While the weather has been not too warm for painting in the past few weeks I decided to have a go at making a passenger seat for my van.
As my tube bending capabilities are limited to a hand bender I based my design on making a copy of the drivers seat as this has just a single tube bend construction. The original design of passenger seat needed more complex bending.
The drivers metal seat box that supports the seat frame and back I made in two parts....a metal support frame, to take the seat loads and a wooden box that copies the outer form of the original box, just for appearance and to hide the support frame. The metal support frame sits inside the outer box and will be bolted to the van floor. The seat rails bolt to the support frame. No back and forward adjustment of the seat...just a fixed position.
The seat pan and back I formed from steel angle and sheet using a riveted and bolted construction plus a 6mm plywood base to seat pan The rails use 20 mm steel tubes I managed to bend using a hand bender after filling them with sand and duct taping the ends to seal them. Tube bends collapsed very little, probably less than 5%. The seat pan and back rest both bolt to the rails.
The edges of the back and seat pan are covered with a 6mm round rubber edge trim to protect the upholstery.
I will have the seat upholstered to copy the drivers seat, sometime in the new year.
Here are some photos of the near finished items....going to change the hinges on the box door to a piano hinge...no bolts shown in photo to fasten the seat frame to the support frame, just the mounting holes..
Support Frame
Uses -20 mm box section and 20 mm angle riveted to position and finally welded.
Seat rails sit either side of frame , supported by top angle.
Outer box.
Uses 13 mm plywood and has side access door to allow storage and access to
bolts for fastening frame to floor and seat rails to frame.
Frame inside box
Seat frame and back sat on base
Seat back bolted to seat rails
Curved seat back uses 1.5mm sheet steel.
Seat rails mounting holes...to be bolted both sides.
