Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

Bit of a stupid idea/question, is it possible to add back seats to a van?, I understand there would be no footwell but is it feasible?, came up with the idea after a family member told me that back in the 60's her father fitted back seats in an Austin A35 van, but she couldn't remember if there was anywhere to put her feet.

Regards,

Joe

Interesting question, which should be easily answered by any van owner.

It was certainly possible with some small vans of the 60s, for example, the Commer Imp Van. The load bed of the Imp Van simply extended out from the height of the engine to the rear of the front seats. Under it was the standard Hilman Imp car floor pan.
My dad brought one new in '66/67 (D Plate), cut the seat shape out of the load bed and made his own bench seat.
This was considerably cheaper than buying a 'Husky' Estate which was launched a few months later, as the tax on a van was far less.
Of course, us kids rode in the back with no windows!

So my point being, it depends on what floor pan is in the back of an Austin Minor van.

I had a A35 van fitted with the rear seat conversion and there was room for your feet in a footwell behind the front seats.

The rear seat conversion folded flat to give a total flat bed in the back of the van.

It was a popular conversion in its day but back then you were only limited to 40mph as purchase tax was not paid on a commercial vehicle.

I also had the A35 Countryman which had the same conversion but had windows in the side.

Looking at the Minor van parts list there is a front van body cross member that would encroach on any foot well requirements. It does not look possible to remove or modify the cross member without causing other problems.

Directly behind the seats there is a vertical panel extending maybe 5 inches or so from the cab floor. From that height the cargo floor starts. Seats situated here would seriously limit headroom and allow nowhere for your feet.

Oh well, just a thought, the thing is I'd love a van but I've got family members who will want a trip in the car so really I'm still limited to a Traveller, which is still nice.

Thanks,

Joe

Well I am not entirely sure how it worked but we had a series II van which had side windows and rear seats added - very comfy bench type. We were children at the time but I believe there was room for feet and it was not too restricted for headroom but not sure how! Sorry told you not very helpful but it is do-able!

Plin wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:25 am Well I am not entirely sure how it worked but we had a series II van which had side windows and rear seats added - very comfy bench type. We were children at the time but I believe there was room for feet and it was not too restricted for headroom but not sure how! Sorry told you not very helpful but it is do-able!

Oh that's fine, it was just out of interest anyway

JHarley wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 5:41 pm Oh well, just a thought, the thing is I'd love a van but I've got family members who will want a trip in the car so really I'm still limited to a Traveller, which is still nice.

Thanks,

Joe

A saloon has exactly the same seating area/capacity as a Traveller - and for much less money.

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:05 am

JHarley wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 5:41 pm Oh well, just a thought, the thing is I'd love a van but I've got family members who will want a trip in the car so really I'm still limited to a Traveller, which is still nice.

Thanks,

Joe

A saloon has exactly the same seating area/capacity as a Traveller - and for much less money.

I get that but personally I'd like to be able to the have seats fold down and have the extra space

Joe

IF you can find a rusting van, the floor can be modified. The frame is flat until the rear spring cross member. The side sills of the cab can be extended so that the cab/box cross member assembly can be moved back. I've done that. To have a flat folding seat would take more modification of the box floor to create a pocket for the seat back to fold into.

jaekl wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:02 pm IF you can find a rusting van, the floor can be modified. The frame is flat until the rear spring cross member. The side sills of the cab can be extended so that the cab/box cross member assembly can be moved back. I've done that. To have a flat folding seat would take more modification of the box floor to create a pocket for the seat back to fold into.

Thanks again for the advice but I have no technical knowledge so I only have a vague idea of what that means.