4th Gen Seats

[loooney2ns]

Has anyone managed to install 4th gen seats in a 3rd gen? I've been searching and haven't found any posts for the front seats. I know the 2nd row has been done, but I would like to put the 4th gen seats in the front of my '05. Thanks for any help!

 

[loooney2ns]

Anyone have any ideas? I have access to all the wiring diagrams, so that won't be a problem. And I'm assuming that they will bolt in. I just want to know if it's been done before, and how much work it will entail.

 

[1996EB]

On rare occasions I've noticed 4th gen seats in a 3rd gen- maybe a couple of times. I'm talking about pictures of vehicles for sale on Craigslist, I've not seen one in person. I did help a friend obtain a complete set of 4th gen seats for his 4th gen, from a junkyard. We did the uninstall, and from what I saw the seat frames/brackets/mounting points etc. were the same as 3rd gen. I'm pretty familiar with 3rd gen seats, as I've had mine out a few times and have installed second row buckets too. I can't be 100% sure, but I didn't spot any differences between 3rd and 4th gen for the physical mounting points. I believe the electrical connectors were different, so grabbing both ends of the pigtail may be helpful. You may also need to investigate the seatbelt pre-tensioner that is located on the inboard side of the seat, near the console. Not sure what the setup is on the 4th gen, but likely similar.

 

[loooney2ns]

That's what I see in the shop manual. I think most of the wiring for the seat itself is self contained. I would just need power and ground. And if I can swap the buckle, the pretensioner from the original seat will work. Minor wiring job and I should have some nice comfy seats!

 

[1996EB]

I found a couple of pics that I took of the underside of the 4th gen seat when we got them back to my buddies place. You can see how similar the structure as compared to 3rd gen seats.

 

[1996EB]

That's what I see in the shop manual. I think most of the wiring for the seat itself is self contained. I would just need power and ground. And if I can swap the buckle, the pretensioner from the original seat will work. Minor wiring job and I should have some nice comfy seats!

I agree with what you are thinking here. I did a very similar type of swap on my 06 Mustang convertible. Swapped in 2014 GT Premium leather seats. They bolted in perfectly, I just had to work on the wiring and swapped the seat belt receiver and passenger air bag sensor "bladder". Pretty basic stuff. Good luck with the swap when you do it.