Alternative seats .
Hi Guys,
first post so be gentle with me!
I'm trying to convince my good wife that a G wagon would be an ideal car for me to do the school run in (oh yea, I live in the country not a city) but she's non too impressed with the looks of the G but that's not going to put me off. I'm looking to get a pre 86 LWB model for motor tax reasons and seats and seatbelts are her next concern. We have 4 small kids all in child seats and boosters are to become illegal here at christmas for under 12s so it has to be 4 seats with 3 point belts in the back.
So, on to the questions. Are the middle row lap or 3 point belts and if lap only has anyone retro fitted 3 point belts to all 3 seats? What alternative seats have people fitted to the back in place of the jump seats?
I'm thinking (If I can persuade her to go along with my plan) to fit a set of seats from a renault grand espace, 3 in the middle and 2 in the rear if there is sufficient space between the arches. The seats all fit in rails, have integrated 3 point belts and can be removed in an instant, giving a big load carrying capacity, well probably not as big as the espace but big enough. So all that would, in theory, be required is removing the middle seats and fixing the rails to the floor.
Any thoughts or opinions?
Thanks.
Torq
Hello Torq,
Welcome.
The middle seat uses a lap belt. The rear of the seats is metal so maybe a rotor fed 3point could be fitted. But goodness knows how you would test its effectiveness ? (I would want to know it performs correctly under the worst condition of ya know what I mean ?)
Would Espace seats fit ? Goodness knows but again sounds an interesting theory and if can accommodate width n height then I guess feasible. Drilling through the floor pan and bolting underneath might be tricky since fuel tank is mounted under there.
There's only really one real answer ! You need both !!!
Anyone with a tape measure want help?
T
The standard rear bench seat is circa 1300mm
The space between rear arches in the boot is 980mm
the rear bench seat sits up on a ledge so further investigation would be needed to check compatability. I've heard that the seats from a C class can be fitted but again would need some serious careful checking.
My little truck from these measurements are taken is a LWB W460. The W463 may differ.
Cheers,
Neil
Front seats of w201/2 fit, rear doubtful, I'd have thought bolting a seat belt reel to the boot floor is the better option to create a 3 point belt, if the club has a schematic for the current w463 model it should give a location position, or alternatively using the seat frames of the original as these are immensely strong steel backed units.
Thanks Neil,
great information!
The standard rear bench seat is circa 1300mm
That might be a problem. The espace seats measure 141 across and coincidentally so those of my 02 Seat Alhambra, yea, we have a few people carriers!
The space between rear arches in the boot is 980mm
That'll do nicely, a pair of seats are 94cm
the rear bench seat sits up on a ledge so further investigation would be needed to check compatability. I've heard that the seats from a C class can be fitted but again would need some serious careful checking.
My little truck from these measurements are taken is a LWB W460. The W463 may differ.
Cheers,
Neil
Going to go searching t'interweb for a major restoration thread to see what the floor looks like when the interior is stripped out to check out the ledge.
Thanks!
Torq
Good old google! Is there anything you don't know?
I pulled it from this thread, I don't speak a word of German so it's just a case of look at the pretty pictures!
http://www.offroad-forum.de/viewtopic.php?t=43187&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
An enormously long thread and even using the translation tool incomprehensible other than looking at the pictures which are coving the restoration of what was a rust bucket.
Yep, 49 pages of not much but a few good pics. I've seen plenty of long rambling threads like that which never actually make it to the end of the restoration. But I've also seen some great ones, including a part by part strip and build of a Getrag 265/5 dogleg gearbox.
Well guys, thanks for the replies but it's now time to say good bye. A decent G wagon is beyond my budget anything I can afford is a rust bucket on wheels so my search for a classic 7 seater 4x4 is now sending me down the Mk1 Pajero route.
Thanks again and who knows when the kids grow up I might be back.
Torq
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Hi Neil,
thanks for the reply. You are dead right I wouldn't want to test out the effectiveness of the belts with my kids.
We already have 2 espace and I'd like to move mine on but I do have a parts car with a full set of seats it could donate. As you righty ask, would they fit. So if you've a few mins to spare could you throw a tape measure across your rear seat from door card to door card and also between the rear arches and I'll compare to the espace. Height wise I don't see a problem.
Mmh, wonder would I also be able to get the espace's panoramic sunroof to fit. Only joking!
Thanks.
Torq
Hello Torq,
Welcome.
The middle seat uses a lap belt. The rear of the seats is metal so maybe a rotor fed 3point could be fitted. But goodness knows how you would test its effectiveness ? (I would want to know it performs correctly under the worst condition of ya know what I mean ?)
Would Espace seats fit ? Goodness knows but again sounds an interesting theory and if can accommodate width n height then I guess feasible. Drilling through the floor pan and bolting underneath might be tricky since fuel tank is mounted under there.
There's only really one real answer ! You need both !!!