Passenger Seat(s)

[speedpro]

We run a fair amount of 4'x8' sheets around town and need to be able to fit those into the Ford Transit Connect.

Has anyone been able to do this?

We had a quick look at one, the dealer brought it by for a few minutes, and we reckon the only way to make this work would be to remove the front passenger seat.

So, ultimately, we are curious to know if this is a possibility, or if the seat is in there permanently.

Regards,

Speedpro!

[isellford]

I don't see why it can't be unbolted. I am sure it can be done. I have a prospective customer that wants to use it to haul a creamatory tray and needs 6' 6" which is just what we have when we slide the seat all the way forward. Roof racks might be another alternative for you.

[hkr701]

Are transit connects shipped to usa with seats and windows installed as a passenger van and then the second row seats and sliding door windows removed to make them into a work van. Also is the floor modified here to make it into a work van from the passenger van. Thanks

[isellford]

All of the Transit Connects are imported as Wagons and then converted to cargo vans as needed. Adrian does make the floor extension if anyone wants to remove their seats and make it into a cargo van.

[amigaman68]

Hey I need the seats will pay for seats, and give you the parts to make it a van. will meet to pick up. I bought my transist with cash for clunkers and couldn't find a wagon. The floor is modified by bolting a metal plat to make a cargo van.

[jenzaka]

I need to be able to remove the passenger seat on my Connect. The guy outfitting the van says that the seat airbag is hardwired to a box on the floor of the van. What is the Ford approved method of SAFELY removing the passenger with out risk of airbag deployment?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Greg

[HenryG]

I hope someone here is able to help me. I missed out on the cash for clunkers because NO Ford dealers in my area had a passenger Wagon Transit Connect available. I need passenger plates as I do drive the Parkways on a regular basis. My Dealer offered to install removable rear seats into a XL cargo van with windows but the heavy large seat looked like it belonged in a school bus with four large floor brackets (with bolt ends up) that would get in the way of my plastic stacking inventory boxes (22x15x12 inch). The $880 price for the after market seat (gas tank has to be dropped for drilling and bolting – and bolt ends are up) when compared to the fully equipped Wagon XLT with RSC, power locks, power windows, and rear seat is a MUCH better priced vehicle for me. My dealer has not been able to tell me if the rear seats in the Wagon are removable. Ford Brochures, Ford parts department detailed diagrams and Ford HELP lines have been able to HELP answer this question. Second Question is if rear seats are NOT removable HOW MUCH of the actual 72 inches (not 81 inches maximum cargo length at floor as listed in brochure – how they got 81 inches I can not figure out) is taken up by the folded up seats. Pictures make it look like they curve and nest up against the front seats. Again My Dealer or Ford Help can not tell me how much floor space they take up folded. My small but roomy 2001 Chevy Astro Van is starting to have issues and I was hoping to order (want silver color) the Transit Connect Wagon soon; if my 30 boxes and folding tables will fit. I guess I will have to wait until a Ford Dealer within 50 miles has one they can find (drove 40 miles to a dealer that had one but could not find it on his two lots) so I can look at it and measure rear seats. Thank you for your help.

[isellford]

I hope someone here is able to help me. I missed out on the cash for clunkers because NO Ford dealers in my area had a passenger Wagon Transit Connect available. I need passenger plates as I do drive the Parkways on a regular basis. My Dealer offered to install removable rear seats into a XL cargo van with windows but the heavy large seat looked like it belonged in a school bus with four large floor brackets (with bolt ends up) that would get in the way of my plastic stacking inventory boxes (22x15x12 inch). The $880 price for the after market seat (gas tank has to be dropped for drilling and bolting – and bolt ends are up) when compared to the fully equipped Wagon XLT with RSC, power locks, power windows, and rear seat is a MUCH better priced vehicle for me. My dealer has not been able to tell me if the rear seats in the Wagon are removable. Ford Brochures, Ford parts department detailed diagrams and Ford HELP lines have been able to HELP answer this question. Second Question is if rear seats are NOT removable HOW MUCH of the actual 72 inches (not 81 inches maximum cargo length at floor as listed in brochure – how they got 81 inches I can not figure out) is taken up by the folded up seats. Pictures make it look like they curve and nest up against the front seats. Again My Dealer or Ford Help can not tell me how much floor space they take up folded. My small but roomy 2001 Chevy Astro Van is starting to have issues and I was hoping to order (want silver color) the Transit Connect Wagon soon; if my 30 boxes and folding tables will fit. I guess I will have to wait until a Ford Dealer within 50 miles has one they can find (drove 40 miles to a dealer that had one but could not find it on his two lots) so I can look at it and measure rear seats. Thank you for your help.

Here are the dimensions out of the body builders book:

Rear seats folded - 59.2"

Rear seats up - distance on flooor 49.6"

Rear seats up - distance at beltline 39"

Hope this helps.

Also, if you wish to remove the seats, they unbolt. Adrian makes a floor insert to fill in the void left when the seats are removed. Cost I believe is around $500.

I have one XLT wagon on the ground and 3 more will be hitting in the next couple weeks.

[HenryG]

Here are the dimensions out of the body builders book:

Rear seats folded - 59.2"

Rear seats up - distance on flooor 49.6"

Rear seats up - distance at beltline 39"

Hope this helps.

Also, if you wish to remove the seats, they unbolt. Adrian makes a floor insert to fill in the void left when the seats are removed. Cost I believe is around $500.

I have one XLT wagon on the ground and 3 more will be hitting in the next couple weeks.

Thank you Isellford for the detailed information. The 59 inches should work for me. I see you are in Texas; wish you were closer, but NY to Texas is too far for service. When I was still working/commuting I bought six new Fords over eighteen years from the same Ford dealership/salesman with great help and service. Now I want a less costly vehicle seems like this is more of a do it yourself sale/project. I looked at the Adrian Steel website. I see they have a Poyguard Partition designed for the Astro Van. Wish I knew about it seven years ago; it would have saved me a few headaches. I hope they make it available for the Transit Connect – removable/movable just what I need. My thirty boxes weigh about 30 pounds on average and lighter ones on top sometimes shift on hard braking.

In my area there is a huge fleet of aging Chevy Astro/GMC Sarfari Vans used by tradesmen, telephone/cable companies, taxis companies looking for a replacements. If Ford does not get more Transit Connects available soon and lock up the market, someone else is going to tweak an existing vehicle and take this opportunity for meaningful new product sales away. My dealer seems to be getting two WHITE XL cargo vans each week and they are sold before they get off the delivery truck. Thank you again.

[amigaman68]

Thank you Isellford for the detailed information. The 59 inches should work for me. I see you are in Texas; wish you were closer, but NY to Texas is too far for service. When I was still working/commuting I bought six new Fords over eighteen years from the same Ford dealership/salesman with great help and service. Now I want a less costly vehicle seems like this is more of a do it yourself sale/project. I looked at the Adrian Steel website. I see they have a Poyguard Partition designed for the Astro Van. Wish I knew about it seven years ago; it would have saved me a few headaches. I hope they make it available for the Transit Connect – removable/movable just what I need. My thirty boxes weigh about 30 pounds on average and lighter ones on top sometimes shift on hard braking.

In my area there is a huge fleet of aging Chevy Astro/GMC Sarfari Vans used by tradesmen, telephone/cable companies, taxis companies looking for a replacements. If Ford does not get more Transit Connects available soon and lock up the market, someone else is going to tweak an existing vehicle and take this opportunity for meaningful new product sales away. My dealer seems to be getting two WHITE XL cargo vans each week and they are sold before they get off the delivery truck. Thank you again.

I have a astro seat that I made work. I have since then gotten ford seats. I took and astro seat cut three inchs off the feet. Made a plate that woud boltg into the transit seat bolt pattern and bolted it in. I will send pictures if you like. I trade my astron in using the cash for clunkers, and looked around found a upfiter that had removed the seats. But I would be glad to give you my astro seat conversion if you like. it bolts right in.

[isellford]

Thank you Isellford for the detailed information. The 59 inches should work for me. I see you are in Texas; wish you were closer, but NY to Texas is too far for service. When I was still working/commuting I bought six new Fords over eighteen years from the same Ford dealership/salesman with great help and service. Now I want a less costly vehicle seems like this is more of a do it yourself sale/project. I looked at the Adrian Steel website. I see they have a Poyguard Partition designed for the Astro Van. Wish I knew about it seven years ago; it would have saved me a few headaches. I hope they make it available for the Transit Connect – removable/movable just what I need. My thirty boxes weigh about 30 pounds on average and lighter ones on top sometimes shift on hard braking.

In my area there is a huge fleet of aging Chevy Astro/GMC Sarfari Vans used by tradesmen, telephone/cable companies, taxis companies looking for a replacements. If Ford does not get more Transit Connects available soon and lock up the market, someone else is going to tweak an existing vehicle and take this opportunity for meaningful new product sales away. My dealer seems to be getting two WHITE XL cargo vans each week and they are sold before they get off the delivery truck. Thank you again.

