Vehicle seat conversion apparatus and method

A method for converting a van vehicle rear seating system from an OEM van vehicle rear seating system to a customized van rear seating system wherein the OEM van vehicle rear seating system has a floor structure for receiving a seating system which floor structure comprises OEM struts extending axially of the vehicle and OEM cross bars fixed on the OEM struts the OEM cross bars being in pairs of an OEM forward cross bar and an OEM rearward cross bar each pair for receiving an OEM seat leg and the OEM cross bars extending laterally across the OEM strut at a predetermined space above the OEM strut defining a space, and the forward and rearward cross bars providing access to replacement seat installation according to selected seat replacement plans comprising:

• providing a conversion seat assembly for installation comprising one or more seats and an adapter base attached to the one or more seats and one or more seat legs attached to the adapter base, each seat leg comprising a lower portion in the form of a rigid box structure having a lower bar forming a bottom of the lower portion and a front hook and a rear hook projecting below the lower bar to define a space between each of the front hook and the rear hook and the lower bar to capture the forward cross bar and the rearward cross bar respectively in the defined space between the front hook and the lower bar and the rear hook and the lower bar, the rear hook having an axially extending portion having a threaded hole spaced from a vertical portion and providing a threaded fastener extendable through the lower bar of the seat leg for threaded attachment in the threaded hole whereby when installed the threaded fastener captures the rearward cross bar and prevents any rearward movement of the seat assembly and further comprising an upper portion having spaced apart parallel sides defining a receiving space;
• the adapter base having an axial portion and a lateral portion, the axial portion comprising spaced apart axial members each extending axially from a frontal end to a rearward end each axial member having a vertical height defined by oppositely facing surfaces, said oppositely facing surfaces being spaced apart to be fitted into the receiving space of the upper portion and the lateral portion comprising a pair of axially spaced apart lateral members extending in parallel, laterally defining a forward lateral member and a rear lateral member and being connected respectively to the frontal end of the axial members and to the rearward end of the axial members;
• providing one or more replacement seats according to a predetermined seat replacement plan each replacement seat having axially forward and rearward securing portions located to be secured respectively to the forward and rearward lateral members of the adapter base;
• attaching the replacement seats to the mating lateral members and attaching the seat legs to the adapter base axial members according to a selected seat replacement plan;
• and
• fitting the seat legs to the OEM struts by placing the seat leg hooks in a position rearward of the cross bars and moving the seat assembly forward so that the hooks of the seat legs are under the respective cross bar and installing the threaded member into the rear hook thereby fixing the rear cross bar to the seat leg against rearward movement of the seat leg and the hooks fixing the seat leg against movement relative to the cross bars, whereby the seat assembly is in firm assembly to the floor structure of the OEM vehicle seating system.