patcad

Hello,

My wife is pregnant with #5 and #6 (twins)

We have a 2007 uplander and we were at a loss when after an extensive search, we figured out that the 8 passenger version in the Uplander is next to non-existing.

A local dealer was charging me $2000 to order the seat parts for the second row in the van and put them together. That prompted me to go to car recycling lots (used car parts - "Scrap yards") only to find that there are no 3 bench seating second row for the uplander. They all came with bucket seats.

After a little investigation though, I realized that Chevy Venture seats will fit in an uplander. The tracks are all there, you just need to make small incisions in the carpet with an knife.

In other words, GM used the same fuselage for the Chevy uplander as it did for the Venture.

This leads me to this: What we ended up doing is buying a 'left only' seat at the scrap yard for $60 (the small seat of a "40/60"). this seat will fit and latch right in the middle between the 2 bucket seats and therefore you'll have a 3-seat second row or 8 passenger van.

The only tricky part is seat belts. That middle seat won't have a seat belt so it will only be useful for a child seat that can use the 'LATCH' brackets that are already present through the van.

***UPDATE: We have found a seat that has a seatbelt! It appears to be the seat from a 2002-ish Chevrolet Venture that was in the middle of the second row ***. To find it, we posted an ad-wanted on kijiji and someone had a seat for us.

Hope that helps.

(I will have another post shortly on how to fix the rear windshield wiper, it's most likely due to gunk in the shaft)

ziemonette

I got a 2009 Chevy Uplander. Does it matter what year of Chevy Venture do I take the bench seat from? Thanks

mnh

Thanks a lot for the information. I have been looking for this solution for sometime and finally I found it here. I have an Uplander 2007 too. So wanted to clerify few things

1.) I need a left seat from Venture.
2.) Do I need to screw the seat to the floor or it just fits in?
3.) Do I need to do anything with the existing bucket seat?
4.) Do I need to take it to a mechanic or can I do it myself?

Thanks a lot for your advice.

donnelly7118

Hi I have a 2000 Chevy Venture but I only have the 7 seats. I own a daycare and need the 8th!! Do you know if I can use a bench seat from any other van? Please email me at mikemiadonnelly@gmail.com

patcad

Sorry people, I haven't been reading the posts in a while.

@ziemonette I think my middle seat is from a 2005 Montana. As long as the seat is a single seat and has a seat belt on it, then it should be compatible. Sorry, can't be more precise on this.

@mnh
1.) I need a left seat from Venture. A:as per the update, if you have a 60/40 left seat, then it won't have a belt. There are seats out there that are designed for a 3 passengers second row (see picture and update in post above)
2.) Do I need to screw the seat to the floor or it just fits in? A:The brackets are in the floor already, just need to cut slit in the carpet. You can feel your way in the floor, about 4 inches away, in the middle, from the brackets for the seats already there.
3.) Do I need to do anything with the existing bucket seat? A: no, they're already the perfect size to fit that middle seat from a U-Body GM van.
4.) Do I need to take it to a mechanic or can I do it myself? A:very easy install, just 4 slits with a box cutter/xacto knife in the carpet. (The hard part is finding the middle seat.)



@donnelly7118: as far as I'm concerned, only Montana/Venture/Silhouette/Uplander (GM's U-Body) seats would be compatible.

***Please bear in mind that the Uplander wasn't certified for 7 passengers, so by doing this, you might be on your own as far as insurance goes if you get in a car crash. However, I strongly believe that if you have no choice and can't afford buying another vehicle, then that is the safest alternative, the other being to strap the child's seat on the floor (yes, we have friends who did that). The good news is that it's part of the mainframe of the van itself so debating it in court would be possible. I've had mine in for 2 years now and no problems whatsoever. Good luck.

patcad

This is what a Venture left seat of a 60/40 second row looks like: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzI4WDYwMw..._id=880000500F

Looking into more pictures, I have discovered that we now have a middle seat of a 2002 Chevy Venture.
http://www.autozzap.ro/files/catalog...0311_large.jpg

Trent Campbell

I know this is an old forum but wanted to update with a seat we found that worked for our 06 Uplander. Found a listing for the seats out of a 99 Chevy Venture. Checked out the seats and the middle seat of the second row had a seat belt with it. So now we have been able to upgrade our 7 passenger to an 8 passenger with a seat belt for when our youngest is out of her chair.. Thank you so much for this forum.

The seat fits well with the other captains chairs. Just had to notch out the carpet where the new seat fits in...

asimoneaux

@trent campbell where did u find that seat from the 99 Chevy Venture? I have the same model Uplander and need to do the same and cant find a seat anywhere.

Trent Campbell

I found ours on craigslist. I noticed all of the middle row seats (at least for the 99) I looked at would work. The middle seat just happen to have a seat belt. Using this logic I would think you could add a lap belt to any of the seats if you could find a replacement lap belt for the same year. I will post a link to the cl post when I am by my computer. Don't know if the guy will ship it or not. I am located in Idaho.

Edited section:
What I noticed when we picked it up, the center seat can be used as a center or left seat. It has tag on it that directs that option. So with this being the case, if you cannot find a center only seat out of the 99 Venture, maybe you can find the left seat and then add the seat belt to it. It must be the left or center seat. Here is a link to the CL ad for us

http://eastidaho.craigslist.org/pts/3853058550.html

Bkatew

Trent, we have a 2006 uplander also with bucket seat and a cup holder/tray in the middle. I just had my 6th baby so I need another seat but there is not much space between the two bucket seats. How wide is the middle seat? Does yours have the bucket seat and arm rests?