How to: 3rd row seating in a 1st & 2nd gen Explorer

3rd row seating in a 1st & 2cnd gen explorer

Okay this is my set up you may use other seat's...
DISCLAIMER
do this at your own risk this site and I take no responseabilty to damage cause to your explorer by doing this also check with local law enforcement to make sure it is legal in your state...
first why? because I still owe on this truck and can not afford to swap in on a 3rd gen explorer.. plus I like my older explorers..

what you will need (for my set up)
1) seat out of a dodge colt vista
2) 40 inches of angle iron
3) seat belt clips from a 84-87 corrolla (nova)
4) 2-4 inch square tubing
5) drill bits
6) wrenches
7) bolts high grade..and 1/8 rounded steel plates

okay lets get started .....
first let down spare tire then
measure across the floor borad of the cargo area to drill the holes for the angle iron,and get them between the frame rails... put bolts in and this is where you will add the 1/8 steel plates under the cargo area facing the ground , measure the seat and drill the holes to attach it to the angle iron...

okay angle iron is attached... now get the blocks..if you look close these was easy to attach... watch drilling the left side there is a black box there (antilock??) drill attachthe blocks then the seat to the blocks... for the seat belts you can attach the one part to the floor board also my seat has a spot to attach them to the side (might redo it later) and there you have it!!!! third row and no new payments!!!

I pulled this seat 6 years ago(that why it's dirty and wrong color ) so I didn't get all the parts I needed then it has been in 2 other vehicles... my plans for my 93 is a removable one ... this seat will fold down, also it was a flip seat but had to disable this option, here is a link to what a colt vista looks like

http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK2OCDW02IEY1ZJ


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Engi...oryZ6214QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

to the toppppppp

cool idea use a site like photobucket or image shack to store your pics(unlimited space), and then link them over. Also try and make them a little bigger lol.

Yah I cant really see the pictures. Is this legal and safe? I ask because I have a 99 Sport, a 3 year old, a 2 1/2 year old, and another one on the way in about 7 months. I am planning on selling the Sport and buying an Expedition (or something like it, just no mini vans) because I will need the extra room as I wouldnt feel safe with one of my boys in a car seat in the front seat. Thanks

xFatcatx said:

Yah I cant really see the pictures. Is this legal and safe? I ask because I have a 99 Sport, a 3 year old, a 2 1/2 year old, and another one on the way in about 7 months. I am planning on selling the Sport and buying an Expedition (or something like it, just no mini vans) because I will need the extra room as I wouldnt feel safe with one of my boys in a car seat in the front seat. Thanks

Click to expand...

that's why I said check local dmv/statepatrol.... the only thing may be unsafe is in a roll I don't know how strudy they built the top from collasping.. my 12 year old 7 year old and my 4 year love the seat and I have a 2 year ols and a 1 year old and one on the way so this is just a temp fix until I fix my burb or get a expidition..

I can't really see what you've done because the photos are so small... If you haven't already done it, I would put a piece of 1/8" thick steel plate under each bolt hole that you drill in the floor, and also where you attach the seatbelt. Round the corners of the plate so if there is a roll over it will be less likely to tear through the floor.

And like everything else on the site, it's the owners responsibility to determine for themselves if the mod is safe, and or legal.

yeah forgot to add that part I did put thick steel under them thats how we used to "plate" a roll cage in a uni body race car....I'fix that now pics are fixed... thanks rick ...

also some changes I would make would be square tubing in the front (sturdier ) and the same for the back... next one I will cut the floor pan out and add the quick release like the minivans have... look for in about a month or two the 93 conversion this one was done is couple of hours with no planning next one will have more detailed work...

great work so far. when you put the steel on the under side did you just use square plates at the mounting points or did you run a full lenght between the frame rails. im thinking if some one ran the full lenght they could weld it to the rails, possibly strengthen the set up. and with steel the full lenght you could put 6,8, 10, 12 mounting points if you like. this i would think, would make something like pulling through a lot less likely.

might have to look at mine and give this a try. how much head room do you have and how far off the floor is the seat. it dont look like its gonna be to comfy for more than a kid or 2.

steve



nevermind that comment about welding the steel to the frame. i was almost asleep when it popped in my slow little head that this may not be a good idea. It just dawned on me that the frame and body have different flex rates and tolerances.


steve

Wonder how well the rear seat from a Sport would work in this application?

Todd...I was thinking the EXACT same thing!

For a while, there was a 3rd row option available for the 1st Gen. But it bolted in so the back was 'back to back' with the stock rear seat.

If I remember correctly though, it was about $900!

Ryan

They sell new seats that match the 2nd gen explorer for 350 to 1100 depending on seatbelt (lap vs shoulder) and leather or cloth.
350 is a generic from JC Whitney.

IAmTodd said:

Wonder how well the rear seat from a Sport would work in this application?

Click to expand...

looking at my sport the legs would set the seat to high..and the seat is to "fat" you need a thin seat to keep you head fron hitting the roof..and remeber the floor board raises behind the back seat thats why most rear seats wont fit......
yes the head room is okay for kids not for adults but then agian not many 3rd row seat are to confy for adults (except for suburban expidtions and excursions)

when I do my 93 explorer I will cut the brackets out with the seat to make it removable wife didn't want hers to be the guniea pig so mine will be..

there is room for improvement on this set up but you got to start somewhere...

total cost for me on this project was only about $20 bucks but if you had to buy everything I would say you could get away with less than $150 in this set up....

my gf's uncle 95 or 96 explorer xlt came with 3rd row seating I was thinking of putting a 3rd row on my 01 sport but i am not to sure yet.

Sorry, but I don't mean to be cruel here, but it looks unsafe, not to mention the redneck rigging. Looks like A$$.:thumbdwn: Hey, I have to be honest.

I can see the potential there...I wondered how many people tried this and made it work...while it might look a little "redneck"...hey, it's a 3rd row!

I'm tryin to draw up some simple plans on doing the same thing for mine.

I saw my first 1st Generation Explorer in the local wrecking yard that had a rear-facing bench seat bolted (somehow) to the floor area behind the 2nd row seat. Yes it was back-to-back with the 2nd row seat. What surprised me is this 3rd row seat had the exact same upholstery on it as the rest of the seats in the Explorer. The upholstery on all of the seats was definitely Explorer fabric because I have seen it many times before. There were also 2 pairs of seatbelts on this rear-facing seat that matched the others in the Explorer too.

I commented on it to one of the guys in the wrecking yard. Unfortunately the Explorer was starting to be piled high with stuff inside of it because they were crushing the yard again. It's gone now. It was a red Explorer with the two or three-toned silver-greyish fabric seats in it.

Update, I stand corrected. Anyone near North Central Florida (Ocala) that might be interested in what I believe is a factory 3rd row Generation 1 seat, the wrecking yard didn't crush that Explorer. They must have put that Explorer aside, along with a 1997 that is still there, and moved them back into the Ford Truck section of their yard. I was in the wrecking yard today looking for a engine oil dipstick for the 2000 Explorer I bought and was surprised to see the Gen 1 back in the Ford truck/van/SUV section again.