prestadude
10-24-2010, 11:15 PM
As part of a handicapped conversion project, I needed to replace the copilot seat. When I purchased the coach the seat was in poor repair (control cables broken, bent frame causing seat to lean to the side). Here is a picture of the old seat:
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=455
Since my wife will transfer to the seat from a wheelchair, I needed armrests that swing out of the way and power controls. I also wanted my wife to have a shoulder belt (the old seat only had a lap belt).
It turns out that none of the seat manufacturers will sell a seat with a 3 point seat belt to replace a lap belt only seat. For liability reasons, they need written documentation from the coach manufacturer stating that the existing attachment point on the coach will take the different forces exerted by a 3 point seat belt equipped chair. At the recommendation of Newell, I contacted Villa International who makes a lot of the seats and furniture for Newell. I spoke with Mike Ramirez, a really nice guy. He asked for my coach # and quickly looked up the type of copilot seat and covering and color installed on the coach. He said Newell customers get special attention since Newell is a big customer with Villa. As an aside, Mike explained that the "lounger" look of the copilot seats was selected by Newell to give their brand a distinctive look.
Mike walked me through then different seat styles and all the options. I ended up ordering electric everything plus heat and vibration (I think this thing has more vibrators than a porn shop). Mike even sent me a leather sample to check the color (a perfect match). I had to order the seat through Newell since Villa would not sell direct to me for liability reasons as explained earlier. It took about 6 weeks to fabricate the seat and it was then shipped to Newell for the install.
Here are a couple of shots of the new copilot seat:
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=452
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=453
Because the seat had different dimensions and features, it needed to be shifted about 8 inches forward from the original attachment point. Newell fabricated a beefy extension bracket that bolted into the original attachment point and shifted the seat forward. You can see the bracket in this photo.
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=454
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=455
Since my wife will transfer to the seat from a wheelchair, I needed armrests that swing out of the way and power controls. I also wanted my wife to have a shoulder belt (the old seat only had a lap belt).
It turns out that none of the seat manufacturers will sell a seat with a 3 point seat belt to replace a lap belt only seat. For liability reasons, they need written documentation from the coach manufacturer stating that the existing attachment point on the coach will take the different forces exerted by a 3 point seat belt equipped chair. At the recommendation of Newell, I contacted Villa International who makes a lot of the seats and furniture for Newell. I spoke with Mike Ramirez, a really nice guy. He asked for my coach # and quickly looked up the type of copilot seat and covering and color installed on the coach. He said Newell customers get special attention since Newell is a big customer with Villa. As an aside, Mike explained that the "lounger" look of the copilot seats was selected by Newell to give their brand a distinctive look.
Mike walked me through then different seat styles and all the options. I ended up ordering electric everything plus heat and vibration (I think this thing has more vibrators than a porn shop). Mike even sent me a leather sample to check the color (a perfect match). I had to order the seat through Newell since Villa would not sell direct to me for liability reasons as explained earlier. It took about 6 weeks to fabricate the seat and it was then shipped to Newell for the install.
Here are a couple of shots of the new copilot seat:
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=452
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=453
Because the seat had different dimensions and features, it needed to be shifted about 8 inches forward from the original attachment point. Newell fabricated a beefy extension bracket that bolted into the original attachment point and shifted the seat forward. You can see the bracket in this photo.
http://www.newellclassic.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=10&pictureid=454