Date:         Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:07:50 -0700
Reply-To:     C B <cunegonde.van.westfalia@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         C B <cunegonde.van.westfalia@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Middle Seat Questions
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I installed a middle seat in Cunegonde, facing backwards as if it was a
double jump seat. It's much more convenient for entering both the middle
seat and the rear bench. The rear table fits in well. I imagine backgammon,
or business meetings with multiple laptops (Cunegnde also periodically
serves as a rolling office). Not to mention conversational ease for the
middle seat to converse with both the cab and the rear bench. Why isn't this
the standard position for the middle seat in a Westy, seeing as one can't
get around it with the cargo door shut, anyway? (I have the rust stains and
holes in the cargo area carpet/sheet metal showing a middle seat was
installed in the usual 7-passenger position)

The downside of course, is that most of the lower kitchen cabinets, drawers,
and fridge are inaccessible.

3 questions:

Short of welding nuts on support plates to the belly sheetmetal, is there a
clever flush installation for the center seat floor bolts? The ones closest
the cargo door are no problem; one just reaches under while the door is
open. But the bolts near the kitchen cabinets require crawling under the van
by the LP tank. Not popular.

The middle seat back frame uprights appear to have lower pivot bolts, with
the seatbelt bolts currently intalled so as to fix the middle seat back
angle. Was the middle seat back intended to be adjustable, or even lay flat?
I'd sure like to have the extra 8" of legroom afforded by having the seat
more upright.

I assume the gowesty or similar 3-point jumpseat-to-C pillar belts will also
work with this reversed middle seat. True?

Thanks for the help, volks.

--
Bretts

1983 1.9l WBX Ivory Westfalia "Cunegonde"