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Retrofitting Captains Chairs - Help!

7K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Chrysler1924 
#1 ·
Hi All
Wonder if someone could help me with this. Kinda loosing my mind here.
I have a 1998 Caravan Sport that came with 2 rear benches. I was recently given 2 captains chairs for the middle row, and I can't for the life of me make it work. Lots of experience pulling out benches from Caravans of all years (literally done it hundreds of times - Really), but these captains chairs have me beat.
When I mount them in place, I can get them into the track, but I cannot get them latched down. The issue seems to be that the carpet is too thick. There are like little rectangular flat feet about and inch or two long and they just don't seem to be able to snug down low enough to allow the latch to connect. I read around these parts about someone removing the plastic track for the benches and I even tried this, but it did not work either.

Open to suggestions here. Are there just certain vans they will not fit into? Are these the wrong seats?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
It's my understanding that all the seats interchange within it's group. So any captains seat from a 3ed generation DC product should work in your '98. Are your captains seats from a '96-'00 van? If not that may be the problem or my info may be incorrect. If you have someone sit on the seat will the weight get it close enough to engage the latch?
 
#3 ·
Proper latching does indeed crush the carpet. Sitting on the seats while attemtping to latch them down may be required the first few times, until the underlying carpet "takes a set".

(Also, be sure you are not inadvertently trying to latch them down over a second set of carpet. Won't work.)
 
#6 ·
I recently removed the captain seats from my '96, & noticed a fairly deep rectangular carpet depression. Looks & feels like the sub-carpet has been factory cut out to accommodate the feet. As the bench seat's on rollers, you may have to pull up the carpet, & cut out a rectangle, then struggle to mash the carpet down.

Ron.
 
#7 ·
I just did the same thing as you're trying to do and had the same problem. I used a 2x4 about 6' long and used the leverage to lift the latch. It worked for me.
 
#9 ·
Make sure you're putting the left seat on the left sidea and vice versa. I noticed that mine won't go in on the wrong side.
 
#10 ·
Some of us may remember what it was like taking seats out of the 1st gen vans... now THAT was terrible.

I've never had any issues getting the seats to latch or unlatch in either of my 3rd gens. The only times I did have problems requiring the use of exponentially more force was when I was being an idiot and trying to pull the lever the wrong way, or not having the seat aligned properly.

With regards to the captains chairs you MUST have the T-bar lever swung all the way forward so the T-bar is by the floor. That way the locking notch is all the way clear for the floor-mounted seat bracket to firmly slide all the way in. Sometimes I don't have the T-bar quite all the way forward and it makes getting the seat in infinitely harder.
 
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