- Joined
- Sep 16, 2008
- Threads
- 96
- Messages
- 2,930
- Location
- Freensville
- Website
- www.poolpartydeathmachine.com
Just finished wrapping up my latest project, and I thought I'd share the details.
The charm of the racing buckets in my truck wore out pretty quickly. They sat low, were uncomfortable, messed with my bad knee, and they just took up too much space for their own good. I also felt contrary to the notion: I think that trucks need a good bench seat. My dad's '03 Ranger has this nice split-bench setup, with a center console that folded down from the middle seat. Pretty sweet setup, if you ask me.
According to my measurements, It looked like they would fit. I had 49" of useable space door-to-door, and these seets were 47", the headrests came to the same height, and the seats themselves were the same depth as the APC buckets they replaced.
So, for the last couple weeks, I'd spent alot of time on the phone tracking down what turned out to be the only set of this style in the Northbay. Out of a 2003 Ranger 2-door extra-cab, and were cloth (very important to me).
So I drove out to Rancho Cordova to collect them.
On the retun leg through Calistoga, just five miles from home, my water pump bearing gave out pulling up Petrified Forest grade - wonderful.
I had no idea what it was at first, just a high temp guage, some steam and a puddle, but emptying my water bottle from the cab of my truck into the radiator answered my question: water was literally gushing out of the pump assembly.
So, after the tow home, I borrowed my sister's Matricx, grabbed some coolant and a new pump, quickly did the repair, and then returned to the seats.
Luckily it was an easy fix!
Once that was done, I yanked out the old buckets. I'd forgotten that when I'd installed them, I used hardware that fell under the technical term "whatever". That was the most frustrating part of the install.
Looking at the seats themselves, the mouning hardware actually looked just like the underside of OEM seats for my truck, just a little taller. They measured up about right, so, no additional cutting required. Just a little persuasion with a cobalt drill bit for some new bolt holes.
THIS time, I acutally picked up exactly what I needed for the install hardware-wise, I used M8X10 hardened steel bolts with 2 washers, 2 lock washers, a nut and a nylock, one of each washer on each side, a nut to fasten, and the nylock as protection from vibration.
The install took maybe fourty minutes one I got rolling, and it came out really really clean.
And of course, for your entertainment pleasure, some pictures:
This morning. The console is folded down, and I have a book on it.
With the console folded up for "bench seat mode":
An establishing shot of the overall prodcut:
And a shot from the driver's seat, as the driver would see:
Bottom line: These seats are great, they put me at a better angle pedals-wise, and they ride so much more comfortably. They are much taller, though, which is fine with me, since I'm short.
They're much firmer and considerably more "truck-like" than the racing buckets, and the center console is incredibly handy.
Bottom line: Do Ranger sets fit into a 79-83 Mini?
Yes.
Are they easy to install:
very yes.
Do they work?
I believe they do, and as long as you're either short, or able to weld and lower them, or fab up a mounting assembly for them, they'll actually work well. Visibility is greatly improved (what blind spots?), ride quality is the best I've had in this truck, and the angles on the pedals are much, much better than either previous set I've had in this truck. I would do this mod again.
The charm of the racing buckets in my truck wore out pretty quickly. They sat low, were uncomfortable, messed with my bad knee, and they just took up too much space for their own good. I also felt contrary to the notion: I think that trucks need a good bench seat. My dad's '03 Ranger has this nice split-bench setup, with a center console that folded down from the middle seat. Pretty sweet setup, if you ask me.
According to my measurements, It looked like they would fit. I had 49" of useable space door-to-door, and these seets were 47", the headrests came to the same height, and the seats themselves were the same depth as the APC buckets they replaced.
So, for the last couple weeks, I'd spent alot of time on the phone tracking down what turned out to be the only set of this style in the Northbay. Out of a 2003 Ranger 2-door extra-cab, and were cloth (very important to me).
So I drove out to Rancho Cordova to collect them.
On the retun leg through Calistoga, just five miles from home, my water pump bearing gave out pulling up Petrified Forest grade - wonderful.
I had no idea what it was at first, just a high temp guage, some steam and a puddle, but emptying my water bottle from the cab of my truck into the radiator answered my question: water was literally gushing out of the pump assembly.
So, after the tow home, I borrowed my sister's Matricx, grabbed some coolant and a new pump, quickly did the repair, and then returned to the seats.
Luckily it was an easy fix!
Once that was done, I yanked out the old buckets. I'd forgotten that when I'd installed them, I used hardware that fell under the technical term "whatever". That was the most frustrating part of the install.
Looking at the seats themselves, the mouning hardware actually looked just like the underside of OEM seats for my truck, just a little taller. They measured up about right, so, no additional cutting required. Just a little persuasion with a cobalt drill bit for some new bolt holes.
THIS time, I acutally picked up exactly what I needed for the install hardware-wise, I used M8X10 hardened steel bolts with 2 washers, 2 lock washers, a nut and a nylock, one of each washer on each side, a nut to fasten, and the nylock as protection from vibration.
The install took maybe fourty minutes one I got rolling, and it came out really really clean.
And of course, for your entertainment pleasure, some pictures:
This morning. The console is folded down, and I have a book on it.
With the console folded up for "bench seat mode":
An establishing shot of the overall prodcut:
And a shot from the driver's seat, as the driver would see:
Bottom line: These seats are great, they put me at a better angle pedals-wise, and they ride so much more comfortably. They are much taller, though, which is fine with me, since I'm short.
They're much firmer and considerably more "truck-like" than the racing buckets, and the center console is incredibly handy.
Bottom line: Do Ranger sets fit into a 79-83 Mini?
Yes.
Are they easy to install:
very yes.
Do they work?
I believe they do, and as long as you're either short, or able to weld and lower them, or fab up a mounting assembly for them, they'll actually work well. Visibility is greatly improved (what blind spots?), ride quality is the best I've had in this truck, and the angles on the pedals are much, much better than either previous set I've had in this truck. I would do this mod again.
) or find them at a wrecker. I ended up sourcing them from a wrecker with a showroom, that stocks their own hardware, so they weren't as mangled as you would find at a pick-n-pull. I paid 200 for them as a unit.
says she likes the seats better, and I do too, because I can fold that armrest up, and she can lean on me on the long drives (definite plus).
