Carter W
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2025
- Posts
- 3
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Glenboro, MB, CA
- Ram Year
- 2008
- Engine
- 5.7 hemi
The driver seat on my 08 ram 1500 has been worn out for a while and I had seen lots online about how easy 4th gen seat swaps were so I found some seats and decided to try it myself.
I found some 2012 leather heated cooled front driver and passenger laramie seats for pretty cheap off marketplace that I thought would be perfect. Drivers side had a small rip so I got the bottom panel replaced for a decent price.
Swapping the seats was simple enough. They bolted right in I had to put the 3g buckle on the 4g seat for the belt light to work as other threads have discussed. Connectors didn’t match up so I ran two new wires from the buckle to the truck side plug. Just did this on the driver side so far as my truck doesn’t have a passenger belt lights and it seems to latch and unlatch fine.
Had to modify the buckle brackets to sit where I wanted it, and had to bolt the belt bracket into an unused threaded hole under the carpet on the floor on both sides because the 4g laramie seats didn’t have as nice of a spot on the side as the 3g seats did.
With the help of a few youtube videos I pulled the 12v wires out of my truck side driver seat plug and ran some 14ga wire with crimp connectors into the plugs of both seats. My truck doesnt have a plug coming out of the floor on the passenger side or a crossover harness so I split power off the driver side for both seats. Now both seats’ lumbar and adjust work.
Couple small issues. The hinge point of the seat panels can rub against the trim around the seatbelt spool on the door pillar and pushes the trim out causing the door to not close as nice but if I keep the seat up and forward it has enough room. Either I cut some trim or I reshape it. Not sure which yet. Also, because the 3g buckle is shorter and i mounted the belts to the floor instead of the side of the seat, I have a lot less belt and it restricts movement pretty good. I plan on making up something to lift the belt mounts higher, closer to where they were bolted to on the side of the 3g seats.
I haven’t gotten a new console/jumpseat yet, so I decided to fab up a couple quick and dirty brackets to make my 3g jumpseat work. Its basic. No hidden storage. No 12v outlet. I unbolted the console from that crossover seat bracket that the 3g seats used. I cut some angle iron to come up from the jumpseat mounts on the 4g passenger seat. Then I bent a couple pieces of flat iron to come out and up from the angle irons with holes for both passenger threads on the 3g jumpseat. The other side I just stuffed a chunk of 2x4 for now. I did not put the seatbelt back in the jumpseat and I’m not letting anyone sit in it. Just wanted the armrest for driving around until I get one of those 13+ 4g triple cupholder jumpseats. Imagine….. 5 front center cupholders. Lol.
Anyways. The main reason I’m posting here is because I need some help and advice. I want to wire up the heated and cooled functions of the 4g seats now.
I have seen some impressive frankenstein harnesses for 4g heated seats in 3gen laramies. My truck does not have heated seats, but could I theoretically pull what I need off of a wrecked laramie? Even if I have to rerun an entirely new harness under the carpet. Also how do the cooled seats come into play?
Where could I find help interpreting the wiring diagrams for my truck and the truck these seats were originally from?
I don’t know where to start. Looking for any advice or input on wiring or what I’ve done so far.
I’d like to use the the heat and vent on the seats came with. I would maybe like to control them with switches mounted in the space between the 4x4 selector and the HVAC controls for the driver seat and the same on the other side of the HVAC for the passenger. Between it and the passenger air bag on other 3gens. I like the little cubby I have where the switch plate goes on laramies
I plan on keeping this truck alive for a long while. Once I get these seats working, and a double din with carplay and a backup camera installed someday I see no reason for a new truck.
I can provide any pictures or explaination where needed to help someone understand my situation to help. First post on this forumn. Tryin my best here.
Thanks
I found some 2012 leather heated cooled front driver and passenger laramie seats for pretty cheap off marketplace that I thought would be perfect. Drivers side had a small rip so I got the bottom panel replaced for a decent price.
Swapping the seats was simple enough. They bolted right in I had to put the 3g buckle on the 4g seat for the belt light to work as other threads have discussed. Connectors didn’t match up so I ran two new wires from the buckle to the truck side plug. Just did this on the driver side so far as my truck doesn’t have a passenger belt lights and it seems to latch and unlatch fine.
Had to modify the buckle brackets to sit where I wanted it, and had to bolt the belt bracket into an unused threaded hole under the carpet on the floor on both sides because the 4g laramie seats didn’t have as nice of a spot on the side as the 3g seats did.
With the help of a few youtube videos I pulled the 12v wires out of my truck side driver seat plug and ran some 14ga wire with crimp connectors into the plugs of both seats. My truck doesnt have a plug coming out of the floor on the passenger side or a crossover harness so I split power off the driver side for both seats. Now both seats’ lumbar and adjust work.
Couple small issues. The hinge point of the seat panels can rub against the trim around the seatbelt spool on the door pillar and pushes the trim out causing the door to not close as nice but if I keep the seat up and forward it has enough room. Either I cut some trim or I reshape it. Not sure which yet. Also, because the 3g buckle is shorter and i mounted the belts to the floor instead of the side of the seat, I have a lot less belt and it restricts movement pretty good. I plan on making up something to lift the belt mounts higher, closer to where they were bolted to on the side of the 3g seats.
I haven’t gotten a new console/jumpseat yet, so I decided to fab up a couple quick and dirty brackets to make my 3g jumpseat work. Its basic. No hidden storage. No 12v outlet. I unbolted the console from that crossover seat bracket that the 3g seats used. I cut some angle iron to come up from the jumpseat mounts on the 4g passenger seat. Then I bent a couple pieces of flat iron to come out and up from the angle irons with holes for both passenger threads on the 3g jumpseat. The other side I just stuffed a chunk of 2x4 for now. I did not put the seatbelt back in the jumpseat and I’m not letting anyone sit in it. Just wanted the armrest for driving around until I get one of those 13+ 4g triple cupholder jumpseats. Imagine….. 5 front center cupholders. Lol.
Anyways. The main reason I’m posting here is because I need some help and advice. I want to wire up the heated and cooled functions of the 4g seats now.
I have seen some impressive frankenstein harnesses for 4g heated seats in 3gen laramies. My truck does not have heated seats, but could I theoretically pull what I need off of a wrecked laramie? Even if I have to rerun an entirely new harness under the carpet. Also how do the cooled seats come into play?
Where could I find help interpreting the wiring diagrams for my truck and the truck these seats were originally from?
I don’t know where to start. Looking for any advice or input on wiring or what I’ve done so far.
I’d like to use the the heat and vent on the seats came with. I would maybe like to control them with switches mounted in the space between the 4x4 selector and the HVAC controls for the driver seat and the same on the other side of the HVAC for the passenger. Between it and the passenger air bag on other 3gens. I like the little cubby I have where the switch plate goes on laramies
I plan on keeping this truck alive for a long while. Once I get these seats working, and a double din with carplay and a backup camera installed someday I see no reason for a new truck.
I can provide any pictures or explaination where needed to help someone understand my situation to help. First post on this forumn. Tryin my best here.
Thanks
