Ford Ranger Bench Seat Install

Now that I've got 3 kids in the family, I decided I really needed to re-evaluate my seating options.

I've been running the Expedition center/center seats in the rear, and I really like them. They give me very secure seating in the rear for two kids, LATCH system for kid seats, integrated shoulder 3-point belts, they fold flat and they slide. Only bad thing is that they are tall enough to make the rear view mirror ineffective for seeing behind the bronco, though not a problem with the seats folded, and I expect that the be the same issue with any rear seat that has a headrest.

I have been running and outer Expedition middle seat up front for the driver's side for a while. Never really happy with it, not enough bolster, I never bothered to install the passenger side.

The new kid, along with the older two, has been sucking up much of my time, so there hasn't been a lot of broncoing going on. This past saturday, however, I had a few hours in the morning and managed to run out to pick-n-pull. It only took about one and a half hours to locate the 2002 ranger in the yard, remove the front bench seat, seat belts, load it all up and head back home. I checked through the 5 or so different years/models of Ranger they had on the yard. The 02 was in the best shape, even though it has a 4" tear in the driver's seat cover. Other than that, all the belts, sliders, fabric, and console/arm rest are in good condition. A few stains, but I'm pretty sure they will clean up well. With three across seating, this will allow me to put the younger two in the back with the oldest between me and Adrienne up front.

I'll be taking some cues from Tito's thread on his swap. Thankfully, it looks like Ford is insanely consistent across a single product when it comes to basic manufacture, so there shouldn't be too much different about my install. I'll try to get pics along the way spelling out exactly what I cut, what I added, and where to modify. Please ask questions so I can address them and make this thread more useful to others down the road.

I used a 2005 Ranger 60/40 seat in my half cab. It's very comfortable and was pretty straight forward to install/modify.

Why not a bronco bench seat?

Doghows72 ,Is that from a 05 Ford Ranger ?

Yes sorry left out the ranger part.

Your seats look good doghows

Got some work done on the driver's side.

Here's what I started with. Bench seat out of a 2002 Ford Ranger Extended Cab.



I already had the original sliders reworked a little to use on the Expedition Middle Outside seats.



Here is what the bottom of the Ranger seat looks like.


I had originally planned on bolting the bronco sliders to the bottom of the Ranger seat, however, the Ranger sliders offer more range and I think they are easier to use. So I disassembled the bronco sliders to get just the part of the slide that attaches to the seat.



To take the bronco sliders apart, you will need to bend the tab in the center of the bottom rail so the top piece will slide out.



After that, remove the brackets from the Ranger seats. To do so, grind down the rivets, then use a chisel to get the bracket off. I messed up my outer Ranger slider by trying to just hammer them off. I'll have to get a replacement at some point.






Once the brackets are gone, you are left with the just the sliders, ready to weld the Bronco mounting brackets on.



Here's a comparison on the Ranger slider I messed up to the Bronco slider. The plan is to remove the mounting brackets from the Bronco slider, then weld them onto the Ranger slider. That should give me the lowest possible seat height.






That's all for now. I'll get back on this on sunday.

doghows72 said:

I used a 2005 Ranger 60/40 seat in my half cab. It's very comfortable and was pretty straight forward to install/modify.

Click to expand...

That looks great! Seatbelt for middle seat? I assume you have to drill new holes?

only holes I drilled were in the rollbar for the shoulder strap. Bolted retractors to a bracket and shared a rollbar bolt for that. Center seat bolted to the previous seat belt bolts for the front seats. Welded adapters to mate the old brackets to the new seat sliders.

Very nice, Lonesouth! Thanks for passing it on!

Can't believe I didn't add an after pic. I'll get one tonight, if I remember.

Would love to see an after pic. I need a front bench too. How are you liking it?

The seat is very comfortable. The high back is nice to have vs the unsupported stock seats. Bolster is more than adequate. One thing that will likely need to be fixed, is the center console lid backing plate. It is plastic and most likely broken. Though it still functions, it flexes a bit when you put some weight on it with an elbow, like when getting into the bronco. It should be an easy fix, just need the time to do it.

Will the passengers side flip and fold so the kids can get in the back?

no, windshield is too close. They climb over the side or through the back when the top is on.