1998 ranger ext cab seat swap - HELP ME PLZ!!!!

B

bob nelson

New Member
my 1998 ext cab ranger is a fantastic truck. 110k original miles. automatic. i use it when i need to haul something or as a back up vehicle.
sadly the original 60-40 seats were garbage when i got the truck. ripped and broken. i got some real nice used seats [60-40], but they were not for the same year and model. i did not realize how specific the seats need be til it was too late!
i installed the seats anyway making them fit and work 'good enuf'.

now i want to do a seat swap to individual bucket seats. here are my issues....
1-i tossed the original seats along with the floor mount bracket and tracks. all brackets and mounts were permanently attached to the original seats. not meant to be removed/reused

2- i have seen posts saying explorer buckets seats are a bolt in for my truck. one guy said from 1996-2001 explorer seats fit.

3-can anyone help me out on this?
3a - is that true about the explorer seats being compatible
3b - i want something that will bolt directly to the original seat track mounting holes in the floor. i really do
not want to fabricate a mounting system. are the track/floor/base mounts the same footprint?

4 - what other [if any] seats are a straight bolt in with no fabrication required?
4a - what years are the ford ranger seats a straight bolt in for my truck? i have been told 1998-2003,
also 1998-2007. little help on this please....

5 - any and all other input from your experience doing seat swap is encouraged and appreciated.

6 - why does such a great truck from a great company have such horrid seats??!! every ranger i find in the
wrecking yards has seats worse then mine!! and when i find rangers being parted out in ads, the seats
are always gone. tells me the seats are poor quality

thank you all,bob
 
Hello Bob and welcome to the forum!

1 - If they were junk, then you did the right thing... unless you wanted to have them reupholstered. By your description, they were past that.

2 - This information is correct. 1996-2001 Explorers and Mountaineers are a direct, bolt-in fit with one exception. One of the front mount holes (I don't remember which one) is too small and must be drilled out to accommodate the mounting bolt. The hole is SQUARE, so use a step bit to ream it out to the proper size. Only takes a minute.

3 - Yes, it is true... as well as Mountaineer seats of the same year range AND 2001 - 2004 (or 2005) Sport Trac.

4 - See above answers. 1998 to 2011 EXTENDED cab seats will bolt right into your truck. Extended cab and single cab have a different floor pan.

5 - I installed 2001 Mountaineer power leather seats in my 2003 EDGE. The power and leather were nice upgrades and also allowed me to install my full-length Explorer console. My Mountaineer seats have the side air bag and I haven't figured out how to wire up the seat to my trucks air bag harness. Therefore, I have a warning light on at the moment.

6 - The Ranger is a truck, actually an entry-level truck, so the materials probably aren't as high quality or robust as what you would find in an F150. However, people just don't f*cking take care of their stuff anymore, so the good seats at the salvage yards disappear quickly because people need them (like you do).

Just a side note: my son put my perfect 2003 EDGE seats in his 1999 Ranger XLT, but only because he is planning on changing his interior from saddle tan to graphite. His 1999 seats are in really good shape (could probably use a good shampooing).
 
mhoward - thank you.thank you.thank you!!
this is vital information. now i can move ahead. this gives me so many more options.
greatly appreciate your knowledge and time to give a brother a hand.
happy 2018!
bob
 
i just re-read your reply, and thank you again. i would love to buy the seats from your son; does he do free delivery!! lol
 
He would probably sell them, but they are no longer 60/40 seats. He did the 60/40 to 40/40 mod on them and turned the driver seat into a bucket. It isn't difficult to do, but it cannot be reversed.
 
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