Big Blue's Seat Platform

[Gary Lewis]

What Pormido say about the new front camera is promising.

Hopefully those promises are delivered.

I was under the impression that you were going to cut bumper brackets out of plate and work off that.

I must not understand what's difficult about getting the bumper to width and tacking it in place before pulling off to weld it out. Aren't the gate and latch drawn up and scaled? It seems none of that requires the truck.

But that was also so far back that you intended to use the bumper as an air reserve....

Yes, I hope Pormido comes through, but I think they will. That will help a lot.

And yes, I have 1" thick plates that are already cut to be both the brackets that bolt to the frame as well as tow eyes. But they go through the 5" rectangular tube bumper and then are welded to it front and rear. So I want to pull the bumper off, along with all of the braces, trailer hitch, rear camera, and air fitting and gauge, put the plates in place, mark them for the bolt holes, and then pull them and drill them. Then I'll bolt them on and measure, measure, and measure before using the plasma cutter on the 5" tube.

But speaking of cutting the tube, there's also the trailer hitch that goes through the bumper and ties to a cross piece that is also welded to the attachment plates/tow eyes. So I want to have the tube/bumper on the truck so I can ensure it all fits before welding. But I don't want to be doing a lot of welding next to the gas tank, so I want to pull things off to do that - after they are tacked in place.

In addition, there are other holes that go into that tubing and given its thickness I'd like to do the drilling or milling on the mill. One set of those is the holes for the pivot for the swing arm, which needs to be very precise. But that isn't possible if things are already welded to the tube, so I want to think through things step-by-step.

Scott/WelderScott seems to think we could knock the welding out in a day if everything is ready. And by that I mean the plates/tow eyes are drilled, the tube is cut, the cross piece and its fishplates are cut and ready. Then I think he could come over and do the main welding, which may take more welder than I have given the thickness of the metals involved.

That's why I came to the conclusion, after a lot of thought, that right now is not the time since I want to use the truck several times this spring.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Yes, I hope Pormido comes through, but I think they will. That will help a lot.

And yes, I have 1" thick plates that are already cut to be both the brackets that bolt to the frame as well as tow eyes. But they go through the 5" rectangular tube bumper and then are welded to it front and rear. So I want to pull the bumper off, along with all of the braces, trailer hitch, rear camera, and air fitting and gauge, put the plates in place, mark them for the bolt holes, and then pull them and drill them. Then I'll bolt them on and measure, measure, and measure before using the plasma cutter on the 5" tube.

But speaking of cutting the tube, there's also the trailer hitch that goes through the bumper and ties to a cross piece that is also welded to the attachment plates/tow eyes. So I want to have the tube/bumper on the truck so I can ensure it all fits before welding. But I don't want to be doing a lot of welding next to the gas tank, so I want to pull things off to do that - after they are tacked in place.

In addition, there are other holes that go into that tubing and given its thickness I'd like to do the drilling or milling on the mill. One set of those is the holes for the pivot for the swing arm, which needs to be very precise. But that isn't possible if things are already welded to the tube, so I want to think through things step-by-step.

Scott/WelderScott seems to think we could knock the welding out in a day if everything is ready. And by that I mean the plates/tow eyes are drilled, the tube is cut, the cross piece and its fishplates are cut and ready. Then I think he could come over and do the main welding, which may take more welder than I have given the thickness of the metals involved.

That's why I came to the conclusion, after a lot of thought, that right now is not the time since I want to use the truck several times this spring.

I remembered that the plates passed through the bumper becoming tow eyes but forgot about how the trailer hitch had to fit through as well.

You should ask Scott if he has a mag-drill and the proper Rotabroach for your pivot.

Sticking a 6' piece of 5" box up on the mill is going to be a challenge I wouldn't take on willingly.

(Maybe ask Brandon, or even rent one for a day. I don't have a mill so I would probably use the mag drill to bore the plates as well)

How many amps and what's the duty cycle of your welder?

1" is a big heatsink and I would definitely pull out my O/A and a rosebud for a bunch of preheat before I got into it.

You can also use a deep penetration rod for your root, which would help even if you're going to cap with 7018.

[Gary Lewis]

I remembered that the plates passed through the bumper becoming tow eyes but forgot about how the trailer hitch had to fit through as well.