Check out my website, there is another company called Ranger direct who makes aluminum products. We have ordered over 50 of the TC's in various configurations and have 3 on the ground right now; 1 XL and 2 XLT vans. We have 6 wagons that have hit the Port and should be arriving soon; 2 of which are at the local ramp. I have 2 of the 6 pre-sold. Contact me if I can be of assistance.

[hkr701]

Just a question. If all the vans arrive at the port as wagons what happens to the wagon seats and the sliding side door windows. Are these shipped back to Turkey to be used again or are some seats and side windows for sale here in the US at some warehouse or Ford dealer.

[fordbuff]

HenyrG,

My van is Reg. in NY w/ pass plates. You do not need seats. Go to www.nysdmv.com and check the Vehicle Modifications and Registration class page. Part 106.3 (d) states you can register a van in the passenger class if the van has :

at least one side window behind the driver, and

at least one seat OR set of seat fittings that is installed behind the driver

I had the dealer install a set of faux brackets beahind the drivers seat. They are held down w/ velcro and I can just pull them up if I need to. DMV does not inspect the vehicles. But if a trooper pulls me over, I will just show him the brackets and my printout of the DMV code.

I haven't even had a trooper give it a second look yet, and I drive on the parkways all the time. Just don't put any lettering or advertisements anywhere to attact any attention.

[amigaman68]

Just a question. If all the vans arrive at the port as wagons what happens to the wagon seats and the sliding side door windows. Are these shipped back to Turkey to be used again or are some seats and side windows for sale here in the US at some warehouse or Ford dealer.

They are scrapped at the port by some company. If you find out who. Let me know I desperatley need a set of ford rear seat belts for my transit.

[jenzaka]

Here is the story behind the rear seats.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125357990638429655.html

To Outfox the Chicken Tax, Ford Strips Its Own Vans

Logic Takes a Back Seat -- and Windows, as Auto Maker Plays Tariff Games

By MATTHEW DOLAN

BALTIMORE -- Several times a month, Transit Connect vans from a Ford Motor Co. factory in Turkey roll off a ship here shiny and new, rear side windows gleaming, back seats firmly bolted to the floor.

Their first stop in America is a low-slung, brick warehouse where those same windows, never squeegeed at a gas station, and seats, never touched by human backsides, are promptly ripped out.

The fabric is shredded, the steel parts are broken down, and everything is sent off along with the glass to be recycled.

Why all the fuss and feathers? Blame the "chicken tax."

The seats and windows are but dressing to help Ford navigate the wreckage of a 46-year-old trade spat. In the early 1960s, Europe put high tariffs on imported chicken, taking aim at rising U.S. sales to West Germany. President Johnson retaliated in 1963, in part by targeting German-made Volkswagens with a tax on imports of foreign-made trucks and commercial vans.

The 1960s went the way of love beads and sitar records, but the chicken tax never died. Europe still has a tariff on imports of U.S. chicken, and the U.S. still hits delivery vans imported from overseas with a 25% tariff. American companies have to pay, too, which puts Ford in the weird position of circumventing U.S. trade rules that for years have protected U.S. auto makers' market for trucks.

The company's wiggle room comes from the process of defining a delivery van. Customs officials check a bunch of features to determine whether a vehicle's primary purpose might be to move people instead. Since cargo doesn't need seats with seat belts or to look out the window, those items are on the list. So Ford ships all its Transit Connects with both, calls them "wagons" instead of "commercial vans." Installing and removing unneeded seats and windows costs the company hundreds of dollars per van, but the import tax falls dramatically, to 2.5 percent, saving thousands.

Customs officials won't discuss individual company's strategies, but Stephen Biegun, Ford's vice president for international governmental affairs, says the practice complies with the letter of the law. "We are free-traders, full stop," he says.

Foreign auto makers have long crossed swords with the chicken tax. Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. took the straightforward route and built plants in the U.S.

Subaru, owned by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan, imported a small pickup in the 1980s called the Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, or BRAT. But it wasn't a taxable truck, because it had two lawn-chair-like seats bolted to the open bed. (President Reagan owned a red one, according to Subaru.)

With the globalization of the auto industry, American companies have joined the game. Until recently, Chrysler Group LLC imported Dodge Sprinter vans made in Düsseldorf, Germany, by former owner Daimler AG. The engine, transmission, axles and wheels were removed, allowing the truck bodies to cross the border as auto components, which aren't subject to the tax. Daimler then reassembled the vehicles at a factory in Ladson, S.C.

