Ford F150 Rear Seat Lift Kit Installation

Ford F150 (2000-2003) LMI Welding Rear Seat Lift Installation

Operation: Installing a 4" LMI Welding rear seat lift, Subject: 2002 F-150 XLT. Photos and text by: KingEvil

Well, I got a super deal on a rear seat lift off of eBay ($37.00 including shipping!) I have seen posts on the forum from people who have rear seat lift kits, but nobody seems willing to offer up advice on installation. Well, here ya go!

1. Remove the 3 bolts holding down the passenger side, driver side and middle supports.

2. Remove the rear seat-back. There are 3 points of attachment on the seat back. One is in the middle of the seat, and the other two are near the very edges of the seat. Pull up on the seat itself right above the metal bar that latches onto the actual cab. Then you can lift it off of the metal tab that it latches onto. DO NOT pull up on the straps! They are attached to the cab itself, not the seat! You can then pull the seat out. There are two more latches on the bottom of the seat, but they release easily once the top 3 are undone.

3. Remove the T50 Torx bolts that hold down the seat belts.

4. Now you can take out the entire back seat.

5. Bolt on the 3 front lift extensions, but don't tighten the bolts yet.

6. Bolt on the 4 rear lift extensions, but don't tighten the bolts yet.

7. Put the seat on top of the extensions and screw on the bolts.

8. Once the seat is in place and aligned, then you can tighten all of the bolts.

9. Put the seat-back in place. Since the seat-back is now also lifted, it won't reach the original mounting latches. So... I'm not sure how to hook the seat back up. Mine seems to stay in place just sitting there, but if anyone knows how to hook it back up, please let me know!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The kit I bought from eBay didn't include instructions, but Lee at LMI Welding was kind enough to fax them to me. Each extension was marked so you know which go where. The seat feels very safe and it looks good. Well worth the current price of $125.00. According to LMI's web site, this kit will fit models 2000-2003. The instructions will vary slightly for other years. Although this lift did give me a huge increase in storage space under the rear seat (mainly for subs), it is a little uncomfortable to sit back there now. I lost 1 1/2" - 2" of leg room, and of course the 4" of head room. I think the 2" lift kit would have suited me better (anyone wanna trade?)

All photos © Matt Coddington and may not be used without permission