You should ask Scott if he has a mag-drill and the proper Rotabroach for your pivot.

Sticking a 6' piece of 5" box up on the mill is going to be a challenge I wouldn't take on willingly.

(Maybe ask Brandon, or even rent one for a day. I don't have a mill so I would probably use the mag drill to bore the plates as well)

How many amps and what's the duty cycle of your welder?

1" is a big heatsink and I would definitely pull out my O/A and a rosebud for a bunch of preheat before I got into it.

You can also use a deep penetration rod for your root, which would help even if you're going to cap with 7018.

You are right that getting a 6' piece of 5" tubing on the mill is an issue, but for the pivot it shouldn't be too bad since it is on an end. Getting to the middle is much harder.

I'll ask about a Rotabroach. However I do have a boring attachment, so if I can get it close with a drill bit I should be able to do it with that.

Drilling the plates shouldn't be a problem as I have drill bits of all sizes and I think I'm only going out to either 5/8 or 3/4 where it goes through the frame. And the holes in the tow eye ends are already there.

My welder is just a 110v 20A unit, so I seriously doubt it'll do it. But in the past Scott has brought over his own, like to do the engine crossmember, so he may have a heavier one to use. And I don't have an O/A setup. My brother got Dad's unit since I've not had a need for one, but I might could borrow it. Still, I'm going to rely on Scott.

[Gary Lewis]

You are right that getting a 6' piece of 5" tubing on the mill is an issue, but for the pivot it shouldn't be too bad since it is on an end. Getting to the middle is much harder.

I'll ask about a Rotabroach. However I do have a boring attachment, so if I can get it close with a drill bit I should be able to do it with that.

Drilling the plates shouldn't be a problem as I have drill bits of all sizes and I think I'm only going out to either 5/8 or 3/4 where it goes through the frame. And the holes in the tow eye ends are already there.

My welder is just a 110v 20A unit, so I seriously doubt it'll do it. But in the past Scott has brought over his own, like to do the engine crossmember, so he may have a heavier one to use. And I don't have an O/A setup. My brother got Dad's unit since I've not had a need for one, but I might could borrow it. Still, I'm going to rely on Scott.

No epiphanies today, but I did make some progress. I got the passenger-side fore/aft seat angles cut and temp welded in. And with that I could bolt the platform in, position the seats both fore/aft as well as the angle, and mark where they should go.

Turns out that eight G8 1/2" washers gives 3/4" of lift to the back of the bench seat bases, and that makes the seat bottom angle 10 degrees rearward instead of the 16 degrees I originally had. That is enough to get the seat farther back w/o the top hitting the rear window. And the seat base is 1/2" lower than it was originally, in spite of the 3/4" lift. (NB: I originally said the seat was 14" above the door sill, but I was measuring on the inside of the framing square, not the outside. So it was really 15 1/2" and now it is 15".)

But that's with 1 1/2" angle, so if I used 1" x 1 1/2" square tubing I might have room to put the tracks in. And a 3/4" wedge could replace the washers, although they work nicely.

However, I'm still working out the fasteners issues. Today I found that it is next to impossible to reach up underneath the angle and put the 5/16" bolts through it into the seat bottom. Part of that is lack of room to work, part of that is because there's upholstery that the bolts have to go through and it moves, and part of it is that it is way too easy to cross-thread the bolts, and that could be a serious problem.

My first attempt was to cut the heads off of bolts and use them as guide pins to align the seat, and that did get the seat on the angle. But it didn't really solve the problem of getting the bolts in. So I ended up cutting eight pieces of 5/16" all-thread 1 1/2" long, slathering them with blue Loctite, and running them in the seat base with 7/8" sticking out. They'll be all set up tomorrow so I can then install the seats if I want.

But I still have to cut and weld in some angle for mounting the console, so I need to take some measurements and then pull everything out to add the mounts for the console. And while I have it out for that I'll go ahead and finish the rest of the welding. Meanwhile the helicoil should come in and I can fix the threads for the RR, which will be easier with everything out.

The thing isn't pretty, but I think it'll work. And once I've gotten to try it out I'll know if I like the height and angle as well as the lack of adjustments on the seats themselves. Then I can make a nice, neat one - if I want to.

