Separating the center seat back from the cushion on a 2 door

[Matt42]

Has anyone ever separated the seat back from the seat cushion on a 2 door club cab? This should apply to any cab that has the fold down center seat cushion with the pop open center console/seat setup.

The assembly uses two different style 6 mm phillips shoulder bolts as hinge pivots. The passenger side comes apart easily. The driver side bolt comes out but the hinge assembly remains engaged. I have tried gently using pry bars but without success. (Yes, anything can be taken apart if putting it back together is not part of the plan.)

This is what the factory TSM has to say about removing the center seat assembly, which is not useful for taking the assembly apart:

I have already removed the center seat assembly. It's heavy and awkward and residing on the back seat for the time being. I will eventually need to remove the console lid for re-covering, and that is in the next paragraph in the TSM. But right now, I want to separate the seat back from the cushion so I can get them easily out of the cab to work on them. Many thanks in advance.

 

[Iron Duke II]

Could you post a photo?

 

[Matt42]

Could you post a photo?

I will give it a try. It's one of those tight places where fiber optics might work best.

 

[Hoopster]

The driver side hinge stays with the upper portion, there are three 13mm bolts on the lower portion that can be accessed by unclipping the lower cushion fabric (plastic clips under the seat).

If all you need to do is swap the lid the easier was is to cut the bad vinyl off the top to expose the clips/tabs that hold the black plastic perimeter interior trim off (if you try and pop they from the inside the tabs will VERY likely break. Once that trim is removed the hinge rod can be tapped out and this will separate the lid from the console.

The lid can be swapped with the center seat still in the truck but it is easier to pull it, 4 13mm bolts located under the center seat.

 

[Matt42]

The driver side hinge stays with the upper portion, there are three 13mm bolts on the lower portion that can be accessed by unclipping the lower cushion fabric (plastic clips under the seat).

If all you need to do is swap the lid the easier was is to cut the bad vinyl off the top to expose the clips/tabs that hold the black plastic perimeter interior trim off (if you try and pop they from the inside the tabs will VERY likely break. Once that trim is removed the hinge rod can be tapped out and this will separate the lid from the console.

The lid can be swapped with the center seat still in the truck but it is easier to pull it, 4 13mm bolts located under the center seat.

I was able to wrestle the center seat assembly out of the cab. (Pictures of the back/cushion hinge area are pending.) As I was removing the assembly, it became obvious that the vinyl upholstery on the top part of of the console lid is beginning to deteriorate and should be replaced.

Hoopster: Are these excerpts from the TSM what you are referring to?

 

[BigPapa]

I knew I’d replaced my console lid and the spring and hadn’t cut the vinyl.

 

[Matt42]

I was able to separate the plastic bezel from under the lid pretty easily. I only broke one of the lock tabs, on a corner. That was where I was getting impatient. In this hot and arid climate, breaking only one is a win. If necessary, I can replace it with a short, flathead sheet metal screw and some careful countersinking.

The vinyl cover upholstery is held in with staples and looks simple to remove. Replacement pre-sewn vinyl covers in almost-good colors are available from an eBay seller for $30 to $46.

 

[Hoopster]

Good job on only breaking one! I treat the old cover as sacrificial and just cut them. The eBay covers are not bad at all. One trick I use when replacing these, once you get the cover off you will see one of the lame defects Dodge build into the design, the egg crate pattern the plastic is made of cuts into the foam cushion, just go to walmart/target and get a thin plastic kitchen cutting board trim it to fit and install it between the lid and the foam cushion as this will prevent the foam from getting cut into bits and leaving a "elbow" dent in your newly refinished lid.

 

[Matt42]

Good job on only breaking one! I treat the old cover as sacrificial and just cut them. The eBay covers are not bad at all. One trick I use when replacing these, once you get the cover off you will see one of the lame defects Dodge build into the design, the egg crate pattern the plastic is made of cuts into the foam cushion, just go to walmart/target and get a thin plastic kitchen cutting board trim it to fit and install it between the lid and the foam cushion as this will prevent the foam from getting cut into bits and leaving a "elbow" dent in your newly refinished lid.

The eBay cover is on order. I had found a YouTube video that demonstrated the hard plastic egg crate that promotes the damage to the foam and vinyl cover. The thin cutting board is a good idea. I was thinking of masonite, but the cutting board material will just shrug off getting wet. I'll also need to find some fairly thin and stiff foam to replace the original. Any thoughts on that?

I have been doing some work on the steel frame of the center seat so I can reinstall the assembly one inch farther toward the rear. That is so I can use 2nd and 4th gears without whacking the add-on cup holder I bought from Geno's 20 years ago.

I disconnected three of four J hooks while working on the seat cushion's frame. Once I did that, I saw what you meant, Hoopster, about the 13 mm head bolts that hold the hinge assembly to the bottom cushion.