LMTV Seat Bracket Adapter

[Aviator4x4]

Greetings SS community,

I wanted to elicit the braintrusts' thoughts on seat adapters. Currently designing a bracket to adapt the stock cab brackets to use some mastercraft seats similar to the A1P2 seats I acquired for a good deal. Obviously would love some overland hyped scheel-mann seats but $2-3k EA is out of my price range for now and these mastercraft seats were cheaper than I could find captain chair takeouts from other vehicles.

Option 1: Typical C style from 3/16" of either A36 or A1008 steel. Approximately 8.71# total.


Option 2: Seat adapter similar to the A1P2 cabs for the Mastercraft seats, except 11ga (1/8") to conform to NHRA/FIA standards. Either A36 or A1008. It is bolted and welded together. Approximately 10.31# without weldment. Approx 2x the cost, but nothing crazy.


I'm leaning towards option 2, because I like to over-engineer/over-build everything. But especially in a truck without airbags and with a sheet metal cab known to twist.

I'll probably do some FEA on both designs this week, but I don't anticipate either having a challenge restraining the seats + my weight or my petite wife's weight.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I just used some flat 1/4" aluminum plates that were from an HID MRAP exterior lighting kit....

 

[Aviator4x4]

I just used some flat 1/4" aluminum plates that were from an HID MRAP exterior lighting kit....

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What is that from mounted in your first picture ? I don't recall that being underneath my original seats. That connects all of the mounting points together, which was one of the objectives of option 2. Although the original seat mounts and the A1P2 adapters I measured were about 1/16" steel vs 1/8" steel.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I guess those are the bottom mounting brackets off the A1R suspension seats. Probably why you don't recognize them. I didn't think of that.

 

[Aviator4x4]

I guess those are the bottom mounting brackets off the A1R suspension seats. Probably why you don't recognize them. I didn't think of that.

Just double checked, mine do not have that. Otherwise I would hopefully have been smart enough to spend 15mins designing a plate for the top vs the 2hrs for Option 2

 

[serpico760]

I made mine by modifying the radio bracket. It made two seat mounts

 

[Aviator4x4]

I made mine by modifying the radio bracket. It made two seat mountsView attachment 958558View attachment 958559

My truck didn't have a bracket that looks anything like that in it.

Are your seats mounted to that bracket with rivnuts ?

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I see it too...... I wouldn't trust those riv-nuts. Aluminum thin-gauge square tubing? Not for a seat mount. At least not like that. Sleeved and through-bolted maybe but aluminum has unfortunate fatigue qualities when it's thin like that and I would be worried the riv-nuts would work loose over time.... a couple of them are on or near welds - could be a source of crack propagation.

 

[serpico760]

I see it too...... I wouldn't trust those riv-nuts. Aluminum thin-gauge square tubing? Not for a seat mount. At least not like that. Sleeved and through-bolted maybe but aluminum has unfortunate fatigue qualities when it's thin like that and I would be worried the riv-nuts would work loose over time.... a couple of them are on or near welds - could be a source of crack propagation.

thank you for the input! my new ones are 3/8" flat bar and angle iron welded steel.... that should be sufficient!