rear facing seats

[m1c]

i need a rear facing seat to go behind the passenger seat for an extra person (bench seat has 2 child seats). do i have to buy one specially made or can i make my own base from wood and stick a seat on it?! i dont know if theres any legal requirements.

cheers

[camper]

I fitted a rear facing seat removed from a mazda bongo van perfect fit.

[CovKid]

Just type 'buddy seat' in the forum search box. Plenty info on here. I actually made my own and passengers say its very comfortable. It also doubles up as a great storage unit, one of the reasons why DIY can often be the way to go. The pics of the finished seat were lost when this forum was rebuilt (will try to find them) but essentially I first ran long lengths of pine through a bench saw to create a central groove that would accept a hardboard panel. I then made three frame/panels this way for the sides, created a back for it with only a mild rake to it to avoid clashing with back of passenger seat, then used varnish to create a wood grain effect with the brush. What I ended up with was an incredibly light but enormously strong seat that I bolted to bulkhead under passenger seat and floor. The seat base was simply a square plywood panel that rests on wood strips on the inside of the seat box. I can lift this and stash heaps of stuff in there. Also added decking LED lights to the panels which come on when lights are switched on at night - help lights floor area for passengers. Finish could be carpet if you wished.

My view is if theres any way you can reduce weight, go for it. Chipboard and MDF are heavy materials and I won't use them at all now. They might be simpler but weigh a ton, not particularly strong where they butt up and just add to poor fuel consumption. The slotted pine lengths and hardboard are the lightest construction I've found to date yet once glued/screwed are very strong indeed.

The alternative is a hinged drop down seat similar to those found in landrovers but again I think its better to make these kind of things to fit. Legal requirements are really commonsense approach in terms of being secure and strong. I also used a lapbelt bolted to same fittings as passenger seat but using longer bolts.