8 way Navigator seats into an 04 EB

I have been on Gen 2 Navigators and Expeditions since 2007 when I purchased my 06 Navigator. Last July someone t-boned our Nav while traveling at 60 mph. Hit us in the left front, my 43 year old daughter was driving and safely stopped the Nav with three wheels still on it. The Nav crumpled as it should and stayed controllable. Her comment was that the ABS made a lot of noise as she controlled the car in the center turn lane. Thus avoiding oncoming traffic also traveling on our rural four lane highway. All that to say this.

I have an extra set of Navigator seats! My 04 Expedition project was nearing the last step of restoring the front seats. They were in desperate need of foam and both upper and lower covers. I had not ordered seat parts yet but I look at Facebook Marketplace daily. Sunday I found a free offer for a set of front seats the correct color, a hood and a couple used headlight assemblies. I messaged the ad and inquired about the seat condition and he replied that they were in good shape. He was going to install them but broke the transmission and decided to move on. These parts were in storage and needed to go. He was an hour and a half away. I drove down there and we had a nice conversation and I took it all.

The driver’s seat needs bottom foam and a small flaw repaired on the side. I have ordered a bottom foam and vinyl/leather repair kit.

These gen 2 cars split 03/04 and 05/06 electrically. The wiring is different early and late. There is a change with the pretensioner for the seat belt. The early climate controlled seats are controlled at the seat modules and the late ones by the dash HVAC unit. So the under seat wiring harnesses are different. The frames and upholstery is the same for the four years. The difference between the Navigator and Expedition seats is strictly the foam, covers and the back steel frame where the headrests are.

Yesterday I wanted to see what the differences in the seat frames were. I stripped both an 8 way Navigator seat and an Expedition seat. The Navigators have removable headrests, the Expeditions are fixed to the seat. After measuring I determined that I could transfer the fixed hoop for the headrest to the Navigator seat. I can cut and weld, I removed the hoop and removed the tubes for the Navigator headrests. I welded the hoops onto the Navigator seat frames.

I now have an 8 way power seat on the passenger side. I am awaiting foam for the driver’s side. I will prepare the Navigator seat frame for that side while I await the foam. I can post a couple pictures if anyone is interested. The 8 way seats have power lumbar and power recline as well as up and down and fore and aft. The seat base also tilts, there are two up and down motors.

Here a Navigator seat base, the two tubes at the top are for the removable head rest.

Here is an Expedition head rest loop, that I removed from a Expedition seat frame. I will remove the two tubes for the Navigator head rest and weld the Expedition loop to this frame. I completed the passenger seat yesterday. The bare steel inside a seat frame is sharp. LOL

Seats sure are sharp inside. Seems I always have to give blood for the cause.

Thanks for posting this. As usual I appreciate your explanation, details and in this case pics.

The funny thing is I spent years trying to find a manual seat bottom and bracket for my 2004 Eddie Bauer and finally just gave up.

Glad to hear you're all okay following the accident.

The passenger seat I just bought was a manual forward and back. Still had an adjustable lumbar. I used to work for a power utility and they bought base model trucks. The 2009 trucks had lumbar on the driver’s seat but the 2010’s did not.

Here is the Navigator seat frame converted to an Expedition configuration

Both seats were this worn, here is the refreshed passenger seat with 8 way electric functions.

Be careful when working on seats of unknown history. I found privacy glass in the rear pouch and front door glass scattered in the front of the seat.

Another thing to check is the pretensioner on the seat belt latch. The used seats that came from the car at the wrecking yard had blown air bags. The pretensioners had deployed also. Here is a deployed one next to a good one.

Good enough until the new bottom foam and the vinyl repair kit comes.

Wow what a transformation. I never would have thought you'd fine glass in the seat. I also thought the seat belt pre-tensioners were in the shoulder mount, clearly not, at least on this model.