Aftermarket seat heater - installed
 

Well, the factory seat heaters in my P38 are non-operable due to broken elements. Rather than tear off the covers and go to town replacing them this time of year, I opted to just install a seat cover with built in heating elements for the time being - just to be used in the winter.

I first purchased the most non-ugly and thinnest full seat heater cover unit I could locate from Brookstone. It's about $80.

http://www.brookstone.com/heated-car...:referralID=NA

The elements are very thin and not noticeable at all. The downside is that the fabric is also very thin and the cover would slip off of the seat constantly. To remedy this, I used 2 tarp grommets from a tarp repair kit to create two grommet holes at the bottom of the cover - if you just poked holes then the fabric would definitely run and tear. You can get tarp grommet kits at most hardware stores or online (Amazon, etc). I have the Stanley grommet kit.

I then used a couple of cable ties to secure the bottom of the cover to the underside of the chair via the grommets (tip - add a little bit of contact cement around the hole before mating up the grommet halves - helps keep the fabric in place while installing).

I also removed the arm rest to install the cover. You could probably re-install it by using a very large grommet to insert the arm rest through, but if you just cut a hole the cover would tear. I opted to just leave it off during the winter.

As for power, it uses a 12v power port. Rather than having wires strung about around the shifter, and to keep the ashtray power port open for other things, as well as to reduce the chance of blowing Fuse 8, I opted to wire in another 12v power port.

I picked up a power port from my local Advanced Auto for less than 10 bucks. I then got under the seat and tapped the power and ground wires that feed the OEM seat heaters to supply power to the port. I fastened the 12v port to the underside of the seat, and plugged in the heated seat cover. Used some cable ties to tidy up the wires, and the controller for the seat heater sits right behind the seatbelt fastener for easy access (has a high, low, and off setting switch).

Now, since I used the seat heater circuit, to operate the heated seat cover you just push the seat heater button on the HVAC panel like you normally would. This powers the port and in turn the heater, and will also turn it off as it should when the truck is shut off.

The results are pretty satisfactory. The cover gets hot very quickly - better than the OEM heater actually. And it stays in place. Best of all, come springtime I can remove the heated cover easily in just a few minutes.

Hope this is helpful for anyone wanting a heated seat but doesn't want to go full on OEM replacement at this time. I may fix my OEM heaters in the future but this definitely does the job for now.