Date:         Tue, 7 Sep 1999 15:58:31 -0700
Reply-To:     "Chao, Harvey" <harvey.chao@LMCO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Chao, Harvey" <harvey.chao@LMCO.COM>
Subject:      RE>Middle Seat Installation
Content-type: text/plain

There is a current thread about installing a middle seat into campers.

It has been several years, and memory is somewhat dim over time, but I
installed an 8th seat into a standard 7 passenger vanagon.   It should be a
similar process to what people are trying to do in their Westi.

I recall that I went to a wrecking yard and got the floor tracks, clips and
two different sizes of bolts that are required.  The larger bolts fasten the
tracks down to existing threaded mounting points on the floor, and the
smaller bolts are used with the clips that anchor the seat on the tracks to
keep it from moving left / right. (The seat w/belts had been donated to me
previously).

My install basically involved loosening the anchor clips on the existing
middle seat and moving it hard up against the driver's side wall and cutting
off the right hand arm rest as flush with the seat frame as possible.  The
actual 8th seat was made from a standard middle seat with folding backs.  I
basically disassembled the seat ( upholstery, padding, etc.) and used a
variable speed saber saw with a hacksaw blade to saw the frame in half.  I
broke the welds on the seat pan frame with a cold chisel and hammer, cut the
long sides in half, and used a MAPP gas torch to braze the end onto the cut
ends of the frame.  I used existing seat belts, and anchor points ( on the
seat) and cut the cushion in half as well as the upholstery cover.  Put it
all back together and had a single seat with seat belt that mounted on
extensions of  the standard floor rails.

I do recall that because I was using standard rails for a middle 2x seat, I
had to cut the additional pieces of rail ( the ones obtained at the wrecking
yard) to shorter length to extend from the existing rails to the sliding
door.  That required re-drilling one or two  mounting holes so that the new
holes would line up with the existing stock anchor mounting points between
the end of the existing seat and the door.  I seem to remember two bolts in
each added rail.

The folding back feature and arm rest were retained on the added seat, and
when the back is folded forward, greatly facilitates access to the third row
seats.


        Harvey

        "I live with fear, death, and evil...but sometimes I turn it off and
>        use a Mac." Author Unknown
      Sentenced to be taken to the "Dark Side" in the near future