custom seats!

[renegade1]

dont know about you guys, but i hated the stock seats in my 99 sport. they offered no support and after long rides they were really uncomfortable. so for christmas "santa" got me a pair of smittybilt xrc seats! these are marketed as a direct bolt in for certian model jeeps but the only thing required to mount them in an explorer is drilling two holes!!! the install for both seats took 2 hours tops and that includes the time i spent vacuming out the truck while the seats werent in there

http://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-750211-Gray-Black-Driver/dp/B001CF45VM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1293560357&sr=8-3-spell

tools required

• socket set - metric (10mm and 13mm)
• wrenches - metric (13mm and 10mm)
• sawzall/hacksaw
• drill w/ 5/16 bit

install steps

1. first thing is to unbolt the old seats, sliders, and brackets from the truck. just take it all out as one. there are four bolts (10mm) holding it to the floor then two bolts for the seat belt buckle (also 10mm)
2. second, get the old seat leaning against a work bench so you can take the brackets off. i suggest putting down a blanket if you plan on keeping the old seats
3. unbolt the brackets from the seat itself. there are 4 10mm bolts holding it on. take off the slider and seat bracket together as one piece
4. third step is to take off the little piece of metal (only on 2doors)(pictured below) that hits the slider when you fold the seat forward. it is no longer needed and you need the top of the slider completely flat to bolt the new seat on. just cut off the bar and the little hump
5. now take your new seat (i suggest leaving on the plastic till they are in the truck) and get out the drill. the seats mounting holes are the same width apart as the holes on your seat bracket but length wise the holes dont line up. the forward bolt holes line up but the back ones are about a half inch above whee they need to be. just line up the bracket, mark where the new holes need to be, and drill new ones. its really not hard to figure out
6. using the hardware given with the seats bolt the seat to the bracket (and make sure the brackets facing the right way. dont want your seat facing backwards!)
7. bolt the seats back into the X and then take off the plastic wrap on the seats
8. take her for a spin!

here they are!!! the grey/back two tone matches great

i suggest vacuming out the truck while you have the seats out.

this is the lever that has to be cut flat. you wont need it with the new seats so just take the sawzall and cut the little hump off so the new seats will sit flat. im pretty sure this is only on the 2 doors tho

note the banket - i welded the old seats to office chair spiny pedistals as video game chairs for my brother so i put the blanket down to keep from ruining the seats on the workbench

i have a magnetic wrist band and its pretty convenient to put it on the shifter to keep all bolts from inside the truck in one place

the day after i installed these i drove to alabama and after an hour on the interstate these seats still felt great! last night me and some buddies did a 5 mile mountian bike trail and when we got back to the car these seats felt even better. this is by far the easiest big imrpovement you can make and compared to other seats these are a really good deal. with amazon i even got free shipping on them. 4wheel parts sells them too but wanted more for them.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Nice work, Brandon...

 

[ragajungle]

Nice! They look like they are ready for a 4 point harness too! I wonder if you could even mount it a little further back (for us tall guys) - might look into this deal especially with the free shipping.

 

[renegade1]

Nice! They look like they are ready for a 4 point harness too! I wonder if you could even mount it a little further back (for us tall guys) - might look into this deal especially with the free shipping.

in the picture theyre slid pretty far up, have plenty of room to go back. and if you drilled the holes differently im sure theyd mount even further back. and yep - they are set up for four point harness

 

[Paraphoe]

Very nice. If I'm understanding correctly, these will still be full power seats because you're bolting them directly to the old brackets, correct? They look great.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

lookin good keep up good work

 

[renegade1]

Very nice. If I'm understanding correctly, these will still be full power seats because you're bolting them directly to the old brackets, correct? They look great.

the seats in my truck arnt power - but since they bolt to the slider as long as the seats in power vs non power are the same then yes- you could bolt these in on a power seat base.

 

[99ex22]

nice! those look comfy! I hate how there is no neck/head support in these darn explorers. Ive been looking at sport trac seats but these look a little nicer....

 

[Paraphoe]

You'll have to keep us posted on how they wear. I've been looking at seat covers for ages, but just replacing the entire seats themselves might be a better way.

 

[renegade1]

got them muddy the other day but they cleaned easily. only complaint thus far is from the woman - aparently the side support makes it harder for her to get in and out of the truck. but then again... the side support is why i like these seats so :

 

[ranger7ltr]

Question about the seat install...

I am looking to buy some new seats for my 99 Sport as well... I see from your pictures that the seat belt latches are anchored to the truck and not to the seat rail.. Is that correct?

Also can you tell me what the dimensions of your new seats are? The ones I am looking at are 22" Wide 23" Deep 35" Tall and I think that will be comparable to the old seats except they will be a little taller...

When you mounted your Ford seat rails to the new seats, you just had to drill one hole per rail to match the seat mounting holes... Is that correct? I like your new seats but I want to install leather hibacks in my Sport...

One last thing; Is the listing on amazon the price for 1 seat or two seats?

Thanks for any information...

 

[Mounty 09]

Has anybody tried them with the power seats yet? Would love to get a set but I would hate to loose my power. Also wouldn't you have to make your own plate to put the power switches on?