Hi guys and gals, I'm working on a 52 f1 and decided I would like to go with the bench style seat. It sits three and it kind of keeps the old school charm. Please send any pics of your f1 interiors. What is a good seat to fit in my f1? My gas tank is relocated to rear. What truck or car can I get a good donor seat from. Headrest is ok but not necessary. Thanks Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
My experience is nothing works as well as the stock seat. Any other seat, bench or bucket, is going to sit farther forward. If you are any taller than a fire plug, you won't have enough leg room. Old pickups don't have much room to begin with. Taking out the gas tank won't make any difference. They are shaped to fit behind the seat and not use up any room. If I was in your position I would try to find a stock seat. If that is impossible maybe one from a newer truck will work. Measure the width of the stock seat and try to find one out of a small pickup, like S10, Toyota, etc.
48-52 Ford truck seats fit so well, you would almost think they were made for it. These can be found and are really pretty simple to make serviceable. You may have luck finding a better one out a bigger truck, especially stuff like boom, big farm or fire trucks. Some smaller pickup and SUV back seats may can be modified, as always use a tape measure.
i recovered a Mazda MPV 3rd row seat myself, took a tape measure to a junk yard and just started looking. fyi, this is a good forum to ask 48 to 52 ford truck questions http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum41/
I currently have bucket seats and just don't look right in the truck. I'm average height 5' 9''. I would like a bench seat I can customize to fit or an original seat. Any pics anybody? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I agree with Rusty , nothing beats the stock seat in an old truck. They are still around for Ford trucks. Pickup and larger F-6 F-7 all seats and tracks the same
I'm using an early Ranger seat. Look for one without the head rests. I had to make the mount for it as a Ranger mounts much lower than a F1. I used square tubing and placed it in the stock location at the stock height. I have the stock gas tank behind the seat and it fits fine. I'll have it re covered but you can find good quality covers for Rangers.
Would a 67-72 F100 be too wide? They have the tank behind the seat and might be plentiful compared to F1 seat.
There's only one way to find out, I'll be going to junk yard with my measuring tape Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Several years ago I put a seat out of a 63/5 Falcon wagon in my F-1... Used 4 in. channel as a riser/spacer. Looked good, fit very well width wise and was more comfortable than the original.... LW
here's my stock seat in basic black vinyl.....I lowered it 2" cuz I'm 6'4" tall. I wanted an original looking seat, but I'm sure the later model stuff would be more comfortable.
Some years back I bought a 59 Ford F100 that had buckets installed by the previous owner. They didn't fit, I could not sit in or drive the thing. The only stock seat I could find was in an old dump truck. It had been laying around a junk yard for years with the windows open. The upholstery was all rotted off it. So, I took it home, cleaned up the frames and springs and painted them. Took my tape measure to the junk yard and found a seat with the right width, and color (red to go with the flat black truck). Shopped rear seats because they don't get much wear. Found a good match in a 77 LTD II sedan. Stripped the foam and cover off it, and hog ringed it onto the old dump truck frames. I had to stuff a little extra foam in the corners but with a little adjusting it fit perfect and looked factory. I drove that truck for a couple of years, the seat was comfortable and looked like new when I sold it.
I'm with the rest of you. ....... I've built lots of these trucks. S10, Dakota, Safari middle seat..... all work well. And taking out the gas tank from behind the seat does indeed give you more leg room. I'm 6'5". Every inch counts.
Another option is a back seat out of a Wrangler or Wrangler Unlimited. As said in a post above, if you can find an original seat frame, covering is fairly simple even with used stuff.
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