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Date:         Sun, 28 Sep 1997 15:10:02 -0700
Reply-To:     "Chao, Harvey" <Chao#m#_Harvey@MSGATE.WDL.LMCO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         "Chao, Harvey" <Chao#m#_Harvey@MSGATE.WDL.LMCO.COM>
Subject:      RE> Addn'l seat for Westy
Comments: To: Steve & Carol Robrahn <srobrahn@MINDSPRING.COM>,
          Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; Name="Message Body"

Based on the conjecture that the basic vehicle frame is the same for your camper as the standard Vanagon ---

I have added an "8th" seat to a standard 7 passenger Vanagon. It is basically an addition next to the two person middle bench seat. I think that something similar could be done to a Westy.

The middle seat mounts on rails that bolt to the floorpan. In the Westy, as I visualize it, the area where the rails bolt to the floor pan is about in front of the sink/stove, probably where the table(?) goes???.

To add a seat, what I'd try to do ils get a set of rails from a wrecking yard along with the bolts that mount it to the floor pan, and a middle seat and the smaller bolts and clips that anchor it to the rails. To access the rails on a Vanagon, you have to take up the aluminum "threshold plate that anchors the edge of the carpeting at the sliding door opening. Roll back the carpet and unbolt the retaining bolts (10mm?) and clips and then slide the seat out the door. The track unbolts from the floor pan with bigger bolts 15 or 17 mm????

I got hold of a middle seat that has the swing up armrest and fold forward seat backs. I basically disassembled the seat, and sawed the structure pieces in half using hacksaw blades in a variable speed scroll saw at low speed setting. Takes a bit of patiences to saw that heavy post between the two seat backs, but it is "doable". The frame that the bottom of the seat cushions mount to is simply 4 stamped pieces of sheet metal spot welded at the corners. The welds are pretty easy to break with a cold chisel and then you can cut the long front and back pieces in half. I used a "propane" torch that burns MAPP gas to braze the end piece back on. The upholstry padding can be cut in half and reused, as can the upholstry seat cover that goes over the padding. If you cut the frame correctly, the factory mounting where it slides onto the rails on the floorpan can be used, and the seat belt is attached to the seat frame.

What you can wind up with then, is a single seat, using factory mounting to the vehicle floorpan and with factory seat belt. By cutting the mounting rails to the necessary and appropriate length, you should be able to mount the seat next to the sliding door in the space between the door and the sink/stove (says he who has never owned a westy).

This probably sounds more complex to do than it really is - I think that if you take a good look at how the original two person seat is put together, it is pretty straightforward on what and where to cut.

For those of you who want to mount this additional single seat "end to end" to the existing middle seat - my middle seat had a pipe welded to the frame that bent around (forward) to form the armrest at the end of the seat nearest the sliding door. I had to cut this off with a hacksaw.

Anybody have any specific questions, feel free to e-mail them to me. Harvey


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