Does anyone make conversion kits to convert regular van back seats
into seats that fold into a bed?

My previous van was a Dodge, the back seats folded flat into a
comfortable bed for camping.

Newest van is a Ford and it looks like the Ford seats won't fold.

~~~~~~~~~~

Also, the Ford van I own was a cargo model. I now have the stock Ford
passenger back seats. Is it possible to retrofit the passenger van
mounts into the cargo van?

Anyone done it? I'd imagine I would have to buy the floor mounts from
Ford.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for any help!

Thanks!

Craig ('97 Ford E-350, 7.3L PSD with Quigley 4x4)

 

The back seat of the Chateau Club Wagon for years 1994+ does fold down into a bed.

 

I seriously doubt "anyone make(s) conversion kits" like this. You'd need to get under the upholstery, cut the heavy steel seat frame & securely install hinges/latches. Its going to be cheaper/easier to acquire a used OEM folding seat.

The rear seat in Chateau (optional on XLT) Club Wagons for years 1992+ does fold out into a bed. Note that it does not just "fold down" the seatback is hinged to fold out at top & down at bottom, making an ~triple wide bed. There were folding rear bench seats in the earlier Econoline too.

I'd strongly recommend getting seated before you ask FORD to quote a price for the "floor mounts" & suggest a salvage yard or inquiring online for the mounts & seat.

The big hurtle may be anchoring the heavy mounting plates. Of course FORD had to do it to crash standards, resulting in the seat belts being anchored via the 8 big 'thru floor' bolts. If your "cargo model" happens to have the special threaded reinforcements under the floor to bolt into, your job is made easy. The 2 mounting plates have 4 bolts each ~17" apart front to rear & ~5" apart L to R, the rear bolt sits a bit aft of the F of the wheel well ~10" in. Suggest you inspect these areas from underneath to judge access.

 

Do a Goggle search for Disount Van, Truck, SUV, and RV. They have all the parts needed. They carry a wid variety of seats including those that turn into a bed. For larger or longer people the carry a bed extension. And for mounting the carry two types of quick release floor mounts, (one is a weld in type and the other is A large nut and bolt with lock washers That is threaded all the way down. They recommend reinforcing plate on the underside

 

i purchased the factory manuals for my 95 E350. most part numbers for things are in each illustration. so for my van, there was a list of parts needed to take the factory nonfolding 4 person wide back row seat and convert it to the folding bed which then unfolded in three sections. i dunno if any of those parts are still available or whether they would work on your seat. maybe track down the manual set for your year and see what is shown?? i do plan to do the folding bed conversion whether or not the factory parts are available for my van.

the concept was pretty simple - start with the nonfolding seat, the back was mounted to the seat bottom at either end with a solid plate. the dealer would remove the plate and add a hinged piece w/ latch to each end. then the third portion of the bed was bolted to the top of the seat back (there was another hinge pair used here) as well as the cosmetic cover that hid the sides of the third section mattress. the third section had its own pair of legs that folded down when in the bed position. and i seem to remember something about the armrests converting to fold down....

as far as the seat mounting, nothing changed on my van as one was just "modifying" the factory seat base

neil in san marcos

 

I scored a back seat from a Clubwagon at a salvage yard for next to nothing. I think less than $40 The seat mounting holes were cut with a blow torch at Comfort Conversions with 1/8 inch thick reinforcment plates. I'm swapping the seat that was installed but removed by previous owner for the Clubwagon seat that turns into a fullside bed. When it is laid flat the bed takes up all the space between the back hinge of the curb door to the back doors. It just fits between the vans finished walls. You could save money by getting a used seat that already lays flat when needed and have it recovered.

 

Not that I'm particularly "high pockets" but looking closely at convertable van furniture, I finally decided to put a metal framed futon in the back of my '81 E 150. Not only can I store gear under it for additional storage, when it's folded out it fills the entire cargo area so even I can stretch out in it (lengthways)

 

I recently purchased the 3rd row seat out of a 94 Chateau from a salvage yard ($44!) for an art project (and later to be used as a futon for my dorm). Now that the art project is over, I want to be able to use the seat as a futon in my dorm. When they took it out of the van, they told me they left everything on it so I could attach a battery and it would fold it down. However, they weren't clear about how to attach it. Does anyone know how to attach a battery to make it fold down (and back up)? Is it possible to do so with out the battery? Also, what kind of battery do I need?
Thanks!

 

Is there a 12v lead cord coming from it somewhere?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by vpark3

I recently purchased the 3rd row seat out of a 94 Chateau from a salvage yard ($44!) for an art project (and later to be used as a futon for my dorm). Now that the art project is over, I want to be able to use the seat as a futon in my dorm. When they took it out of the van, they told me they left everything on it so I could attach a battery and it would fold it down. However, they weren't clear about how to attach it. Does anyone know how to attach a battery to make it fold down (and back up)? Is it possible to do so with out the battery? Also, what kind of battery do I need?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

Quote:

Originally Posted by vpark3

Thanks!

<o></o>
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The folding mechanism for the rear seat / bed from a '94 Chateau Wagon is manual. No electricity is required. If it is electric, it came from a conversion van. For identification purposes, the '94 Chateau upholstery has red piping on it.<o></o>
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Look on the right end of the seat where you will find a black lever, much like a typical manual recline lever. When you move the lever the two back panels will be free to move into the flat position. The extra panel on the seat back will release as the two are maybe a third of the way through the folding arc. At that point you will need to swing the extra panel out / up to extend the bed to it's full length. The last step is to fold down the extra panel support hoop that is attached to the bottom side of the extra panel by hinges. It will become the legs to hold up the extended bed. <o></o>
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When fully deployed you will have the seat bottom, the seat back and the extra panel laid out flat with the support hoop folded down 90 degrees to the bottom of the bed supporting one end. The other end is supported by the bench legs that normaly attach the bench to the floor of the van for passenger use. You will need to get the floor mounting plates, or cobble up an alternative, from the junkyard (if you don't already have them) to form a stable and level base for your bed when sitting on the floor. <o></o>
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Gene<o></o>

 

Does anyone have any pictures of the Chateau Club Wagon back seat so I might know better what I'm looking for? My husband and I are trying to convert a E-350 van for camping and would love to find a bench seat that folds into a bed.

Is the Chateau the only one that would do this and fit well, or are there other options to consider?

 

Lisa if you cruise the Pick N Pull type lots look for any conversion van along with the Club Wagon and/or Chateau E vans----some of the nicer converted vans have very very high quality and durable seating, more than a few with the folding rear-most sofa.

Do keep in mind the upholstery might not match AND anything found might need to be deeply cleaned. For the most part you'd be looking for the better frame and opening/closing mechanisms along with an idea how it was originally mounted.

 

Thanks so much!

 

I have one for sale (shameless plug). No really, i can forward you some pretty good pics of a completely stock and clean Chateau interior if that's what you are needing.
pm me an email address and i'll forward you a link or pics.

 

I'm at the local Pull-a-Part quite often checking out the Ford vans. ALL the conversion vans I see have the folding seat/bed. They're not very comfy and they're small. I'm doing a custom slide out behind the driver seat with a futon matress. Futons are cheap & comfy!