Dodge Owner Forums

Dodge Trucks => DIY & Self Help => Dodge Ram DIY's => Topic started by: NickBeek on July 06, 2009, 11:35:53 pm

Title: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: NickBeek on July 06, 2009, 11:35:53 pm
So the part of my power seat that lifts and lowers the front of the seat base broke yesterday. I looked at it this morning and called Dave at Oneal to see if new parts were cheap and available. Dave, took time out of a very busy morning to try and help me out. Thanks Dave for trying. As usual, Dave gave it his all. Unfortunately Chrysler in their infinite wisdom does not sell the broken part by itself. You have to buy the whole seat movement with motors and rails an all. I was not willing to buy the whole nine yards for a piece of broken pipe. Following is how I rigged it up. I believe my back yard engineering should last for a while to come.

Enough about why, here is how I fixed it.

First to see what's wrong.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/NickBeek/IMG_0644.jpg)

The piece of tube above and the spacer should go in the hole in the picture below and be one piece all the way across the front of the seat.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/NickBeek/IMG_0645.jpg)

The picture below shows it in place.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/NickBeek/IMG_0646.jpg)

Since this is tubing and not solid bar, and I probably exceed the designed weight rating of the seat, it snapped where it was welded to the lifting clevis. I measured the tubing and it measured 0.462 inch inside diameter by about 16 inches long. I was going to ask a customer to machine me a piece of rod and then thread it on the ends, but decided to just go buy some threaded rod instead. I went to Tractor Supply Company and got a piece of 7/16 threaded rod, two flat washers, and two 7/16-14 nuts. They only had a 36 inch length or rod available so I just cut it down to 17.5 inches long, and have enough left over to do it again should I need to. BTW, I could have made it 17 inches even, but I measured quickly and I was close enough.  Here is the rod ready to go in.

(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/NickBeek/IMG_0647.jpg)

Before I put the rod in I had to align the jagged edges of the broken tube. Once I got that done (hardest part of the whole thing) I slide the rod through the tube, put a washer on either side of it then applied a little blue loctite on the threads, and installed the nuts. I tighten the nuts fairly snug to "preload" the tube so that it will stay put. Here is the finished product shown from each end.

Drivers side of drivers seat.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/NickBeek/IMG_0648.jpg)

Passenger side of drivers seat.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/NickBeek/IMG_0649.jpg)
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: Cumminalong on July 06, 2009, 11:46:03 pm
GIT 'ER DONE!

:up:

 ;D
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: 04cumminsram on July 07, 2009, 12:01:27 am
DUDE... F-Series floor mats... :argh: :argh:


good job
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: NickBeek on July 07, 2009, 12:35:15 am
I knew someone would catch that. :lol: When I bought the truck, I traded my F250 in on it. I told em I'll let the mats go with the truck if they gave me some comparable Dodge all weather mats. They said no way. I told em then I would be sporting Ford mats and tell everyone I met and all the customers I carry to lunch how cheap they were. Now I have even got it on line. :up: Piedmont Dodge in Anderson, SC would rather see Ford mats in a Dodge truck then get off the couple bucks it would have cost them to trade me out. :lol:
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: Kilch123 on July 07, 2009, 12:39:38 am
Nice fix Nick!

And way to :poke: Piedmont Dodge (are they still gonna be a dealer?)
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: noplugs on July 07, 2009, 12:48:01 am
Nice job o ample one.  :up:













 ;D
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: Cujo on July 07, 2009, 12:50:34 am
Sad thing is it's probably a better engineered solution than OEM. :doh:
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: NickBeek on July 07, 2009, 02:12:43 am
Thanks guys.

Yeah they're still a dealer. The service department is a pretty good bunch of folks.

Rob, you'll pay for that remark.  :ph:

The rod through will hold until I get around to removing the seat and having a buddy TiG weld it for me, but I'll probably keep my fix in place even after it's welded.
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: Cumminalong on July 07, 2009, 02:25:01 am
Nice job o ample one.  :up:

 ;D

Rob, you'll pay for that remark.  :ph:

:popc:

;D
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: noplugs on July 07, 2009, 03:38:59 am

Rob, you'll pay for that remark.  :ph:



Yeah, I know  :whistling:
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: Haggret on July 21, 2009, 02:57:53 pm
I always say, "if there is a will there is a way".  Great do it yourself fix.
Title: Re: Cheap Man's Power Seat Fix
Post by: Moparpower151 on July 21, 2009, 06:20:35 pm
Cool fix and way to properly lable "Here is what's wrong" before showing your Ford Mats  :lol: