Seeking Bench Seat and Seat Belts

I've got a line on a 1996 V6 5MT 4x4 ext cab for a good price, only problem is my wife wants it to have a bench instead of buckets. Is anyone looking to trade buckets for a bench or sell their bench? I know the seatbelts are different, I'd be happy to swap those or source them elsewhere.

I think I can get her to go for the truck if I have a line on a bench to swap in.

 

What about you consider a 60/40 bench seat, that's gotta be way more comfortable and adjustable than a straight bench.

You'll have some luck on www.car-part.com

 

You’re gonna be able to find someone for sure. Just know that the bench seat doesn’t tilt forward very far, and it springs back in place when you’re not holding it forward. it will be a bit more difficult to use the space behind the bench seat for that reason.

 

What’s the condition and color of the buckets? I have an oak bench in pretty good shape in my ‘04 that I’ve been weighing restoring vs. swapping for buckets.

 

Any disadvantages to the 60/40? I assume it still seats three, is the middle seat narrower than on the regular bench?

@w8tdstrgecube I'm seeing the truck after Thanksgiving, I'll have a better idea then, from the pictures I've seen they look decent.

 

Sounds good, feel free to DM me when you know more!

 

"Seats 3" if the three folks are very comfy with one another. I've had 3 across on my full bench seat and the person in the middle usually needs to shift. They might as well operate the gas pedal too, with as tight as it is.

The 60/40 is just as wide overall as the full bench, there's just a gap between the middle seat and the passenger seat (roughly 60%/40% from the sides hence the name). That might make the middle seat slightly less comfortable (but it wasn't comfortable at all to begin with anyway), but the upside is the driver and passenger can adjust their seats separately, and the rear cab is easier to access because the sides fold separately.

Post picture of the seats when you have them. I might be up for a trade if the fabric matches my truck and it's in good condition... but I think you should look for a 60/40.

 

Sounds good, the wife, the one year old, and I are all going to test drive, so we'll have a good feel for how we all fit. This won't ever be the primary family vehicle, we have a 5th gen 4Runner for that, but I'd like to be able to squeeze three in if necessary, though more than likely I'd just sit in the back since it's an AC.

I've got someone with a grey full bench and with an oak full bench interested, when I get good pics of the inside, I'll post them here.

If anyone with a 60/40 is looking for buckets though, let me know

 

I've had 3 fully grown adults in my single cab with bench seat twice. Both times it was a short drive less than a couple miles. It was so uncomfortable and difficult to drive that I remember each time distinctly. One time my middle seat passenger did the shifting for me since we were so crammed together I couldn't use my right arm.

You're not planning to have your one year old in the middle are you? There's no way that's going to work with a child seat. Although, without a car seat it'll probably be just fine spacewise, although you'll be elbowing him/her in the face with every shift.

Also, don't know about everybody's bench seat, my full width bench seat isn't covered in the back - it's foam and metal frame.

 

That sounds pretty miserable @hr206. I assume it wouldn't work much better to have the car seat on the right and two adults in the middle? More than likely though I'd sit in the back and have my wife drive.

It not being covered doesn't bother me much, I'll probably put a cover on it regardless

 

Some other things to think about. I think there were some variations on the trim around the shifter on the 1st gens. My 98 has a cup holder setup on the passenger side of the shifter which leaves the middle seat passenger have no place to put their left leg, you might want to check that. Also, if you're putting a car seat on the passenger side, you need a way to disable the airbag. My single cab came with a factory switch which was handy when I drove my toddler around. If you're planning to sit in the back, I think the split bench is your real option.

 

We bought the truck, the buckets aren't in great shape, the foam is pretty tired and the fabric has split in a couple places. They're grey. I can post pictures if anyone's still interested.That said the truck needs other work before I swap seats, so it's going on the back burner for now.

 

I have an extra cab and a 2 year old. I have the car seat in the jump seat behind the passenger seat. Mine has a fold out table/cup holder on the floor back there that accommodates a car seat base.
That said, if my wife wants to ride along in the passenger seat her knee would be touching the dash. There isn’t enough room for two adults and a car seat in any configuration I’ve tried. The middle seat is unusable.