Bench Seat Swap

[Marauder_Vic]

Hello all! I’m new here, got what most would probably call a stupid question. I love the panther platform, and I love the bench front seats found in the Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, but I find them to be under powered. How much of a hassle would it be to put the bench front seat from a Town Car into a Marauder? Would it be better to use a different bench seat? I understand I have to remove the console and reposition the shifter to the steering column. If this has already been discussed, I apologize. If there’s a link to a DIY page for this swap already, I would greatly appreciate it!

thank you.

[SilverPhoenix]

I would imagine it would be a HUGE hassle to convert the front seats in a MM to a single bench seat. The biggest questions are, is it even possible to move the shifter from the center console to the column and if so, is it feasible, and just...why do that? The console shifter is a hallmark feature of the Marauder.

May as well just drive a GM or LTC...

[svtmerc]

Use a Marquis, drop in a Lincoln Aviator engine, and if you want the look, you can get an aftermarket Marauder bumper cover. But yes, you can change to a column shifter, but you need a steering column from a column shift car and its shifter cable, also a gauge cluster from a cilumn shift car, otherwise you have no shifter indicator.

[88LTDCV351]

I'm also a big fan of old school having a front bench seat in a car. Kind of would have been cool if that was an option. Makes good for the wife sit close on long trips. But I don't think I would ever do that to my Marauder. Just wouldn't seem right given that it was only made with the captain seats.

[blazen71]

You'll be hard pressed to find a write up of someone molesting a Marauder like that. You're best bet would be to get a donor GM and do the swap. But first, you have to get a Marauder....

[8UWITH6]

So buy a CV, MGM, or Town Car and 4V swap it......

[Marauder_Vic]

I would imagine it would be a HUGE hassle to convert the front seats in a MM to a single bench seat. The biggest questions are, is it even possible to move the shifter from the center console to the column and if so, is it feasible, and just...why do that? The console shifter is a hallmark feature of the Marauder.

May as well just drive a GM or LTC...

pretty sure I just explained why I want to do it. Crown Victorias/Grand Marquis/Town Cars don’t have enough power. Is everyone here a smug jerk?

[Marauder_Vic]

I reread your response and thank you, that is actually helpful. My previous response I was coming from a place of annoyance with how rude of other responses I have been receiving. My apologies.

[Marauder_Vic]

You'll be hard pressed to find a write up of someone molesting a Marauder like that. Your best bet would be to get a donor GM and do the swap. But first, you have to get a Marauder....

Molesting…. Hyperbolic much?

M

[Marauder_Vic]

I'm also a big fan of old school having a front bench seat in a car. Kind of would have been cool if that was an option. Makes good for the wife sit close on long trips. But I don't think I would ever do that to my Marauder. Just wouldn't seem right given that it was only made with the captain seats.

Thank you for the polite and honest reply.

[Marauder_Vic]

So buy a CV, MGM, or Town Car and 4V swap it......

is that an easier solution than a bench seat swap? I am capable of doing an engine swap, but, correct me if I’m wrong, the bench seat just seems easier.

[SilverPhoenix]

pretty sure I just explained why I want to do it. Crown Victorias/Grand Marquis/Town Cars don’t have enough power. Is everyone here a smug jerk?

If everyone around you appears to be a smug jerk, then...

If you don't want opinions that may differ from yours, don't venture onto public forums. IMO, I think what you want to do is dumb, but hey, prove me wrong. Swap in a bench seat and move the shifter to the column and post pics of it...you might change my mind.

[TORINO]

Get a nice low mile Lincoln and super charge it. That will take care of your low power issue.

[Comin' in Hot]

It would be highly involved. You would need to change the steering column to one with a column shifter, shifter cable,and your PATS sensor receiver ring before you even consider changing your seats.

[Comin' in Hot]

and before you do any of that you need to figure out how to deal with the airbags mounted in the bucket seats.... do bench seats have the same airbags? also what about the seat controls of a bench seat vs the buckets?

[justbob]

A smug jerk is one of the owner requirements.

With that said this thread could only fail more if there was pics.. [emoji12]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[baloneyhomie]

The column to floor shift swap has been done and documented many times before, so I'd imagine the process of going from floor shift to column shift would be more or less the same but in reverse. I've actually tossed around that idea as a dumb month-long April fools joke but it looks pretty in depth. You'd also miss out on having a gear indicator without swapping to a 2v cluster but I personally wouldn't care for having one since it's pretty easy to memorize an automatic shift pattern.

[svtmerc]

You can still have an indicator with the column shifter and keep the marauder cluster... This was the setup in my old 02 Marquis.... M was Park, R was still Reverse as well and the other letters linned up with other gear positions.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20221014/1337ac6769f7ca8afb46ce503e7d4c be.jpg

Sent from somewhere near my Marauder using Tapatalk
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20221014/79c00379c1f91428569de3c94868e6 37.jpg

[FW_Linc/Merc]

I have a 2003 Town car that I Marauderized as my daily driver. I use the Marty O tune for the stock 2V motor that really wakes it up with the larger Marauder air box.

[blazen71]

You can still have an indicator with the column shifter and keep the marauder cluster... This was the setup in my old 02 Marquis.... M was Park, R was still Reverse as well and the other letters linned up with other gear positions.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20221014/1337ac6769f7ca8afb46ce503e7d4c be.jpg

Sent from somewhere near my Marauder using Tapatalk
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20221014/79c00379c1f91428569de3c94868e6 37.jpg

Thant's a neat little trick you did there!

[8UWITH6]

is that an easier solution than a bench seat swap? I am capable of doing an engine swap, but, correct me if I’m wrong, the bench seat just seems easier.

I don't know about easier, but it would be much cooler.:cool4:

[BAD MERC]

Swapping the shifter from the floor to the column and vise versa is easy. I did it on my 2006 Taurus mostly because I had access to parts and the curiosity. I would not do a Marauder just because, you know - rarity and exclusivity. My Town Car has a bench and I use the console as an armrest and never have used the center seat. I am sure I could post a link to the website where I documented the swap. The cars are different but the parts and procedures aren't. Big question though... the seat you intend to swap, are the airbags interchangeable?

[MyBlackBeasts]

Molesting…. Hyperbolic much?

M

Ummm, no. Molesting is the correct descriptive word to describe what you want to do. If this is something you want to do, than do it w/o the thread. By posting the thread by definition you will get HONEST feedback so grow a pair and take it or don't post.

[blazen71]

Ummm, no. Molesting is the correct descriptive word to describe what you want to do. If this is something you want to do, than do it w/o the thread. By posting the thread by definition you will get HONEST feedback so grow a pair and take it or don't post. He doesn't even have a Marauder to do said molestation. My smart response to the Op is based on seeing the "type" that jumps on a forum, askes a silly question, then moves on to never be seen again. Prove me wrong.

[baloneyhomie]

Ummm, no. Molesting is the correct descriptive word to describe what you want to do. If this is something you want to do, than do it w/o the thread. By posting the thread by definition you will get HONEST feedback so grow a pair and take it or don't post.

Eh, I’d hardly call it that in my opinion. It looks entirely reversible, but I digress.