Double front passenger seat

[High Peaker]

Now we have a small daughter, I have fitted a 3 point seatbelt in the back, but she seems very left behind, back there.
To better share the experience with her, we would like to get her up front, meaning a double passenger seat. This will also create a space more suitable for adapting to a cab bed / separate "child's room", although we would lose the extra space created by the swivel seat we currently have.

Some questions come up:

1. Is it legal to drive with a minor in the front of a van? Obviously she would be in an appropriately sized child seat, but the presence of rear seats may make it a car in law.

2. Having read the previous threads on here about the lateral bar to bolt the back to, are there any other mods needed? Is the bar needed, as without it you could get seats that recline flat into a child's bed.

3. Are double seats handed (LHD / RHD) or universal?

4. If the project's a goer, has anyone got a RHD one they want to swap for a single seat, swivel plate, or two nice plush velour Saab seats?

Cheers.

[crashsurfer]

Hi Alex,
I believe it is legal for a child to be seated in the front of a van, but if the child is seated in a baby seat, then the belt really needs to be an inertia style seat belt.
hope this helps,
graham.

[High Peaker]

Thanks Graham - that sorts out the "may I" part.
So with a bar running across the front and back of the two seat boxes to create a base, and a lateral bar across the seat back, that will give seat mounting points as well as places to mount a 3 point seat belt.
Anyone else done that - or did standard centre seats just have a lap belt?

[jamesc76]

Sure a few have done it do you have acces to decent quaility steel if so you should be able to make up mounting pionts for a centre inertia belt!

[billy739]

middle seat has a lap belt.

i have a van to break with a double seat rhd,

rhd/lhd are not interchangeable.

[Damien]

My panel van has the 3 standard seats, middle is a lap belt. One side mounts on the same bolts as catch for driver and other side uses same bolt as passengers catch bit, so no need for additional mounts. My boys car seat goes on passengers side with mrs is the middle, enough space for the mrs to squeeze past as well. Tried eyeing up if the child seat would fit in the middle with inertia belt but makes the gearstick awkward to get at.

If you can get a standard seat you could get a box section and fit it in behind the seats at the right height to hold the back and thats all you'll need unless you can get your hands on a bulkhead. Then get a cab bunk for the little 'un.

The other idea i had was to get a double seat from a minibus of the type that goes over the wheel arch (ideally with built in inertia seatbelts). That would obviously involve looking at a few designs to see if it is possible.