Finding factory-original seats for an older vehicle can often be a daunting task. While some newer seats may directly bolt into older models—like the common case of Ram generations—there are times when you have no such luck. This is where the ingenuity of grassroots movements and specialty companies comes in. They fill the gap by manufacturing products commonly known as "adapter brackets" or "swap brackets."
The Big Question
So, what exactly do these brackets do? Simply put, they answer a very crucial question:
"How can we bolt new seats into an old vehicle without drilling through the floorboard?"
List of Known Seat Adapter Brackets and Their Uses
If you're in the market for a seat adapter bracket, you might find the following list helpful. Note that this is not an exhaustive list, and we always appreciate any additions or corrections.
Ford Cars & Trucks
1953 - 1979 Ford Pickup Trucks
Fat Fender Garage produces seat brackets for classic ford trucks that allow you to mount the sixth generation mustang seats directly into your truck.
1980 - 1997 Ford Pickup Trucks
OBS Solutions offers seat brackets for the OBS Ford Trucks that allow you to directly bolt in the 1999 - 2010 Ford Super Duty Seats. We even offer them brand new with air conditioning, check out our custom seat builds for more information.
Chevrolet & GMC Trucks
1988 - 1999 GM Pickup Trucks & SUVs
OBS Outpost offers a wide variety of brackets to allow for the installation of almost any Chevy truck seat into the older GM Trucks. Learn more about OBS Chevy Seat Swaps.
K5 Blazer / Square Body
If you're restoring a K5, Merrick's Garage is a great resource, and they also provide the brackets you'll need to update your interior.To install the front seats you'll want to use the Universal K5 Seat Swap Brackets. These give you a raised platform with a nice flat mounting plate ready to accept many newer seats with very light modification. A rear bench seat can be easily installed using 2007-2014 GM Third Row Seats and pairing them up with K5 Rear Seat Swap Brackets.
Alternate Options: Third Row Brackets from K5 Squared or generic striker brackets on amazon, used OEM on auction websites. These require a longer install process.
Toyota Cars
1988 - 1999 MR2 Seat Retrofit
DK Auto Imports allows you to use the first gen Scion FRS / Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ seats in your classic MR2 with these FRS MR2 Seat Swap Brackets.
Jeeps
JK Unlimited 4 Door Third Row Seat Addition
Add a third row seat to your JKU with Maxpeedingrods Jeep Third Row Seat Brackets. This allows you to install second row JK 2-door seats as a third row seat in your vehicle.
Other Vehicles
Planted Seat Brackets offers brackets for a wide array of vehicles. These aren't intended to swap a specific set of seats in, they are made to turn your typically uneven floorboard into a flat and easily accessible platform for mounting aftermarket seats. Using those brackets and an OEM Seat with nice flat sliders (similar to how aftermarket seats work) you can bolt-in a large selection of seats into just about anything.
If you have any information that could help us update this list, feel free to contact us via email at support@oemcarandtruckseats.com or use the chat function on this page.
Need a Custom Build?
If you can't find a seat or console that fits your needs, consider opting for a premium custom seat build. We offer show-quality builds that cater to your specific requirements.