Finally added a rear seat....

[MFalkinham]

I have a confession to make to the pastor. I have been coveting the 3rd Gen quad cabs for some time now. The extra two doors and a comfortable rear seat are definitely something I crave, but going back to a truck payment was out of the question.



After the addition of our second child, our family of four requires a truck that can transport more people than my '92 Club Cab was able to handle. After the replacement of the terrible factory bench with a leather 40/20/40 seat from a '96 Ram, my seating capacity was comfortable for three. I had ripped out the useless jump seats right after I bought the truck, and have put off replacing them with something better.



This weekend, I installed a leather rear seat that came out of a mid-90's Toyota MR-6. I had bought this seat off ebay, and fabricated a base and mounting brackets using scrap materials laying around my shop. I was able to re-use the factory jump seat seatbelts by relocating them to new locations. Total cost for the seat and raw materials was $75.



Although not ideal in terms of legroom and overall comfort, this setup is light years ahead of the factory jump seats. The seat should prove comfortable for our two kids for several years to come, and adequate for adults during short trips. Of course, I'll have to adjust the front seats forward to accomodate rear passenger leg comfort.



Hopefully this upgrade will get us by for a few more years until the used 3rd Gen quad cabs become more affordable. I have additional photos in my ReadersRigs gallery.



- Mike

 

[DennisH]

I have been contemplating doing something about the horrible seating in my 93. What you did looks great, I think I will start looking for something like that.



Dennis

 

[tugboatphil]

Mike,



I checked the other pics in your gallery. Sharp truck!! Rear seat looks really great back there.

 

[1stgen4evr]

rear seats

That setup looks really good. I wonder if whoever picked the original seat design for the first gens was insane or something. The bench or the buckets leave a lot to be desired. I have the bench in two of my trucks and buckets in the other two. I don't like either one. I have been thinking of using the seats from an Intrepid. The leather adjustable ones are quite nice.



As you said the little ones will be fine in the back the way you have converted yours. I don't have kids but have to load and unload stuff in the back. What a pain.



I bought the 89 as a donor to complete the crewcab but can't bring myself to kill the truck. Ultimately I will and then I will have two real doors and room for whatever.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[bmoeller]

Your truck and new seats look great! Nice work.

 

[DKasper]

Very nice! The munchkins ought to be comfortable with that for a while!



Dave

 

[MFalkinham]

Thanks to all for the positive feedback on this upgrade. I really enjoy this truck, and the lack of passenger room was my main problem. It's a relief to know that I can now use the truck without having to suddenly realize, "Uh oh, we only have enough room for three people... . "



- Mike