Moving Double seat behind drivers seat.

[BrettD]

Hi everyone

I need all of your expertise with a problem I have come across when designing my van.

We have a 2010 Citroen Relay, we want to move the original double passenger to around 70-80cm behind the drivers seat for extra passengers. The problem is that the drivers seat is on a platform compared to the back of the van so mounting the passenger seat to the base of the van will mean the double seat is sitting lower than the drivers seat and because we are including a swivel seat to the front two seats it will again raise the drivers seat even higher.

The plan for this is to make a metal frame to basically act like a platform to raise the double seat back up to the height of the drivers seat so when we install a table in between, one person isn’t sat at a different height to the table as the other.

Would it be safe for this metal frame to be either welded or bolted (whichever is strongest) to floor and then also would the double seat be safe if it is then bolted to the frame instead of into the metal floor of the van as others have done

Hope this makes sense

Brett

 

[mistericeman]

I'd contact and speak to your insurance company first...
To make sure that they are happy with it being moved...
It's not as simple as just drilling some holes through the floor with plates or just welding some framework in (although Some folks will just do as they please)
as in the case of an accident the seat is likely to be subjected to massive loadings.

Your insurance company MAY also require a engineers report and proof of accreditation of the person carrying out the work.

 

[mb2tv]

I have done something very similar to what you want. I did not move the double seat as i did not have one, but the disadvantage in doing that is that you do not have the seatbelt anchor point on the pillar. I used a double transit minibus seats which i bought from the bay. I also went to a specialist company to fit them. They have produced a frame so that the back seats are at the same level. Apparently, there is no standard to apply to such a change, only guidelines: the seats or the frame has to be bolted to the floor using a spreader plate underneath which is at least 10cm X 10cm.

 

[mistericeman]

I have done something very similar to what you want. I did not move the double seat as i did not have one, but the disadvantage in doing that is that you do not have the seatbelt anchor point on the pillar. I used a double transit minibus seats which i bought from the bay. I also went to a specialist company to fit them. They have produced a frame so that the back seats are at the same level. Apparently, there is no standard to apply to such a change, only guidelines: the seats or the frame has to be bolted to the floor using a spreader plate underneath which is at least 10cm X 10cm.View attachment 5469

Did your insurance company require any paperwork when you informed them?

Some I've had dealings with have, been really quite picky

 

[mb2tv]

Did your insurance company require any paperwork when you informed them?

Some I've had dealings with have, been really quite picky

No, i have not done that yet, the seats were just installed a couple of weeks ago. I have a letter from the installer confirming the installation done with best known practice ss there is no standard.
I am going to approach the insurance once some steps are completed and i will include this change.
It is sometimes better to go the other way though - change the DVLA records for the two more passengers, and only after they add them to the v5 aporoach the insurance, and then no questions are asked.

 

[wildebus]

Did your insurance company require any paperwork when you informed them?

Some I've had dealings with have, been really quite picky

When I have done camper conversions, taking out a policy at the start of the conversion for a year to cover the period to completion, the insurance companies I have used have never asked for anything like the things you have talked about here or other threads - and yes, I have asked the questions.
The only things they have said they need noticification about is performance mods, same as you might do in a car, and if desired, updates & photos on progress where the changes increase the value (so for your benefit, not the insurance company).

I think it is important to take out policies via brokers who deal with this kind of specialist area and not going via the big companies via comparison sites (if you could even find a company on a comparision site that covers self-builds!).

... It is sometimes better to go the other way though - change the DVLA records for the two more passengers, and only after they add them to the v5 aporoach the insurance, and then no questions are asked.

This is the only thing I have needed to do with vehicle that I bought as far as insurance requirements go. I bought a VW T5 Shuttle and added it to my existing Admiral Multi-Car Policy initially for simplicity. They incorrectly identify the 9-seater Shuttle as a Minibus rather than an MPV and wouldn't cover it so I advised them it was being changed to an 8 seater and took one seat out and got the cover. (9 to 8 didn't matter to me as going to end up with a lot less anyway )

(for anyone interested, a Minibus has between 9 and 16 PASSENGER Seats, not just 9 to 16 seats. Drivers seat doesn't count)

 

[trevskoda]

If the seats are from a bus or other with fitted belts then all required is the spreader plates under the floor bolted down with high tensile bolts nuts and washers, I built boxes and mounted seats on them, six seats in all, and front 4 swing around and lock, handy to watch TV on the bog wall.