily someone posted some wiring diagrams and I now know what has to stay and what can go. As you can see from the diagram, the memory module that mounted on the underside of the drivers seat also controlled the mirrors and the pedal locations so all that wiring will be removed. I may keep it so the seats still work with the memory. All that is needed is 3 wires (3 buttons, 1 wire for each) that when the button is pushed it gets connected to ground (1 for preset 1, 1 for preset 2 and 1 to remember the location for whatever preset).

The heated seats wiring isn't too bad either so I am keeping that. There are 2 heat levels and a button for each seat that when pushed also connects to ground. Push the button once for high heat, again for low heat and again to turn it off.




I got worried when I got home and seen the seats. All that wiring really took me by surpise. Didn't expect there to be so much wiring going to 1 seat. Just for the drivers seat there are almost 70 wires that connect to a large harness underneath. Passenger seat isn't as bad but there is still around 20 wires. If I couldn't figure out how to wire them I was going to sell them and look for something with alot less wiring. Im glad Im figuring it out.

[sgtusmc]

Wow man that's a lot of wires!

[OrrieG]

I didn't take time to look at the wiring diagrams but before cutting and removing make sure there are not interconnections that need to remain or be jumped. I got a wiring diagram for 82 eldo just to make sure that the extra wires on my column did or did not need to be jumped or connected for the other functions to work. And as Sarge said be careful of the airbag wires, I remember another thread where a guy was using the power up method of chasing functions and set of the seat bags.

[drummin89]

The airbag only has 2 wires going to it, which are enclosed in yellow wire loom and go to a separate harness/plug then what the power/heated seat wiring goes to. Their grouped together with the other safety items like the thing that tells the computer when someone is sitting on the seat, whether the seat belt in plugged in, etc.

I'll be checking and checking some more just to make sure Im not taking out something I will need.