Cargo Van, Express or Econoline--one row of additional seats for two

[DavidY]

How difficult is it to install one row of seat right behind the driver, with seat belts, to sit two, onto an Express or Econoline cargo van? I have in mind 2010 to 2015 or there about. I haven't bought the van yet.

It seems that there are no anchor points for one row of seat for the cargo version.

Can one drill holes thru the floor and attach a plate, onto which a bench seat for two can be welded? Is there easy access to drill holes thru the floor without damaging anything and will there be access to place the nuts, or is it necessary to weld the plate onto the floor?

One passenger is too few. It will be nice to carry a maximum of three, plus the driver.

 

[user 423]

Most conversion vans start out as cargos and they usually have a second row of 2 captain's chairs mounted to plates bolted to the floor.

The seats are removable and there's a mechanism that clamps them to the plates.

You might be able to find a similar model van with the seats +plates at a salvage yard or find one being parted out on craigslist. The pic below is of a plate removed from an older Econoline:



Or take a look at this link:

https://www.discountvantruck.com/

 

[datac]

Regarding an express van, it could be that your very best option would be to go to a wrecking yard and have them pull out the floor frame they put on top of the floor that has the sockets for the seats built in. This way you get the seat and the framework made to hold the seat and passengers in a crash successfully. Perhaps you can even have the scrap yard torch off the rearmost part where you do not need the sockets, PROVIDED the frame mounting system has attachment points both front and just rear of the front seat location.

Now a couple additional notes. The regular wheelbase factory Express Window van bench seat is pretty wide, and it does not have sliders on it. It will not allow you to get behind it to the rear portion of the van easily. It could be that they have a slightly narrower bench seat that they use in the extended van, and a scrap yard can help with that.

The floor frame will also let you use two buckets instead of the bench, which might be handier for you as the buckets do allow you to get to the back of the van because they tilt and have sliders. They also let you have a pass thru between them.

After buying my first ever Express Passenger van, after having a dozen or so G-Series Window Passenger Vans, I can't say I am in love with this over the floor frame concept, but it is what it is. With the G-Vans, they often had the floor panel pressed with the exact location for the floor sockets and they were easy to weld into vans that did not have them.

Sorry, I have no idea on how Econoline removable seating actually works

 

[Happy Camper]

I would absolutely go with 2 captains chairs on swivels. My old van had that, and a mount in between where you put a removable table. The front seats swiveled as well, and everyone could face each other when relaxing. Play cards, cook, eat. Etc.

It also opens up the space a lot, with many more options. Stone of those captains chairs are very good for relaxing, napping, reading, etc.

Since you already know what you want in terms of capacity, make it work for you. You'll be thankful for the versatility.

 

[afblangley]

There are ways to properly install seats in a cargo van, mobility outfitters routinely do it. But as DIYers, installing DOT crash worthing seating is challenging. Why not just buy a passenger van and remove the unwanted seats?

I removed all the OEM seats from my van and then laid down sheets of plywood to provide a secure platform for my build. All the seat brackets were buried except for a cutout to preserve the 2nd row seat brackets. The cutout is also usually covered since I rarely need additional seating, but it can be quickly removed and the bench seat installed when desired.