rear seat conversion

[hendie]

Hi everyone, hoping someone on here can help me, looking at buying a transit connect from a friend which he has owned from new and is in mint condition, however it only has the two front seats. As I have a partner and two children I would need to add two extra seats in the back and eventually a side window. Is thete a way to do this? I.e seats i can buy from a scrap yard or online at a low cost. Surely there are seats that would fit and be road legal etc? I have found folding seats online that fit but they are around £650!!!! I was hoping I could get seats with built in safety belts and then get a local mechanic to fit them, any help or ideas kindly appreciated. if I can't put two seats in I CNT get the van ):

[DonShockley]

Since you're in the UK, shipping from CA would probably be prohibitive but here is a conversion company that sells nearly new 3rd row seats for $100.

http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/3155-2014-2015-third-row-seats-from-lwb-transit-connects-100shippingpair/

I was looking at the ease of adding seats when comparing Van and Wagon before making my purchase of a new 2015 Transit Connect.

Retrofitting the 3rd row seats into a van is probably doable but the second row seats probably is not.

The 3rd row area in both van and wagon are flat and it's likely just a matter of exposing the proper mounting points.

But there are larger differences in the second row area. The van has a large plate covering the recess for the fold flat second row seats.

You can see photos in this album by a forum member: http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/gallery/image/858-img-20150425-112533/

It looks like the plates are spot welded in so removal might be easy or difficult depending on your handiness and tools available.

But the problem comes in mounting the new 2nd row seats. There are raised mounts that are also likely spot welded in. Trying to install the 2nd row seating would be a much more involved process than the apparent bolt in situation with the 3rd row seating.

Personally, I ended up going with the wagon. The extra options included and the better interior trim was sure to help with the Texas heat. Although the raised mounts for the 2nd row seating would interfere with a flat load floor after removing them, it should should be a fairly minor problem. And fashioning a cover over the recessed footwell is sure to be a lot easier than removing spot welded in panels. I am planning to remove the seats to install the seat covers when I receive them. This will let me test the suitability of leaving them out for improved cargo capability along with how difficult it will be to install and remove them as needed for the expected rare times I have extra passengers.

Edited August 2, 2015 by DonShockley