Here are some pics. First, the platform:

Then a shot of the seat w/o tracks and tilted back 10 degrees:

And last, the washers and a HD washer to spread the load although I'll need a longer bolt so I can get a lockwasher in there:

 

[Gary Lewis]

No epiphanies today, but I did make some progress. I got the passenger-side fore/aft seat angles cut and temp welded in. And with that I could bolt the platform in, position the seats both fore/aft as well as the angle, and mark where they should go.

Turns out that eight G8 1/2" washers gives 3/4" of lift to the back of the bench seat bases, and that makes the seat bottom angle 10 degrees rearward instead of the 16 degrees I originally had. That is enough to get the seat farther back w/o the top hitting the rear window. And the seat base is 1/2" lower than it was originally, in spite of the 3/4" lift. (NB: I originally said the seat was 14" above the door sill, but I was measuring on the inside of the framing square, not the outside. So it was really 15 1/2" and now it is 15".)

But that's with 1 1/2" angle, so if I used 1" x 1 1/2" square tubing I might have room to put the tracks in. And a 3/4" wedge could replace the washers, although they work nicely.

However, I'm still working out the fasteners issues. Today I found that it is next to impossible to reach up underneath the angle and put the 5/16" bolts through it into the seat bottom. Part of that is lack of room to work, part of that is because there's upholstery that the bolts have to go through and it moves, and part of it is that it is way too easy to cross-thread the bolts, and that could be a serious problem.

My first attempt was to cut the heads off of bolts and use them as guide pins to align the seat, and that did get the seat on the angle. But it didn't really solve the problem of getting the bolts in. So I ended up cutting eight pieces of 5/16" all-thread 1 1/2" long, slathering them with blue Loctite, and running them in the seat base with 7/8" sticking out. They'll be all set up tomorrow so I can then install the seats if I want.

But I still have to cut and weld in some angle for mounting the console, so I need to take some measurements and then pull everything out to add the mounts for the console. And while I have it out for that I'll go ahead and finish the rest of the welding. Meanwhile the helicoil should come in and I can fix the threads for the RR, which will be easier with everything out.

The thing isn't pretty, but I think it'll work. And once I've gotten to try it out I'll know if I like the height and angle as well as the lack of adjustments on the seats themselves. Then I can make a nice, neat one - if I want to.

Here are some pics. First, the platform:

Then a shot of the seat w/o tracks and tilted back 10 degrees:

And last, the washers and a HD washer to spread the load although I'll need a longer bolt so I can get a lockwasher in there:

Got the seats bolted in with the help of the studs. I think the driver's seat is just where I want it as the back doesn't hit the window, although I won't know for sure I like it there until I drive it. But the passenger's seatback does hit the window, which appears to be a difference in the seat itself as it is bolted in at the same fore/aft position as the driver's seat. So I may move it up 1" by drilling new holes.

However, if we think we wouldn't mind the seats being 1" higher I could bolt the tracks to them and then I'd have 4" of adjustability for each seat. We will have to see, but they are currently 1/2" lower than they were, so maybe.

And in the pic above I have the console in essentially the right position, although it is 1" lower than it previously was. But then the seats are 1/2" lower than they were, so maybe the console is right where it should be? Again, we won't know until we drive it.

But I have some more welding to do in order to get the console bolted in as it is just resting on 2x4's in that picture. And the plan is to run angle side-to-side as is shown below and mount the console to them. But the reason for running them that way instead of the planned fore/aft is that they'll provide additional support for the platform, and I think that's important since I cut the piece out in the front.

Anyway, that's the plan for tomorrow. And while I'm doing that welding I'll finish the welding on the other parts of the platform and then we'll be ready for a test drive some time this week.

[salans7]

Got the seats bolted in with the help of the studs. I think the driver's seat is just where I want it as the back doesn't hit the window, although I won't know for sure I like it there until I drive it. But the passenger's seatback does hit the window, which appears to be a difference in the seat itself as it is bolted in at the same fore/aft position as the driver's seat. So I may move it up 1" by drilling new holes.

However, if we think we wouldn't mind the seats being 1" higher I could bolt the tracks to them and then I'd have 4" of adjustability for each seat. We will have to see, but they are currently 1/2" lower than they were, so maybe.

