Silver Fellatio

Here is a write up of the Wrangler seat I just put in my Bronco.
Step 1: Measure Seat and Bronco

The Bronco Fender-wells are  40″ apart. I made the new rear seat catches 39″

Step 2: Modify Seat Mounts

To mount this seat centered I was able to leave the passenger seat mount stock and mount it forward of the stock rear seat mounting location. I had to extend the driver side seat mount to span the new distance.

Fabrication: I removed the 3/8″ rod from the driver side seat mount and welded a 6″ long 3/8″ grade 5 bolt to it. I cut off the hex head and the threads. I then put the brackts on the seat and put them in the truck to see how much I would need. Then I cut off the excess.

In order for the seat mounts to sit flush with the floor in the corrugated cargo area of the Bronco, I had to bevel the edges. After I beveled the edges, I cleaned, prepped, and painted the mounts.

I mounted the seat mounts about 7″ from the transition from flat to corrugated metal in the cargo area. You will need to allow some wiggle room to get the seat lined up perfectly. The mounts may not be an equal distance from the transition point. THey should be close however. A large variance in distance will affect the way the seat fold forward. This distance allows enough room for a 5′3″ person and it is close enough to reach a child in a car seat (the reason for the mod).

I used 3/8″ grade 5 hardware and nyloc nuts to mount.

Step 3: Extend Rear Seat Latches

The Bronco is wider than the seat. In order to be able to latch the seat securely you must extend the rods on the seat back at the bottom. In order to do this, you must grind off the old rods, clean up the hole and weld in new 1/2″ rod. The old seat rods have a lip at the end to increase its effectiveness. I welded 1/2″ washers to the end of the rod to replicate this. I took the seat back off of the base and removed the cover to do the welding and cutting. This ensured that I did not damage the seat cover during the welding stage. I also covered the foam with cardboard for a bit more protection.

 

Step 4: Mounting the Catches on Fenderwells

Right where you will need to mount the catches that lock in the seat are indented on the bronco. In order to replicate the same surface as the Jeep, you need to span the gap with something that will allow the catch to mount flush and parallel with the seat back. I used 6″x2″ 1/8″ thick aluminum strips. I mounted the top bolt of the catch through the aluminum at 5″ from the floor of the cargo area. The distance from the tailgate will vary depending on where you mount the seat. The bottom bolt of the catch is bolted only to the aluminum. I used a standard 3/8″ nut and used locktite on it. It fits nicely in the recessed area. The bottom bolt attaches the aluminum to the fenderwell and secures the entire latch.

 

 

The seat bottom stands are adjustable. This will allow you to slightly raise or lower the base to fit in the latching brackets better.

Since I knew I wanted to clip in a child safety seat, I replaced one of the bolts in each of the side latching brackets with a lifting eye bolt. That way I just have to clip the child seat to them like in a modern vehicle.