Ford launched the Transit Connect in 2002. The compact commercial van with a distinctive raised roof was designed to haul goods through urban areas with tight streets. Since then, more than 600,000 of the vehicles have been sold.

When gas prices spiked, Ford saw a market among small-business owners in the U.S. Prices start at $20,780, much lower than would have been possible if Ford had to cover the chicken tax. Sales are off to a fast start. In August, Ford sold more than 2,200 in the U.S.

"It's great for city driving," said Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and star of Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. "It's shorter, smaller and has really good fuel economy." He bought a black Transit Connect last month. Since he doesn't carry passengers, his van has no windows or seats in the back.

The vans leave Turkey on cargo ships owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. Once they arrive in Baltimore, they are driven into a warehouse, where 65 workers from the shipping company's WWL Vehicle Services Americas Inc. convert them into commercial vehicles amid the blare of rock music and the whirring of industrial fans.

On a recent afternoon, a handful of vans passed through the warehouse unmolested as passenger wagons. But the vast majority were lined up to have windows pulled out, and they all had their rear seats removed.

In one lane, supervisor Robert Dowdy watched as two workers removed the rear side windows. They cut out the rubber seal with a special knife and popped out the glass using suction cups. The space is plugged with a metal panel that cures for 15 minutes before being tested outside for waterproofing.

At the start of that same lane, Mayso Lawrence unhooked a rear seat belt as easily as he would pop the top off a soda bottle. Using a drill, he quickly unscrewed six bolts to free the seats. Workers at the other end dump the seats into cardboard boxes, which are hoisted onto an open tractor-trailer and shipped to Ohio. Ford says the shredded seat fabric and foam become landfill cover, while the steel is processed for other uses.

"I never thought about why we take out the seats, but if that's what the customer wants, that's what we'll give them," Mr. Lawrence said.

With the seat removed, Mr. Lawrence puts in a new floor panel to cover the holes, toots the horn to signal he's finished, then gets to work on another van. The whole process takes him less than five minutes.

Rob Stevens, chief engineer for Ford's commercial vehicles, says the auto maker decided against shipping the seats back to Turkey for use in the next wave of vans for the U.S.

"We thought going through the recycling process was best," he said. "The steel is valuable."

Write to Matthew Dolan at matthew.dolan@wsj.com

[InTransit]

Do you ever get the feeling that you are living the movie "Idiocracy"? After watching that movie, things like throwing out perfectly good new auto components almost seem normal to me...

Why don't the Ford dealers get a couple of those seats for possible resale?

[amigaman68]

At the start of that same lane, Mayso Lawrence unhooked a rear seat belt as easily as he would pop the top off a soda bottle. Using a drill, he quickly unscrewed six bolts to free the seats. Workers at the other end dump the seats into cardboard boxes, which are hoisted onto an open tractor-trailer and shipped to Ohio. Ford says the shredded seat fabric and foam become landfill cover, while the steel is processed for other uses.

I really need a set of rear seat belts and the old floor matt. I can show pictures of my new ford van with gm seats in it. but at least I have a company name now and location.

[isellford]

Just a question. If all the vans arrive at the port as wagons what happens to the wagon seats and the sliding side door windows. Are these shipped back to Turkey to be used again or are some seats and side windows for sale here in the US at some warehouse or Ford dealer.

The fabric and foam is shredded and recycled. The steel is sold for scrap.

Edited September 23, 2009 by isellford

[madlock]

What remains unclear to me is how they manage the matter of RSC which is standard equipment on all North American TC Wagons. Obviously, some Wagons are made without it, as they are converted to become the Cargo Vans without RSC, unless those arrive with the seats just laid in the back rather than being fully-installed.

I surely plan to make a visit dockside.

[isellford]

What remains unclear to me is how they manage the matter of RSC which is standard equipment on all North American TC Wagons. Obviously, some Wagons are made without it, as they are converted to become the Cargo Vans without RSC, unless those arrive with the seats just laid in the back rather than being fully-installed.

I surely plan to make a visit dockside.

TC's are imported with seats installed because of the tariffs. The seats are removed and ground up for recycling as it is more cost effective than shipping them back. The subfloor and floor mat are than installed.

[madlock]

TC's are imported with seats installed because of the tariffs. The seats are removed and ground up for recycling as it is more cost effective than shipping them back. The subfloor and floor mat are than installed.

Yes, I understand. But that explains nothing about RSC presumably being part of every "Wagon", which subsequently must be either removed or "dumbed out" of Cargo Van versions that don't include it as an option. THAT's the unresolved mystery.