L400 swivelling captain's chairs in front

[jessef]

I plan on doing this mod at least on the passenger side.

Good read :

http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25450

This setup will work very well with the low roof L400's with the swivel middle bench seat. A small table and you can fit four people in comfortably for a meal with the back of the van open for cargo or more people.

[Green1]

I read that thread a while back, and I'd love to do it as well. Probably just the passenger side though as it sounds like the driver's side is much more work (and less use really)

I'm not entirely confident in my skills to do the work though, so it may wait a while.

[ShaneA]

That's an awesome mod! One of the only things I miss from my '86 Westie.

Jesse, let me know if you need a nice level driveway to work in ;)

[jessef]

I found a captains chair and thought, why not ?

Diving into it ...

[jessef]

Almost there...

[Green1]

ok, this is entirely not fair, it should take you a lot more time to do something like this! now you're making it look easy, which means I'll want to try it, and I'll end up taking DAYS to get half way to where you got to before getting myself completely SNAFU'd...

oh wait... this is supposed to be a post of encouragement... good going! make sure to note anything that you "wish you'd known" that wasn't in the UK post... This is a mod I really want to do.

[TardisDeli]

Jesse, wow, looks simple. Pls confirm: was the seat you put in a captains chair from a normal L400. and the track that exists in your l400 passenger area is the exact same size? Just asking now, cuz I know we'll get asked at meet ups if you're not there --

OFF TOPIC WARNING: Jesse, can you show chair at the IKEA coquitlam meet this friday 7 May, we have a new neighbour with new L400, he's so enthusiastic to camperize by long weekend. Wants to see how you sleep in yours, did you remove rear bench or middle seats or just just a mattress atop the bumpy seats etc.

Christine.

[jessef]

I'll keep you guys posted and I'm sure we can make the Ikea meet.

It's actually (the chair swap) quite simple.

Remove 4 bolts on original front passenger chair.
Remove chair.
Peel back carpet and remove thick foam insulation.
Take L400 middle-row captain's chair from donor vehicle and put it in reversed (front at back and back at front).

This way, 3 of the 4 original passenger seat bolt holes in the floor line up.

I will have to do 3 modifications to the donor captain's chair to have it a) fit properly and b) be just as safe as the original.

1. cut 8" inches of track at the back so it doesn't run too far back where the sliding door entry/exit is.
2. weld two flatbar pieces of steel (green in the pic below) to line up with the existing hole.
3. drill a single hole through floor and nut/bolt through the new bracket.

Probably 1hr of fabricating/playing around at most.

I don't mind explaining it/showing it/helping other do it in the future although I will not accept liability for the modification as it does change the passenger seat.

With that said, once bolted in, it's just like the original (seatbelt, placement, etc...)


*pics below borrowed from other thread.

[Green1]

This way, 3 of the 4 original passenger seat bolt holes in the floor line up.

You say 3 of the 4, however the diagram you posted, and the original article, say that only 2 line up?

1. cut 8" inches of track at the back so it doesn't run too far back where the sliding door entry/exit is.

so if you don't cut the track, the track itself hits the sliding door well?
How does it line up in relation to the middle row tracks?

2. weld two flatbar pieces of steel (green in the pic below) to line up with the existing hole.

Here's my confusion with the 3/4 vs 2/4... if 3 of them already line up, why do you need to weld two pieces of steel?

3. drill a single hole through floor and nut/bolt through the new bracket.

do you think that the new hole will be as strong as the original mounts? are they reinforced in some other way?

Probably 1hr of fabricating/playing around at most.

for you maybe... it'll be a little bit more for someone like me who's never welded...

[jessef]

The 2 front existing holes line up and the donor captains chair rail bolts right in.

The existing rear passenger side hole is further away, hence a metal flat backet with a hole in to bolt through.

The existing rear driver's side hole is blocked and underneath the donor captain's rail. A new hole will have to be drilled with a new bolt/nut inserted.

You can leave the whole length of the rail but it doesn't make sense for as the rails are very long. Laid down, they extend roughly 10 inches past the back of the original front passenger seat point. Cutting 8 inches off the rails makes the install look very clean which will leave only a few inches of rail exposed in behind the seat. If I leave the full length, people climbing in via the sliding door will be stepping over it.

Cutting that length (tape measure in the pic below).

[jessef]

Finally done.

I did something different compared the UK guys. Instead of drilling a new hole in the floor and running a bolt down/nut up, I just fabricated a bracket with a hole in it and a stud facing up.

This way, I use the existing floor holes for the original passenger seat and if I decided to remove the swivel seat and put the original seat back in, I can.

Pics below.

[Green1]

looking good!

So do the tracks sit basically flush with the top of the carpet like the rear tracks?

I really need to get myself a "spare" seat... and a welder...

[jessef]

The tracks are about 1-2" above the carpet which is why I cut the rears down.

Doesn't really stick up much because of the contour of the floor and carpet. Lots of bumps and shapes.

All in all, it looks good and most importantly, it's really functional.

The next project is the drivers side.

This is what I'm aiming for. This will open up the entire floorplan of the Delica.

[ShaneA]

Looks awesome Jesse!

[jessef]

Drivers side complete. Just need to relocate the eee-brake.

Swivel plate underneath the stock seat

stock seat with rails bolts directly to the plate

bottom of swivel plate bolts directly to existing seat holes in floor

direct fit / direct bolt

a) I didn't make it

b) I pulled it from a parts L400 and came across it by accident. Had I not dropped my keys on the floor and went down to grab them, I would not have seen the nicely hidden swivel plate.

Got lucky