Spent the day re-installing items or changing them to my liking. On my '00, I widened the seat back bolsters because they were crushing my kidneys. But I didn't do anything about the bottom cushion wire and it almost ripped through before I sold. This time I figured I would fix it before it became a problem, and I needed to change the bolters anyway, so might as well have a look see.

A T-55 Torx socket is required to remove the seat from the truck, as well as unclipping the power seat wiring harnesses from the bottom rear of the seat. With it out, to get at the seat cushion requires the removal of the plastic side panel that holds the 6-way controls etc. The large plastic **** (that I never touch) just pulls off. The power seat control wire harness under the front of the seat needs to be unclipped and all the Phillips head screws need to come out. The only thing left is the large push-in barbed button at the rear. That needs to be pried out gently.

With the plastic panel off, it is quite easy to remove the clips that hold the seat cloth on. A second set of hands is recommended to squish the seat cushion to loosen the clips.

Once this is done, pull the cloth and foam back to expose the seat frame. It will look like this:



And from the front:



From those two pictures, you can see why this design is so poor. The 1/4" wire loop that goes straight up into the cushion leaves only about 1" of foam above it. There is no way that anybody's seat cushion is going to last five years. This design is so stupid!!

What I did was pry this loop out to the side about 20 degrees or slightly less. This allows sort of a cupping action on the foam and it moves it down a bit. See below:



Lastly, I took some pipe insulation foam and tightly wrapped it around the wire and taped it in place. Like this:



With the seat cushion back in place and everything properly buttoned down, you can barely feel the wire and it in no way changes the look of the seat. I am confident that this will stand up over time much better. The big bonus is that it is way more comfortable. No frame wire in the back of the leg. Sometimes you just have to fix things yourself.


For those of you who may be rather broad-of-back, while the seat is out, you may want to spread open the side bolster frame wires a bit. This job is really quite simple. The only tricky part is getting the seat cover open at the bottom. Two "C" shaped channels ovelap one another with a barb-style clip that needs to pulled open. Once that is done, unzip the back of the cover and you're pretty much there. In the seat back you will see two white clips abot 10" long that wrap around a wire. Unclip those and the seat cover is ready to come off. Pull it up and pull the foam out to expose the bolster frame wires. Again, spread them about 15 degrees and close everything up. Ahhhhhhhh, now that's comfy.

Seat cover reomved:



The dreaded frame wires:



I forgot to take more picture of this. Sorry!!

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2001 Red Lightning Delivered 3-15-2001, Factory Tonneau, 2" Aim Lowering Shackles, Hitch Removed, Group Purchase Floor Mats, Modified Light Switch for Fogs.

2000 Red Lightning - #835 of 4966 Sold 3-8-2001

2000 Red Trans Am Ram Air WS6, 6 Speed - Delivered 2-15-00 - Awesome Looking Car

My Zing.com Album Click Here

 

Nice to be self employed, some days you just have to work on more important things.

 

Brilliant!!!! Please show us a picture of the seat when you have reconstructed it (just for comparison's sake). Did you add any extra foam while you were in there?

[This message has been edited by Frans (edited 03-19-2001).]

 

thats why i went with recardo seats

 

WHAT04
Good info.
One thing if you have the back cushion off it would be a good idea to re enforce the wire that controls the lumbar. My last truck the plastic snapped where the wire attaches to the lumbat. I cit a slot in a fender washer and then bent it to spead out the load on the plastic.

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SILVER 2001 LIGHTNING
Built 02/14/01
Picked up 03/03/01
Sportmasters tonneau
Bedrug

http://members.tripod.com/donf150/Welcome/id7.html

 

did you do the passenger side also?
mine was starting to do it on the passenger side also.

did you find any drawings on the bottom of your seat cushons? i did!





------------------
brooks
'00 silver "L"
#1350 of 4966
member NLOC #496
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my zing albums - _-click here-_

_-mods-_
clunk (free with purchase) - fixed?
V1 radar detector
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mobile1 oil & filter
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pro sport bed cover & bedrug
clear corners
R9 superchip & airaid system
superbright headlights & foglights
street scene sport mirrors
brushed billet grills
indiglo ford emblem
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waiting on lunar guages
clonetek@jam.rr.com

 

It wouldn't be hard to tack weld a flat plate
to the top of the 1/4" support to dispurse the weight a little. It would extend say a 1/2" out from the perimeter of the wire. You could weld it to the same angle that the cushion contacts it on. The edges of the plate could be rolled to further minimize wear. Instead of having a 1/4"OD hoop you'd have a wing support. I'd be a little afaid over time that the pipe insulation would wear through too.

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2001L, red, born 2/6 and arrived 2/28!!!
Let the mods begin....


1969 Vette coupe, 496ci stroker big block, aluminum heads, 4340 crank & H-beam rods, JE 10.8 pistons, roller everything, McLeod dual disk clutch w/ aluminum flywheel, Richmond 6 spd, 3" dual exhaust, 300hp nitrous fogger, no strip time...

1985 FoToLet, work truck, 85 Toyota 4x4 (started as), Reading bed, ladder racks, 8" lift, 33 x 12.5's, Vette 350 4 bolt motor, Hooker Super Comp headers, Ford 9" rear, Toyota front diff, turbo 350 coupled to a Toyota transfer case, 410 gears, a/c & power steering. f-a-a-s-t A/C & heat calls..... my specialty.

web page: http://personal.picusnet.com/undy

 

I thought about a plate as well, but it is still rubbing up against open cell foam. The pipe insulation has a pretty tough skin because it is not open cell.

But the most important part I believe is getting the wire bent over a bit.

There really is no different look after the seat was put back together.

I didn't bother with the passenger side as I rarely have anyone in the truck with me.

KGM: You've got that right. But this was only a 1-1/2 hr job, even with interupting phone calls.