help pls: install xtra seats in a cargo van?

[idiosyncratic]

okay. I wasn't too sure where to put this but since it involves a Chevy van. I think this is a safe place to put it.

Auto: 2001 Chevy Astro cargo van. (work van).
Situation: need to add extra seating for two people. Cargo van does not have any existing anchor points in the back. Cargo van only has a 'cage' installed behind the two bucket seats in the front. We would like to accomplish this and at the same time try not to decrease overall load capacity.

Proposed Solution:
#1: Replace front two bucket seats with a single bench seat. That should seat three. Add one more single seat in the back with a cargo net protection.

#2: Install a bench seat in the back with cargo net protection. This would decrease our load capacity but we would accomplish our goal of extra seating.

#3: Install a jump seat between the existing two front buckets. Install another jump seat (or a folding seat, similar to the ones that you see in extra cab pickups) in the back cargo area. Jump seats or folding seats are perfect in that we don't need the extra seating all the time, just a few rare occasions. I'd prefer this because we can still run close to maximum cargo capacity if we fold the seats up when they're not needed.

#4: Intall two jump seats/ folding seats in the back cargo area with cargo net protection.

The cargo net protection mentioned is a safety measure. Something to protect the passengers from the cargo that we're hauling. Most of the time it's just boxes of paper, similar in size of your 'bankers boxes'. If anyone else can think of an additional or replacement safety measure other than a cargo net, please mention it on your post. I'd be grateful if anyone can chare any ideas or suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Oh. almost forgot an important part of the situation: We need to find a shop that can do this for us. We would like to get a proposal from this shop so that we can turn it in to our procurement/purchasing department (yes, we have to go through some yucky red tape :( ).

Thanks again.

My boss called a few places and she's gotten the usual: busy. number has been disconnected. "sorry, we don't do that". so far only "Chucks Corvette clinic" has been helpful and asked us to stop by our van so that he could take a look and see what he could do...

[idiosyncratic]

anyone know of any reputable 'fabrication' shops? I'm pretty sure we'll have to fabricate something to install these extra seats.

[Act162this]

you need seat brackets, welded/bolted through the floor? are you going to weld plates to the floor top/bottom to bolt seat brackets to (like mounting a roll cage)?

are you planning to include seat belts w/ those jump seats? you'll need plates to bolt them to on the floor of the van as well, if you go that route. maybe some junkyard extra cab side-fold seats plus belt assemblies can be picked up fairly cheap from a salvage yard and recycled, make sure you get all the mounting hardware as well.

instead of a cargo net (which can flex and still allow things to impact the rear passengers) have you considered just adding cage behind the jump seats or cargo seats (not the full width of the van, just a foot or two wide so things can't slide forward into them?

maybe a metal or angle iron frame bolted to the floor, another one bolted to the wall of the van, and some fencing in between to stop things from shifting forward? if you put both jump seats on the same side, you can just have one fenced-in area instead of two, allowing the entire side of the van to be utilized.

metals you can purchase fairly cheaply at some metal shops, and then have somebody fab them up for you, or you can check out some shops that do fab work (the names escape me right now...).

you can also install steel shelving on the sides of the van for smaller objects, leaving the center section clear for larger objects. objects on the shelves can be secured with cargo net or bungee cord.

[idiosyncratic]

we already have a steel cage between the front bucket seats. We just need additional seating for when the whole crew (4 people) go out every once in a while. We'll need seatbelts along with those jump seats. I've thought of doing that too (the junkyard route) as I'm heavy into recycling and getting the most bang for your buck. If it was for my own van, i'd be sure to take that particular route.

But this is for our work van, so we were hoping to go to a local shop to see what he could do for us. If the shop could suggest a few things and give us a proposal or two; then we could take that proposal and run in through our red tape to get the funds to pay the shop... *sigh* i hate red tape.

anyhow this is a neat jump seat that i found online (http://www.cerullo.com/consoles/astroVan.php), this bolts in between the front two seats.
http://www.cerullo.com/consoles/images/console.astroVan.jpg
this is pretty neat. I was even thinking of getting one for my personal van, but then again my personal van already holds 8.

