bucket seat brackets.

[buck01]

I have done some searching but haven't found the answer yet.

I just bought a set of bucket seats from an 88 forerunner. I am trying to mount them in a 94 pickup.

The brackets aren't going to line up.

If I measure right.

The brackets on my bench seat are 16 inches from the front mount to the back mount.

The brackets on the bucket seats are 13 inches from front to back.

Not to mention that their is no hole to mount the inside of the seat to.

I am not a fabricator in any way.

I am looking for a way to just bolt these seats to this truck.

Does anyone one make brackets for this purpose?

Thanks

[91ToyTrck]

I have seen a few people do some write-ups and most of the time going from bench to buckets requires drilling a few holes to make the seats fit. Have you tried seeing if there are any pre-drilled holes that have been covered up? I remember reading somewhere that all toyotas have the same holes just some are covered up that aren't used on every truck.

[buck01]

I looked for existing holes and found none.

I am concerned about drilling ahole through the floor since the floor pan seems to have a double wall. I am afraid drilling a hole would allow moisture to get up between to the panels and rust the floor out.

I may be way off but that was my thought process anyway.

Do you have links to these writeups? I can't seem to find any.

[fustercluck]

I know you may not think of yourself as a fabricator, but with a little planning and patience, you could build an adapter which would allow for both sets of mounting components. I've seen it done. My runner is a first gen. I bolted a pair of second gen seats in with a little determination and my characteristic stubbornness.

[buck01]

I am willing to try to make something. I just have no idea how to start.
Can you show me what you have done?

[fustercluck]

Well, my case was maybe a little less involved than yours sounds. When I went looking for seats, I had with me the dimensions of the runner's existing mounts and the topography of the floor pan. I studied the shape and dimensions of the seat rails that came with the truck and drew on paper what I had. I took that to the salvage yard knowing that Toyota uses common design/engineering through the model evolutions. I found a second gen runner and studied the shape and dimensions of it's seat rails and found that they were identical except the rail holes were about 1/4" narrower than my truck's bolt holes.....so I forced it to fit :D it works great!!!

If you snapped a pic of your floor pan bolt hole locations with dimensions, I could see if this mod would work for you. I'll bet it would since you have a second gen truck. My seats are adjustable for seat pad angle, lumbar support, side bolster support etc. They feel like the Recaro style seats in my wife's BMW :hillbill:

[buck01]

The holes from front to back are 16 inches apart.

The front hole is raised in a cross support.

The back is a nut welded into the floor pan. Inaccessable from the bottom because of a double walled floor.

That is on the side closest to the door.

On the inside(towards the shifter)

there are no holes.

Although there is a slot in the cross support that could be used somehow.

Just not sure how since there would be no way to access the back of that support with the carpet down...

Does that help any?

[buck01]

Here is a link to a drawing from FSM for the seatbelts. Best I can come up with here at work.

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/bodymechanical/12seatbelt.pdf

you will see the cross support I am talking about.

Hope that helps a liitle.

[fustercluck]

Looks like you have the same topography as mine. Now measure the distance between the mounting holes center to center (width and length)...

[buck01]

16 inches is what I came up with from front to back.
nothing for width since there is no inside mount on the existing bench seat.

[buck01]

Will it hurt to drill a hole through the double walled floor pan?

I would rather use the existing holes but since there aren't any on the
side towards the shifter it sounds like I will have to drill a hole somewhere.

I am thinking( I know scary) use the front out side mount then drill a hole through both panels of the floor for the rear. Drill a hole for the inside rear and just not
bolt the front inside mount.

does this sound reasonable?

[fustercluck]

Well before you drill, you'll have to pull your carpet. I suspect that once you do that, you'll see that there are four bolt holes on each side (driver and passenger). When they build these trucks, they use universal parts like floor pans, wiring harnesses etc., so regardless of how your trucks was equipped, you should have the basic components to convert to other options. Pull the carpet and look for the other holes. Remember that there may be a plastic plug in the holes that your truck's bench seat didn't use, so you may need to remove those before the bolt hole is exposed.

I would hesitate to drill through the double wall pan since when you tighten the bolt, you'd have to pinch the two walls together between the bolt head and nut. If that doesn't happen completely, you could have issues with fully secured seats.

I'll run out and measure my bolt holes right now...

[fustercluck]

Okay, the front 'rail' holes are 18" apart center to center (width). The rear holes are the same. The front to rear, center to center on mine is also 16". If our pans are universally engineered, then you should have an inner bolt hole right by where the seat belt receiver mounts to the trans tunnel.....let me know what you find.

[buck01]

I had the carpet up last weekend. I didn't see the other holes. I pulled up a piece of sound deadening material( I think) of the floor. I could see where a hole should have been but it wasn't drilled or maybe that was the plug you are reffering to???

Not sure now.

I will have to look again.

but if they are the same how do I make the seat fit that is 13 inches front to back?

You think the plugged hole is 13 inches back? and it will bolt up directly?

I did find several holes on the trans tunnel that had tape over them but didnt find the same on the floor. Like I said maybe it it the plug you are talking about.

[91ToyTrck]

How's the install coming along? post some pictures with however you put them in the truck.

[fustercluck]

I had the carpet up last weekend. I didn't see the other holes. I pulled up a piece of sound deadening material( I think) of the floor. I could see where a hole should have been but it wasn't drilled or maybe that was the plug you are reffering to???

Not sure now.

I will have to look again.

but if they are the same how do I make the seat fit that is 13 inches front to back?

You think the plugged hole is 13 inches back? and it will bolt up directly?

I did find several holes on the trans tunnel that had tape over them but didnt find the same on the floor. Like I said maybe it it the plug you are talking about.



How to make an adapter? Well first find the bolt holes in the floor pan, then measure their dimensions. Record them on a plan sheet. Next measure the bolt hole dimensions of the seat you wish to mount. Record those on the same sheet. At that point, I would see where the differences are and design on paper an adapter which would fit the space and topography of the pan. This may require some noodling and pondering, but you'll get it done. Before the build step, juxtapose your design against the driving position you require. If the design still stands, find a welding shop or fabricating shop and show them the adapter design. Ask them to build it. If your design is simple in form and function, it'll be more cost effective. Remember that your seat will do all of the adjustments, so the adapter just needs to accomodate the differences in bolt location.

[buck01]

Thanks Fuster for all your info.

This is what I did.

on the passenger side. I used the existing front outside mount. I bolted the set to that. Then Marked the location for the back to mounts on the floor pan.

After doing some checking I found the floor pan is double walled where the captive nuts is in the floor but not the entire floor.

I checked for lines and things under the cab and then drilled the holes in the floor.

I bought some new bolts and washers for the mounts through the floor.

I bolted that seat in with 3 mounts.

Still have not figured out a way to mount the front inside of the seat but the seat seems secure with just 3.

for the driver side. I had to remove the seatbelt from the floor and use the existing holes for the back mounts. I did have to grind the holes in the bracket out a little to make them line up right. For the front I again used the existing mount on the outside. I had to grind a slot in the front mount and use a big washer over it.

This seat was also mounted with 3 mounting ppoints but seems solid.

I am sure there are better ways to do this but this is how I did it.

I am driving the truck a few days with the seats mounted this way to make sure I dont have any problems. Once I am satisfied. I will take them back out and put the carpet and trim back in the truck and finish it all up.

Thanks again for all the help and info.

[fustercluck]

Nice job, Buck. I maintain that the mother of invention is desperation....:hillbill:

[buck01]

I was one desperate mother : ) Thanks again.