2001 2.0l with gull wing seats, moving short rails?

[928uk]

Hy,
I'm just commencing a centre side "small kitchen" type conversion. My question is:-

Is it practical (It's certainly possible) to remove the gull wing seats, remove the short rails & plonk the middle bench seat & rails at the back.
Obviously, some engineering around the arch seat hinge turrets will be required, but has anyone completed this before & does it work?
I'm concerned about the rear bench being able to side forward enough to fold flat, but I'm uncertain if the short rails can cope.
It would be great to chat with somebody who has actually done this.
Thanks in advance
Roy & Debs

[stuc]

You would be better sourcing a set of long rails and bolting them in then the seat will go anywhere from front to rear giving you a lot more options. You could grind the mountings off for the fold up seats but you would be left with holes in your trim. Be a shame to cut them out.

[928uk]

You would be better sourcing a set of long rails and bolting them in then the seat will go anywhere from front to rear giving you a lot more options. You could grind the mountings off for the fold up seats but you would be left with holes in your trim. Be a shame to cut them out.

Thanks Stu,
Thought that might be the case, just with having the kitchen mid side, I didn't fancy spoiling the look of the floor with one full length rail exposed. I realised about the rear wheel arch turrets & the need to modify or replace the rear side panels, I was just hoping the shorties would be a suitable solution, shifted to the back.

[Simon Jones]

I think you'd need long tracks cut down (as already suggested) to ensure the mounting brackets line up with the threaded holes in the floor. You would have to cut off several of the brackets to allow clearance of the wheelarch so it would be nowhere near as strong. If you don't go with a full length rail you'll end up with a massive hole in the carpet where the rail was originally located. Best bet is to get a pair of rails and matching carpet from a breaker. While you're there, you may be able to get a pair of replacement side panels so you won't have any unsightly holes to cover up.

Leaving a full but unusable track in place on the nearside is how all the converters do it.

[928uk]

That looks fab Simon, It's the sort of arrangement I'm looking for, but I'm keen on the hard floor (Messy cook/eater)
Thanks for the advice.
Cheers
Roy & Debs