Hello all, new to this forum...

Just bought a 2008 GC. Is there a way to change the 2nd row stow n go captain chairs to a 3-seat bench?

Thanks

 

The Dodge minivan line (1984 thru 2013) was never designed to carry 8 people (2 front, 3 middle, 3 rear). They are all rated for 6 or 7 passengers max. The Grand Caravan center bench was always designed for 2 occupants, not 3. There is no center seat belt in the center bench row and they are too narrow. You could cobble up an 8 passenger setup in the pre stow and go era by installing a 3 seat 3rd row bench in the second row, but this blocked access to the 3rd row, forcing you to crawl over. I think those days of cheating are over. If you want 3 seats you'd need to get out your tools and design something. However that would put lots of liability on your shoulders if you ever had an accident and an occupant got hurt. Your insurance company will swarm on you and deny payment. I would not want to forfeit $300K personal injury medical insurance protection just to squeeze another person into the van, but then again, I never picked fruit for a living.

 

I totally agree. I'm not planning on having 8 passengers. I'm installing a power wheelchair platform in the rear which will completely eliminate the rear store and go bench completely. This will make the van a 4 passenger. If I'm able to covert the middle row to a 3 seater, at least I'll have 5 passengers. Since I'll no longer have a 3rd row, there's no need for access to the rear. The only problem I see is the seat belt issue.

Thanks for the reply...

 

Regardless of whether or not you render the 3rd row useless, I wouldn't recommend doing this unless Chrysler made/makes a 3-seat bench that will drop into the 2008's 2nd row attach points (which I doubt). I suppose it's possible to jury rig something, like Lscman said, but I agree with his point that your insurance company might have something to say if you were ever involved in an accident and people back there got hurt, or if the arrangement got knocked loose in an accident and needed to be repaired.

For what it's worth the only minivan I've ever seen with an optional 3-seat 2nd row is the Toyota Sienna. I think the latest Honda Odyssey might also have such an option but I'm not positive.

 

Unfortunately the stow and go feature eliminated the option to latch the 3rd row seat bench into the second row attachment points. A 2001 to 2007 grand caravan or standard caravan without the stow and go option could be easily set up with 2nd row triple seat bench without modifying a thing. You just remove the second row, then move the 3rd row seat to the second row and latch it in place. That configuration allowed seating for 5 passenger with no 3rd row. Every seat had a seat belt. The second and third row floor attachment points were identical prior to stow and go, but not after.

I think your best shot would be to investigate van customizers that specializes in handicap conversions. They may have a properly-designed, proven 3-seat bench solution for the second row that would satisfy your insurance carrier with respect to safety. They would need to properly weld the attachment points into the subframe like the mfr to withstand rollover accident or offer a floor mount adapter with adequate strength that allow triple bench seat swap. The SE has a double bench in the second row, so modifying a triple to fit should not be tough. Custom van outfits aren't cheap. I've noticed that most handicap folks stick with the '01-'07 vans because they are cheaper to modify and present fewer conversion headaches.

 

CSO Radio in Lakewood NJ can add a legal 8th seat to the Stow N Go minivans. cs@csoradio.com