Belt up in the back.

I’ve just taken on the challenge of fitting a three point seat belt into the rear of my trusty, if rather rusty, VW T25 camper. The lack of three point seat belts, in this case to accommodate a child seat, is the first of the potentially bus threatening issues I mentioned in an earlier post.

I started out by looking on the web to see how it should be done, in these safety conscious days I reasoned there must be a lot of demand, so it should be easy to find instruction, or people providing a fitting service. I was partly right, there is demand. Forums are full of people asking how it can be done, bits can be brought, but they come without fitting instructions. I would hazard that is because nobody wants to be held be responsible should the information they give prove to be incorrect.

I’m in the same position, but having benefited from other people’s posts on the matter I do want to give something back and add my experiences to the collective web wisdom.

I’m not mechanic or safety expert, and these aren’t intended to be instructions. I’ll describe what I found and did, the reader has to take responsibility for their own actions.

The basic procedure is:

1. Find rear seat belt mounting points
2. Drill holes and attach mounts.
3. Fit and test harness
4. Replace furniture
5. (Optional) Marvel at selection of left over screws and washers, wonder where they came from, and if they are important.

Seat Belt Mounts

Before a belt is fitted it needs a reinforced area to fit to. Don’t bother trying to use the VIN to figure what mounts you have, its not normally accurate enough and they may have been fitted after market.

If the bus has lap belt mounts there are typically three mount points, the middle one serving two belts.

The easiest mount to find is under the n/s/r wheel arch, leading edge. They are fairly weedy though, about 1in by 2in.

Not many bus’ have a shoulder height belt mounting at the rear. Exceptions are late production models (1990), Westys and caravelles.

Seat Belt Harness’

Before buying belts think carefully about what the belts and inertia reel will foul or tangle. Given the cunning construction of camper interiors its easy to overlook this given that cupboard doors open, hatches lift, beds rock, and often times roll, into positions you might not expect.

Some light commercials use a 3 point mount, where the inertia reel is mounted at shoulder height. This could save a lot of work when fitting seat belts because only 3 mounts are needed, and the one that isn’t need is the hardest to reach, at floor level. Unfortunately, in a T25 camper, with this type of belt, the reel typically fouls the engine bay cover.

Securon make most after market belts in the England, including the ones the converter of my bus, Bilbos, fitted in the eighties, and the ones JK sell. I called Securon, they don’t sell to the public, but you can ask your local motor factors to order from them. Their website http://www.securon.co.uk/ also includes detailed product information on belts and fitting schemes.

Fitting

Fitting the belts, that is bolting them into the bus, feels like the easy part of the job after all the research, and the epic job of removing the furniture and carpet hiding the seat belt mounts.

Fitting is basically a case of locating the holes VW provided for seat belts, or making new ones. The links at the end of this post show locations. Once the holes are found (or drilled) the mounting plate is located on one side and the anchor or webbing or the reel on the other.

The VW service sheet states that a torque of 30lb/ft Should be used, but this is pretty hefty.

There is considerable debate online as to whether or not mounting plates should be welded in place. Opinion varies, some folk say it is needed for strength, but others state it is only to keep the plates in place while fitting, and just a couple of spot welds is enough. I’ve also read about using a rivet for the same purpose. It is interesting to note that that the original mounts on my bus aren’t welded.

The rear, shoulder level, seat belt mounting point can be accessed by removing the rear air vent. Here’s a tip: When working in the rear air intake it’s a good idea to put something underneath where you are working to prevent bits falling down and getting lost between the interior an exterior panel work. A good old-fashioned wad of rag is perfect for this.

I found these links particularly helpful when I was doing my research:

• A chap who fitted OEM belts is here.
• Pictures of OEM seat belts in place.
• VW service bulletins describing fitting and mounting point locations.
• Notes on installation in a Caravelle, with good pictures.