How to add third row seats to a wagon...

This is another catch-up post covering the third row seats. I was fortunate enough to find a set of seats still in the car in a '68 Ranch Wagon in Texas. And even more fortunate to find someone willing to sell them, pull them, take pictures, save all of the hardware, and ship everything. It is complete save one bolt that went MIA. It is also the opposing seat configuration (my preference) vs. the rear facing single seat. The hardest part of the entire install was working out where everything went since I didn't pull it apart myself, and I didn't have any measurements.

Prior to installation, this was a 6-passenger model with a rear-facing style folding compartment cover (sorry about the bad picture).

Fortunately, the floor of the rear compartment was only a little rusty, with no holes and very solid. It did have a couple of dents which I drove back in with a sledge hammer and a 2"x2" and 2"x4". Nothing too severe, or that would cause any issues now or in the future.

I removed all of the panels behind the middle row seats to start and then did a quick clean up of the floor in the rear. I then mocked up the rear-most portion of the assembly to see just where things hit. Typical of Ford, the mounting locations were all "marked" by indented recesses in the panel (yea!) I carefully position the panels and fastened them in at the top, marked for the lower fasteners, removed all of the panels, drilled holes, welded in nuts and reassembled the rear section. Fit like a glove!

The lower seat mounts were a little more work since I had to install the seat and work out how they sat to get the position for the fasteners since they want to rock a bit. Still, not too bad.

The upper seat was a pain. One side mounted to the rear panels that are already installed, but because the back of the seat makes up part of the decking, positioning the other side had to be precise, or there would be a mismatch in the decking height.

The forward mount is a pivot insert that welded into place. It had to be best estimated from reference pictures I received and mocking things up best as I could. One side I hit first try. The other I thought I missed by an 1/4" and thought I had a real mess on my hands. After looking at things a little closer I realized that the new panel that spanned the area between the second and third rows was sitting a little high, and a minor adjustment to the seat bracket pivot made up the difference.

Now I have fairly even gaps, and the decking is about as level as possible since there are some dips and dents from 40+ years of use. All interior components that need refinishing will be done at the same time, so nothing has been painted to match yet. Overall, very pleased with the install and the kids are eager to try it out!