Non-owner question #2: Bench seat

Am wondering if the rear bench seat is removable, and, if so, how difficult it is to take out. Can imagine many situations wherein that area could be used for a very spacious cargo area, or, for example, to "garage" or haul my 1955 Vespa.

Many thanks. Just a matter of time until I am a Westy owner...

Hello Astrotower -

The quick answer is yes, the bench / rear seat in a Westfalia does come out.

I took mine out while cutting and installing a carpet for my Westfalia.

The bench seat is very heavy (but this is how standard Sprinter seats are described, also). I would recommend two people for this job and my personal take is that you wouldn't want to move the seat in or out very often.

As you may already know, there are tracks in the floor that the bench/ rear seat slides forward and backward on. These tracks are there so the bench can be moved forward as you fold it down into a bed. They also allow you to slide the bench forward to fit more closely/ comfortably as a part of a "dinette" with the table and the front seats when they are spun facing backwards (I have only recently recognized this last possibility myself).

The track has an upside down T shaped opening into which the feet of the bench / rear seat fit and slide along.

There are aluminum stops / blocks screwed down into the track that are designed to keep the bench / rear seat from sliding into a part of the track (at the very front end of the track if I remember correctly) where the overhangs have been removed. These openings allow the feet (there are four of these feet and four of these openings) to be lifted up and out of the track and therefore allow the seat to be removed.

It is worth noting that for two passengers / campers this would still allow both the upstairs bunk and the table (when the front seats are facing backwards) to be used. There would be a lot of storage opened up and a Vespa might even fit straight across the van (but it would likely make the hallway into the kitchen difficult to access.

I hope the above was clear,

Zach