[TheMayor]

Lets just install a Futon.

[idiosyncratic]

oooh. that's an idea! but that's for my personal van :naughty: not for the work van. :gapteeth:

[Act162this]

we already have a steel cage between the front bucket seats. We just need additional seating for when the whole crew (4 people) go out every once in a while. We'll need seatbelts along with those jump seats. I've thought of doing that too (the junkyard route) as I'm heavy into recycling and getting the most bang for your buck. If it was for my own van, i'd be sure to take that particular route.


actually, i was thinking of a completely separate partition, in addition to the cage already on there. i'm assuming the cage partitions off the front seats from the cargo area like those work vans, but there is nothing in the cargo area. this would simply extend from the wall of the van behind the folding seats about one to two feet (into the cargo area, behind the existing cage and folding seats) for a second partition so things can't slide into the jump seat people.

it probably can be done on the cheap with some angle iron, brackets, and chain link fence... if you provide your own seats and materials/ideas a good metal shop could probably make it happen.

[idiosyncratic]

okay. I see where you're getting at. I need to make a few more phone calls to see what I can dig up. (parts etc). Appreciate your input a whole lot!

[Act162this]

no problem. i kinda have a mental picture, but don't know really how to describe it.

it's basically a piece of angle iron about 3' welded to a steel plate, maybe 4x4 or 6x6 square for one leg, another of the same for the second leg, a 2' piece welded between the two tops as a spreader bar for rigidity, and chain link fence secured between them (or even wrapped around them).

bolt the two plates to the floor of the van behind your jump seats, making sure you don't hit any kind of gas, brake, or electrical lines, and you should be good to go.

if you think you may need gonzo strong, you can substitute flat bar or round stock for the fencing and make jail bars instead, welded between the two poles. if you're moving desks, furniture, etc... it might go right through the chain link or bend it enough to intrude upon the seating area.

the other thing we've done in our friend's moving van (those big, UPS-truck looking things) is buy a couple of ratcheting straps and those spiderweb bungee-cord p/u truck bed nets. a couple of eye bolts through some reinforcements in the floor and walls, and you can cover cargo with the spiderweb net so it doesn't shift around too much, or for large, heavy items, cover them with a moving blanket and use the ratcheting tiedowns to hold them in place.

we also built storage benches on one side, and upholstered the tops so they can be used as seats. unfortunately, they didn't think about seat belts, so riding back there can be a bumpy ride (scary too, sometimes, if they have to stop suddenly. cargo is secured, you are not).

[Udrivecrap]

umm... did you go back to the dealer?

check with the fleet dept, for the cargo vans they sell, they should be able to hook you up with someone who distributes those shelves and cargo organizers that you see in everyday work vans. maybe the dealer or the shelf dealer can install seats for you. they need to be safe.

[Act162this]

umm... did you go back to the dealer?

check with the fleet dept, for the cargo vans they sell, they should be able to hook you up with someone who distributes those shelves and cargo organizers that you see in everyday work vans. maybe the dealer or the shelf dealer can install seats for you. they need to be safe.

ooh! that's a good point. forgot about the dealer/parts people for the fleet stuff. i assumed that cargo vans with the partitions, cages, etc... were sold w/o and that stuff was added aftermarket.

makes perfect sense that the dealers, if anyone, would know or even install it for you through their distribution system (would also help their sales and profit margins, i'd imagine).

and yeah, you hit it right on the nose with the seats being safe.

[Udrivecrap]

:D... well, it was just a thought.

a friend of mine bought a brand new ford cargo van and in the sale they gave him some kind of credit (like $1200) to have the shelves put in by some dude who is the distributor for the shelf manufacturer. i guess that is considered aftermarket. like when you have conversion vans done by another company who is "licensed" to modify or add package stuff to that particular make of van.