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Old 08-05-2019, 05:56 PM   #1
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Seating swap questions

A couple questions... BTW the vehicle is a 2009 RB E150 passenger wagon. Ultimately, I’d like to set up the van with two captains chairs behind the driver/shotgun positions, then a 4-person bench behind that. I’d reserve the back for cargo.

1) Will a 4-person bench fit in the location where the second 3-person bench is normally located (mounting holes line up, etc.)?

2) Have I been foolish to run my current captains chairs by securing them through the factory mounting holes, but with no backing plates? I didn’t really question it until now.

They are Flexsteel seats with individual bases. This is how it was set up from the previous owner. Not sure if these seats were a factory option for a shuttle bus-type setup, but I believe this was what the van was used for in its previous life.

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Old 08-05-2019, 06:00 PM   #2
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The factory ford seats have a different passenger side baseplate location between the 3 and 4 pax seats. Since your seats are aftermarket, you'll just have to measure them.

Yes, it's a bad idea to let passengers ride in seats that aren't properly anchored.
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Old 08-05-2019, 10:51 PM   #3
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2) Have I been foolish to run my current captains chairs by securing them through the factory mounting holes, but with no backing plates? I didn’t really question it until now.
Did you use the same torx bolts that went in those holes originally? The factory seats I took out were secured only with those bolts, no nuts, no backing plates.
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Old 08-06-2019, 06:00 AM   #4
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Did you use the same torx bolts that went in those holes originally? The factory seats I took out were secured only with those bolts, no nuts, no backing plates.
The factory bolt locations have integrated backing plates and welded-on threaded bosses.
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Old 08-06-2019, 08:27 AM   #5
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The factory bolt locations have integrated backing plates and welded-on threaded bosses.
^Yes. These are the attachment points used to mount my existing seat bases. I’m using grade 8 bolts, not Torx though, just because that’s what it came with.


I didn’t mean to imply that the seats were drilled through the floor without any reinforcement. I’ve rearranged the seats a few times and the factory holes felt solid enough so I didn’t question it then. Also, I was comparing it to a set of mounting brackets for a stock bench seat that had been installed in the location for the rearmost row. These had the heavy duty backing plates.

There were a lot of cautionary tales about improper seat mounting that popped up in my google searches for the 4-person bench seat swap. ...kinda spooked me
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Old 08-06-2019, 08:43 AM   #6
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There is one difference with the 4-person bench: Each leg requires 6 mounting bolts, rather than 4 required for the 3-person bench.
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Old 08-06-2019, 09:32 AM   #7
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The factory bolt locations have integrated backing plates and welded-on threaded bosses.
You said it much better!
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Old 08-06-2019, 11:48 AM   #8
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i moved my 4 person bench forward. i drilled the holes to use the 6 bolt plates (that the 4 person bench uses) and used large fender washers on the nuts in the new holes, and used the 4 existing holes from he drivers side bracket with the stock bolts.
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Old 08-06-2019, 11:58 AM   #9
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Thanks for the help. I suppose I’ll seek out a 3-person bench instead of the 4.

Do all stock 3-person benches mount similarly, or is the bench immediately behind the driver different? For some reason, I have the notion that the width between legs is not the same.
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Old 08-06-2019, 12:14 PM   #10
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Thanks for the help. I suppose I’ll seek out a 3-person bench instead of the 4.

Do all stock 3-person benches mount similarly, or is the bench immediately behind the driver different? For some reason, I have the notion that the width between legs is not the same.
The 2nd row bench seat does have a different leg location. This is because the 2nd row has the hip-attachment point for the seatbelt next to the side door. It's not really a structural limitation, its so that vans with multiple rows of 3-seats don't get them mixed up, leaving row 2 without a functioning seatbelt in the door-side position.
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