Split Seats in a 2010 ST. Other models compatible?

[oreo57]

I was looking at a 2010 with a ripped up drivers side seat. It's the split seat type w/ the "bump" in the middle.
Anyone know if a 2002 seat would fit and if there are any issues doing it?

 

[Jeepwalker]

Cloth or Leather? Gray or tan? Does it look like THIS? If you want to replace what's there, just type what you're looking for into ebay or Amazon and you should find brand new replacements (even leather). You'll almost for sure need a new seat foam cushion as well. I would recommend fixing what you have vs trying to find a 'used' one. The repair is fiarly easy, cheaper than a brake job, and will transform the truck to look like brand new when you're done. If you want 3rd gen seats, read my other post further down. Good luck. Post a pic if you buy the truck. Also visit the "Interior Section" of the 4th Gen forums.
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Replacement: I replaced the seat cover bottom on my truck this spring. They wear out on the edge b/c there's part off the frame there and the foam gets pinched when people slide in/out 10,000 times. It took the truck from "Dude ...That looks kind of dumpy, inside." to "....Holy crap, this truck is like brand new!". It's a worthwhile replacement and like I say, pretty inexpensive.

Yours probably need a new foam cushion too as they wear. I personally went with a factory NOS factory correct (Mopar) cover & foam. But that's going to cost close to $400. The aftermarket is a LOT cheaper and the way to go for most owners. Sometimes you see the Mopar ones pop up on ebay. The new Mopar foam is dimensionally correct, soft in the center, but hard on the outside edges (both good & bad). But for economy purposes, the aftermarket foam should work fine too. If you had considered changing the interior color/fabric/style after you buy it, (say you wanted to go to leather), now would be the time ...if you buy that truck.

But the path of least resistance is to replace what's there now. Steps: Once you remove the seat from the truck (4-bolts), you remove the plastic trim on the seat & unbolt the seat back (2 bolts). The lower seat cover & foam cushion is held on with plastic clips (part of the new seat cover) and hog rings. The existing hog rings you don't need to remove if you're replacing with a new cushion. You can buy a cheap hog ring pliers (and the small hog rings) at Tractor Supply for about $12 or so, or AMAZON HERE, as you'll need them to install the new cushion. It's easy and marked where they go. Don't let anyone talk you into zip ties are easier -- they're not. Installation & assembly of the seat is the reverse of removal.

Conclusion: The switch-over job is pretty straight-forward ...it's not exceptionally difficult, but it does take some time. If you're mechanically inclined, have patience, and can manage the weight of getting the seat out of your vehicle, you should be able to can handle it. If you're not, you'd probably want to pay someone a half a day's labor, to do it. There are several videos on y/t how to do it.

Remove And Replace Your Driver Seat Cushion In Your Ram Truck 1500 2500 3500

In this video I share with you how I removed and replaced my driver seat cushion in my ram 3500 2012 6.7 Cummins truck. It was a simple job to do and normall...

www.youtube.com

 

[Jeepwalker]

Here's a before & after pic:

 

[Jeepwalker]

OP

To answer your question, Will a 3rd Gen seat would fit into a 4 Gen? ...according to the posts in the link below you *should* be able to make them fit with not too much work. But please read through the entire thread for details. The below thread went the other way, but ...same thing. Hope it helps.

4th Gen Crew Cab Seats in a 3rd Gen Quad Cab

I bought some 2012 Limited Edition, full leather, full power (driver and passenger), heated and cooled, crew cab seats to replace the stock cloth seats in my 2004 QC. This thread will detail my installation and hopefully help anyone out looking to do something similar. The front seats are a...

www.ramforum.com

 

[GTyankee]

There is a website that has premium seat foam at a good price

Dodge Ram Interior Parts

Keep your Dodge Ram interior functional with our replacement parts or improve it with our useful accessories.

www.genosgarage.com

The main reason that the seat cover tears at the seam, is because the seams are sewn wrong.
Look at the way that your leather jacket seams are sewn, they turn the coat inside out to sew it. There is nothing to catch on, as brush, etc. scrape against it

 

[Jeepwalker]

Beware ...some of the 'premium' seat foams ...the "Premium" is code-word for harder foam (less supple). If you like that, it's perfect. It might be good particularly for lager-sized Ram owners. Because it's stiffer it should hold up better on the edge. I initially bought the USA made non-mopar seat foam ...and I wasn't impressed. It's ok, but stiffer than the OEM, which I didn't want. Then I said 'screw-it' and bought the OEM improved Mopar foam and compared the three side-by-side (Premium USA-made foam, Improved Mopar, Original cushion.

The USA-made (Houston, TX) premium foam is "OK" and perfect if you're not picky. I spoke to the factory guy and he did warn me it's a bit (but not much) stiffer. It's also much cheaper than the Mopar, like 1/2 price. I was disappointed that it's close, but not completely dimensionally correct (C-mon! How could a company NOT take 20% more effort and make the f-ing mold 95% right!!!?). I would estimate it's 40% stiffer than my Tradesman's original lower cushion. It' fine ...esp if yer not picky. Most guys may never notice these differences unless you did a side-by-side with an OEM foam. But I noticed it immediately (and said "No f-ing way!"). But like I say, for larger Ram owners and durability, it's a good product and should work fine.

The Mopar (improved) seat foam (dark gray) is kind of high-tech: It's molded with two types of foam material in the same mold. It's 100% dimensionally correct and good quality compared to the OEM cushion. The center has 100% the same OEM softness as your old ram seat cushion. But the outer edges use a denser, somewhat stiffer foam, about 2x stiffer, which is designed to hold up to getting in/out better. One negative result is the stiffer outer foam tends to wedge yer butt in the center if you man-spread ..like me. I could see how this would become uncomfortable for a larger Ram owner on longer drives. For me, @ 180# it's fine. Mostly, I didn't see the need for a stiffer seat cushion. I didn't try the cheap import foam to compare against (I wish I had), but I did correspond to a supplier and they claim it's the same foam grade as the original (you hear that all the time) ...but I haven't tried it to compare against the others.

Honestly, I'd go with the cheaper import ebay/Amazon foams which *should* be closer to OEM softness. Then just replace it after another 100k miles if it needs it. Its easy to replace. Unless of course you're looking for harder seat foam, then the USA Premium foam would actually be a great solution. And if you're picky and not on the larger side and want OEM comfort, & don't mind forking out some $$, go with the improved Mopar foam. AFIK the *true* original factory-style Mopar foams are not avail any longer through Mopar...

 

[Jeepwalker]

BTW, another option that I briefely considered is to cut out the old & sew a piece of new leather or matching (or close-matching) cloth on your original seat cover, once you have it apart. Or have an upholstery shop do it.

And a guy could build up the worn seat edge with new dense foam as well ...and just glue it in place. Upholstery shops do this stuff all the time.

 

[oreo57]

Thanks. More responses than expected.

My reason was I have an 02 (2nd gen) that is probably heading to the bone yard soo could pull the seats..
Don't much care about the color.
No power in either

Main concern was the bolt pattern.