Replacing rear bench seats with bucket seats in a Warrior II

Dtaglila · April 13

Anybody know of a STC to replace a bench seat with bucket seats or has anyone done it with a field approval?

Dtaglila · April 17

Gathering no one has done this, I wonder how many owners wish they could? I have compared my Warrior to an Archer, and there is some differences of course the obvious one for Warrior owners is moving the Battery from under the rear seat to the tail, you would need the decking for the Archer which has to be manufactured using all the Piper parts. Of course the seats would have to be located. Does anyone know a Piper contact who may be able to advise me if this would be a pipe dream? Thanks to those that looked at this post. To late to change airplanes now especially besides the seats it fits my needs.

griff390 · April 18

https://piperowner.org/talk/discussion/comment/1445407#Comment_1445407

I believe some PA-28 Cadet versions may have come with bucket seats, but don't quote me.

Long ago, (so long ago I don't recall if it was an SB or an AD) there was a mod to the Warriors with the battery mounted under the rear bench seat. The mod was a piece of plywood bolted to the bottom of the seat and over the battery to keep the springs from shorting out the battery.

I personally love the rear bench seat. Lots of room to put stuff, and it all stays upright. The rear bench is also very comfy. Have had passengers lay down and sleep on long X-C flights. Tough to do on buckets.

I have to ask: why do you want to change the bench out for bucket seats?

Dtaglila · April 19

Mainly so they are easier to remove to make that area more useable to load bikes or other items used for transportation. Also removing my backseat has always been a chore to do, there is only one spot in the cabin that is wide enough to get it out of the cabin. You are correct on the board under the seat, and I do believe it was an AD 81-23-05. Thanks for the comments and you are correct on the versatility of the bench, like I stated it was sort of a pipe dream?

PCFlyer · June 4

I actually did this mod to a '68 180D and put in newer model articulating front seats with headrests. My IA was working on a '72 235 so we had a good idea of the difference between the bench and buckets. Need an IA with top skills who likes to do mods like this! I purchased all the parts and was able to use the '72? to create an identical seat stiffener that attaches to the aft side of the spar. The flap spring gets attached to a lower bracket as well. Then recreated a seat platform, carpeted, and added all the seat brackets from a donor that I purchased the interior from. It was a pain getting structural screws into the back of the spar for seat support, as you need to reach into the spar tunnel to hold the nuts. Donor was a newer Archer with leather.

Here are a few pics of parts that are the biggest difference.