Hello, all. I'm new to the forum here, so I suppose a brief introduction is in order. My name is Dan, I have a 1998 E-250 cargo van, and I'm converting it to a camper.

I got some sweet captain's chairs on swivel bases out of an '85 Econoline conversion van today. I was sure to get a set that has mounting brackets on the seat frames (vice the floor) for the inboard seatbelt buckles, as my van is so equipped. However, upon coming home and taking the plastic cover off the seat-mounted buckle on my '98's seat, I discovered some high-tech stuff that is not going to bolt up!

The simple solution is obvious. Just ditch the high-tech bits and get a junkyard buckle,preferably from the same van, if it's still there. They all basically work the same. But the problem is, this thing has sensors on it. When I previously removed my seats to take out the nasty old flooring in the van, I forgot to plug the wires to the passenger seat back in, and the airbag light stayed lit on the dash. I plugged it back in, and no problem.

So, I guess the question, after all that lead-up information, is . . . how can I defeat the sensor, so I can just use old-school seatbelt buckles?

 

Anybody? I really really reeeeeaaallyyyyy want swivel seats! I did some work on the van today and then sat down in the back, where I want to put the bed, and thought, "Man, at least the passenger seat needs to swivel!"