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40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
 
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Administrator
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If you are handy you can create the needed mount by using the mounts off the existing bench seat and angle iron.
And adding heating elements would be cool. No, hot!  But how much current do they pull? You may decide you want to do the 3G upgrade to feed them.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Administrator
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Administrator
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Ok, here's my thinking, although I've not yet done it.
First, with the original bench seat bolted into the truck take measurements to determine where the seat actually is, front/rear and height, and at what angle it sits to the floor. You'll want those measurements to figure out exactly how to mount the new seat. In the pic on the left you can see the mounts on Big Blue's original bench seat. There are two bolts per mount holding them to the seat itself, as shown by the red circles. Then in the pic on the right you see those mounts bolted into Dad's truck and angle iron laid across them. If you want the base to be able to slide fore/aft with the adjuster on the bench seat mounts the angle will have to be cut so there's a lip that will lay on top of the mount but the vertical part of the angle will have to be cut away to allow the mount to slide. (If that doesn't make sense I can draw something up.) But you might get by just fine by bolting the angle to the mounts just as I have it and then put the new seat where you want it by drilling holes in the short pieces of angle that run fore/aft. Speaking of those pieces, I have one piece of angle laying in there to represent the far left piece, and then red lines to represent the other three. I'd cut these pieces so they'll slip up between the front and rear pieces from the bottom. And I'd weld them to the front and rear pieces so the whole thing is strong. However you might get by just fine bolting them to the angle, although that weakens the angle. But you want to put the fore/aft pieces of angle in the right places side-to-side to take the bolts from the new seat. And in the pic on the right I've assumed the 40/20/40 seats will be like the buckets and bolt in 8 places, with 4 per side: 2 on the far right; 2 inboard of those; 2 on the far left; 2 inboard of those. Does that make sense?  
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Administrator
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I had an epiphany! We have the 1985 Body Builder's Book and I wondered if it has any pertinent info with regard to seat positioning. Indeed it does, as shown below. (NB: I've added those highlights to my copy of the book and it'll show up in the one in the link above in an hour or so.)
Here's the way I read that document as well as some readings off Big Blue's captain's chairs: Seat Bottom Angle: I've circled in red the 8 degree spec, and I think that means the bottom of the seat is leaned back that much from "level", and I assume the door sill is "level" as that's where I took my measurement. But Big Blue's driver's captain's chair is leaned back twice that at 16 degrees.Leg Room: The max leg room, measured from the throttle to the joint between the seat bottom and seat back (I think) is 40.98". But Big Blue's is 40" as best I can measure, and that's as I expected since it feels like I'm sitting a bit farther forward than with the bench seat.Window Opening: I take the window opening measurement point to be where the door's outer skin turns in to form the window. And I think the "Frame Datum Line" is the top of the frame, and measuring from there to the bottom of the window opening is supposed to be 14.25" + 13.82" = 28.07". That works pretty well as I measure Big Blue's distance to be 28".Seat Height: As I read it the joint between the seat bottom and back is supposed to be 14.25" below the window opening. And as best I can measure Big Blue that measurement is 14". But that's questionable as the captain's chairs have large bolsters on the edges and I'm measuring at the top of the bolster where it hits the back.So what all this tells me is that I have Big Blue's seat tilted back 8 degrees too far. And the seat is about 1" too far forward. That's great because the top of the seat back is hitting the rear window, and that is preventing the seat from going farther backwards. So if I'd change the angle I could probably get the seat back 1" more w/o hitting the rear window. 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Gary, Axe H looks to be a crucial item for all these measurements.
I am wondering how to precisely mark it on the seat, since this one isn't made of perfect flat surfaces. This Axe seems also to touch the rear rail end, when seat in its full rear position (my red arrow). Probably not easy to determine the good position of your green circle, under real life conditions...  
Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022. Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel. |
Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Jeff - I agree that H is crucial. But I don't know how to measure it. After zooming in on the PDF it turns out that the circle isn't truly at the point where the seat bottom meets the seat back. It is actually a bit farther forward, and since I was measuring on Big Blue right to the joint and came up short of leg room it means it is even shorter than I thought. But I don't know how to measure other than to that joint.
As for the rear of the seat rail, I think that is just happenstance. They didn't point to that in the drawing, so I think it is a fluke. And yes, it is difficult to measure in real life. But I probably happen to have the ideal setup in which to do that as I have Dad's truck that has nothing in the cab so it is easy to measure to the cab itself and not the trim. And because I have seats bolted into Big Blue with a Ford seat platform. I may not have the seats in the perfect position with respect to front/rear and angle, but I have them in a very workable position. And I'm sure they are in the correct position side-to-side as I used the factory holes in the platform. Don't miss the new thread called Big Blue's Seat Platform.  
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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Yessir, going there right now! 
Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022. Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel. |
Re: 40/20/40 in a 1986 Regular Cab
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