Seat spring grid assembly replacement

Greetings ladies and gents!

I just wanted to share something I accomplished today.

Background: the driver-side seat spring grid and cross member in the center section of the bench seat was broken when I purchased the truck from the original owner in April 2020. He took it on hundreds of surf trips which has resulted in a noticeable amount of surface rust on the bare metal surfaces from the salty air and is likely the reason the spring grid assembly has prematurely failed. Fortunately, the frame of the truck is in great shape with no structural rust or defects.

This has been one of the last remaining tasks/repairs on my to-do list for the truck because Toyota only appears to sell the entire seat spring assembly for my truck. When I saw the price of ($700+) I was accepting it may never get fixed. 71610-0C150

It has been tolerable but when driving any significant distances it can become uncomfortable given the fact that the left half of the driver seat cushion had no support.

Today, I finally replaced it after discovering a suitable replacement part just days ago. The part I used is:

$27 New GMC Yukon Sierra Chevy Tahoe Silverado S-10 Seat Springs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L26VUJA?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

It is the same width and number of connecting rods (12). The only modification I had to do to get it to fit was to shorten it from 15” to 14 1/2” in length. To do this I just used needle nose pliers and vise grips to put new bends in all (12) connecting rods on one of the ends.

I went ahead and ordered a second one to replace the passenger side while I have the seat out and considering the price.

I also went ahead and installed a piece of padding between the spring grid and seat cushion given that some of the old connecting rods had worn grooves into the cushion. Similarly to how the passenger side comes from the factory which I believe is due to the fact that it has the electrical components for the passenger occupancy sensor.

$19 House2Home 24" x 6 ft. Durapad Insulator for Upholstery Spring Cover | Padding Installs Between Springs and Seat Decking of Sofa, Couch, Loveseat, Chair, and Furniture

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HN2XCTH?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

One of the (5) rear suspending springs on the driver side was missing which wasn’t a surprise given the metal rod had broken. It doesn’t appear Toyota sells the spring I need. I might try to locate a similar replacement spring at the hardware stores but find that the (4) are adequate as I can no longer feel a difference when sitting on the passenger side.

To replace the spring grid assembly I removed the seat from the truck in order to disconnect the rear suspending springs and release the front section of the fabric cushion covers. Using a flathead screwdriver I pried up on the (4) metal tabs that secured the front retaining rod of the spring grid assembly in place. After shortening all (12) connecting rods by 1/2” I placed the padding and re-installed the new spring grid assembly.

Anyways, I hope you find this interesting and that it potentially helps someone else who may be faced with a similar circumstance.

 

it absolutely does help! i had just bought (it arrived this morning) this same part! and although i havent removed the seat from my tundra, i had arrived at the same conclusion you did about the 1/2" difference. i was, however, concerned that the wires might be hardened and might break when rebending them. you had no problems doing this?