And in the pic above I have the console in essentially the right position, although it is 1" lower than it previously was. But then the seats are 1/2" lower than they were, so maybe the console is right where it should be? Again, we won't know until we drive it.

But I have some more welding to do in order to get the console bolted in as it is just resting on 2x4's in that picture. And the plan is to run angle side-to-side as is shown below and mount the console to them. But the reason for running them that way instead of the planned fore/aft is that they'll provide additional support for the platform, and I think that's important since I cut the piece out in the front.

Anyway, that's the plan for tomorrow. And while I'm doing that welding I'll finish the welding on the other parts of the platform and then we'll be ready for a test drive some time this week.

I see that I wasn't the only one welding something out of angle iron this weekend. I'm working on a holder for my welder though, rather than a seat bracket.

I hope you're able to find a setup you're comfortable with. Seems like you've been playing with seats for a long time now.

[Gary Lewis]

I see that I wasn't the only one welding something out of angle iron this weekend. I'm working on a holder for my welder though, rather than a seat bracket.

I hope you're able to find a setup you're comfortable with. Seems like you've been playing with seats for a long time now.

Well, I've been off and on with the seats. I worked on the seats a long time ago on Dad's truck, then bolted that setup in Big Blue, then realized that I don't really like the way they fit and that I need a second base anyway since these go back in Dad's truck. So I started this thread to track my thoughts while I had company and couldn't work on it, and now that I have time I'm making something happen.

And while angle isn't the prettiest thing to use, it works and I have what looks like just enough of it to get the job done. I really want to get it done this time to see how I like it, and can tweak it a bit to make it "right". Then, when I have that nailed down I might make a prettier one. For Dad's truck?

[BigBrother-84]

Got the seats bolted in with the help of the studs. I think the driver's seat is just where I want it as the back doesn't hit the window, although I won't know for sure I like it there until I drive it. But the passenger's seatback does hit the window, which appears to be a difference in the seat itself as it is bolted in at the same fore/aft position as the driver's seat. So I may move it up 1" by drilling new holes.

However, if we think we wouldn't mind the seats being 1" higher I could bolt the tracks to them and then I'd have 4" of adjustability for each seat. We will have to see, but they are currently 1/2" lower than they were, so maybe.

And in the pic above I have the console in essentially the right position, although it is 1" lower than it previously was. But then the seats are 1/2" lower than they were, so maybe the console is right where it should be? Again, we won't know until we drive it.

But I have some more welding to do in order to get the console bolted in as it is just resting on 2x4's in that picture. And the plan is to run angle side-to-side as is shown below and mount the console to them. But the reason for running them that way instead of the planned fore/aft is that they'll provide additional support for the platform, and I think that's important since I cut the piece out in the front.

Anyway, that's the plan for tomorrow. And while I'm doing that welding I'll finish the welding on the other parts of the platform and then we'll be ready for a test drive some time this week.

Progressing!

Hoping the drive test will be comfortable!

But the passenger's seatback does hit the window, which appears to be a difference in the seat itself [...]

Very strange. Designers seem to have lot of fun in complicating things.

[Gary Lewis]

Progressing!

Hoping the drive test will be comfortable!

But the passenger's seatback does hit the window, which appears to be a difference in the seat itself [...]

Very strange. Designers seem to have lot of fun in complicating things.

Minor change of plans. The neighbors across the street awakened us at 1 AM as their house was on fire. Had been hit by lightning and it burned to the ground. But they and their dog got out - with the clothes on their backs.

So today has been a bit of a blur and who knows what tomorrow will be. I’ll get back to the truck when things slow down.

[Nothing Special]

Minor change of plans. The neighbors across the street awakened us at 1 AM as their house was on fire. Had been hit by lightning and it burned to the ground. But they and their dog got out - with the clothes on their backs.

So today has been a bit of a blur and who knows what tomorrow will be. I’ll get back to the truck when things slow down.

Working on a truck seat vs helping your neighbors in the middle of the night as their house burns down. In what world are those about the same and described as "a minor change in plans"???

Glad to hear they got out OK. And wishing them the best as they try to recover from a terrible situation!