Econoline folding bench seat

[hcdfower]

I have a 12 passenger E350 that has the passenger bench seats in the back. I want to put a bed in the back and keep the middle bench seat installed. In order to get a full bed length I was thinking it would be best to have the middle seat fold forward and then have the bed extend over the top of the folded bench. Has anyone done this before? Any design resources or hinge ideas? I would prefer to have the seat stay locked into the mounts and simply fold forward. Alternatively I thought about having the entire seat slide forward but I think that it would be a safer seat if it just folds with some spring loaded pins to hold it in the upright position.

Here is my general idea. Obviously I would have to hack up my existing seat.

 

[panhandlejensen]

I went to a yard and picked up a back bench and for captains chairs from an 04? Econoline. The back bench drops into a bed. I think I got the whole setup for $150 bucks. I have a '77 12 pass. 350 as well and just hard mounted the bases. It all works but is tight. I mounted the middle chairs so in a fully reclined position they meet the back bench.