Adding rear seats to a cargo van?

[Dia]

OK, this might sound like a goofball question because obviously SMB and other outfitters add seats all the time, right? Well, here goes.

See, I might have found my van. Some poor schmuck ordered a Chevy 3500 cargo van, but with windows like the passenger style. Then he found out he couldn't get seats put in it, so he returned his custom-ordered van to the dealership, and the dealer is now listing it as a used 2013 cargo van with 1,700 miles.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... 2905&Log=0

On the face of things, this looks like a perfect base for me to work with. The roof is unfinished, which is perfect because I'll have a PH put in. I like the rubber floor cuz this is a camping van and carpet's gonna get thrashed in short order. I even like that it doesn't have all the seats because I'd have taken them out anyways.

Well, all but one. We need seating for three, minimum, and I'd prefer to have at least one bench seat back there so we have forward-facing seating for 5. The kid and I both get carsick, so forward-facing seats are a must if we don't want to run a vomit comet. Which brings me around to the dealership's claim that the OP rejected the vehicle over the inability to install seats.

I've asked the dealership to clarify the seat issue, but I'm pretty sure y'all know the answer. What's it take to put rear captains or a rear bench seat into a Chevy cargo van with a rubber floor? Am I looking at tricky seatbelt issues? Fussy floor mounts? Safety issues? (And you'da thought the OP would have worked this out beforehand.)

If it can be done, I'd love to have those folding, kneeling Mega Cab seats I've seen some of you talking about, and there's one for sale over in the Classifieds. But I'm going to look like the world's biggest SMB idiot if I plunk down 25k for a van and I can't get seats in there.

So, O Bountiful Forum, edumacate me!

ETA: Dealer says that neither dealer nor factory will install the seats b/c it means modifying the vehicle and presents warranty/liability/insurance issues for them as the seller. Aftermarket would be up to me to figure out.

If you kind folks tell me that seats are something money and tools can safely solve, I'm considering making a lowball offer on the van.

Thanks!

Dia

P.S. I wasn't sure if this belonged here, or in Van Body, or even in General, so if I called it wrong, please feel free to move it.

[carringb]

Just take it here:

http://www.cvcandmore.com

They have their own seats, but I'm sure they could adapt something different. They do LOTS of seat conversions, including the entire Enterprise Ride Share fleet, which is where I got my van from.

If that doesn't pan out, there's also Van Specialties in Portland. And of course SMB.

Bottom line - it can be done. It can even be a DIY project but you have to understand the anchoring requirements and ways to do that. Basically, you just need a backing plate under the floor with suitable strength and surface area to prevent pull-through.

[Dia]

Hmmm, that's not all that far, either, and I can go to Disneyland while they're working on it.

[BrianW]

Van converters add aftermarket seats all the time. I had a third captain's chair added to my Ford van, no problem. As others have said, you just need the correct hardware.

[Dia]

OK, this is sounding good. Now to convince the hubs that it's time to pull the trigger.

[mikracer]

Thats a great looking van. Its kind of nice that its such a blank canvas, even for seat configuration. The only thing I would think about is what your van layout will be and making sure you put the bench/captains where it wont interfere with your interior buildout. I would try to have the mounting mechanism as flush as possible so you can take the seats out (if only 2 are going on a trip) and be able to have more space.

[Dia]

It's pretty close to perfect for what we want to do with it. Dealer jacked the price by $1000 as soon as I emailed, tho.

[daveb]

You might have to pay it or possibly lose it to somebody else but if I flat didn't want to pay that extra price I'd find out what it doesn't have (even stuff you don't want) and throw that back at dealer (We really want this but...,We wanted that but..., If we buy the van we'll have to pay for...) Never show your cards and don't let them know what you plan to do with the vehicle or they'll know they got you hooked and push up the price like they're doing. Still you risk losing it to another buyer but most dealer's/people want to move stuff fast and that's on your side.
Hope it works out for you.

[Dia]

Truth is, it doesn't have everything we want (frex, a rear seat), but it's still worth jumping on if we can get it for a fair price. IMHO, that extra grand takes it out of 'fair price' territory (it's 1500 over book at that price). Chevy pax vans are a dime a dozen around here, and they're going for a thou or two under book. This one is mighty nice, but I'm confident that something else will come along if this one gets away.

[daveb]

Make em an offer 1000 below their original asking price with your phone number and start looking elsewhere.