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Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:19 pm

I'm planning on getting a pair of retractable seat belts. A friend of mine can cut and drill a pair of brackets for me. However, I don't have the seat belts yet and I don't know what dimensions angle iron comes in. I was wondering if somebody would be kind enough to give me the dimensions so I can get them made even before I get the seat belts?
Here's a sketch...

Thanks a bunch!

Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:43 pm

Steel angle comes in a huge variety of sizes.

In inches:

1x1
1x2
1x3
1x4
2x2
2x3
2x4
etc etc etc

Can't recall off the top of my head if it applies to steel, but in Alu it also comes in architectural or structural configurations. Architectural doesn't have a fillet type web, so definitely spec structural when you're looking. Kind of a no brainer but in case you didn't know, there it is.

I'd use at least 3/16-1/4" wall steel for seatbelt brackets. Overkill is good here.

I'll get you some dims on mine.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:50 pm

Batan wrote:

Thanks a bunch!

On the brackets in my bus:
A: 1-1/4"
B, D: Equal
C: 9/16" hole for 1/2" through bolt
E: 1-3/4" heel to tip.

I'd go up to 2x2 angle in 1-1/2" sections if I made my own; these were part of BusDepot's kit.

Hope that helps.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:54 pm

For reference's sake...

Architectural angle:

Structural angle:

Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:03 pm

I bought mine from GoWesty already done just bolt in.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:16 pm

The ones I got from Cip1 had a bracket included with them. I can take a picture for you, I can't do any dimension thingies though. Something about me and numbers just don't work. :roll:

Oh wait, I don't' think they were included I think I had to buy them separately. But whatever, you get the idea.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:50 pm

Done use a bracket and just bolt the seat belt reel to the riser behind the front seats.

Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:57 pm

Retractables were stock on bay windows in Australia from about 72 on...but the US busses had a higher level of trim.

Sun Feb 14, 2010 5:39 am

Use a set of seat belts from a older Jetta. Use bracket that the stock belt is attached to . The one behind the seat next to the door. Cut the belt off the bracket,bolt the Jetta rewind to it . The housing has to be pointing up to work. There is a bracket to mount the sholder part in the stock spot. I have the set up in both my buses.

Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:43 pm

Thanks a lot guys! :D

Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:10 pm

hansie wrote: Use a set of seat belts from a older Jetta. Use bracket that the stock belt is attached to . The one behind the seat next to the door. Cut the belt off the bracket,bolt the Jetta rewind to it . The housing has to be pointing up to work. There is a bracket to mount the sholder part in the stock spot. I have the set up in both my buses.

Remind me to check that out next time I see you.

Yeah, like you would remember anyways :-)

Mon Feb 15, 2010 7:02 am

I bought a set of Vanagon retractable belts, and used brackets & bolts from here. Good quality, good price.

http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/boltkit.html

Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:53 pm

Here's a photo of the bracket and the install i did today hopes this helps others to get an idea whats needed to do this great upgrade to your bus!

I kept the bolts when I took the belts out of the 91 Jetta and as seen here in this photo the longer bolt is installed with the plastic washers and i also got come caps for the bolt heads.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:31 pm

Wait until you get the belts. Brackets depend on what type of belts you have. Location can be very critical. Some will just barely fit in the area.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:04 pm

Desertbusman wrote: Wait until you get the belts. Brackets depend on what type of belts you have. Location can be very critical...
Exactly.

My lower belt attachment is under the bracket. I think I did it that way because the bracket didn't fit in the upper shoulder of the bolt. I'm pretty sure. Doesn't make a difference as there's no need for any pivot action down there and the bracket and bolt are in-shear so the strength is still all there.

Sun May 02, 2010 1:52 pm

Just finished installing retractable seat belts in my '78 Westy, and thought I'd share the results. They are FANTASTIC!!!

Went to a German car salvage yard and bought and easily removed some decent looking belts from a 1991 Vanagon. Looked around in my junk piles for scrap steel I might use for a "L" bracket to bolt into the base mount next to the front seats. Found some old gate hinges that looked like they would provide the stout steel stock I needed, and started cutting and drilling:

Here's where you will do it differently; that bottom hole that is used to bolt the bracket to the floor will need to be 1/2" to the right of center on one, and to the left of center on the other. I had to go back and cut some more metal out from these to allow the bracket (and therefore the retractable belt housing) to move slightly towards the seat; otherwise the door wouldn't quite shut.

The above photo is so you can see the bracket and belt housing together. The bracket and belt housing will be facing the front when finished, with the steel tab at the end of the belt NOT in the housing installed between the bracket and the housing.

Brackets painted before final install.

Photo taken from behind passenger seat. When looking at this photo (above), one might ask "Why not just use that wedge shape green metal tab that is already part of the bus's seat pedestal?" Well, some people have, and have submitted their results in various threads on this subject. But in my opinion this approach does not provide nearly as solid and secure a solution for mounting as does using the original threaded mounting location. The way I'm describing here is extremely solid! If, heaven forbid, you ever have a collision and need those belts to really hold, you don't want the thinner metal to just tear out from the forces involved, and not hold you and your passenger in your seats!

Now on to the door pillar mounting bolt (above).

OK. Now the above photo shows the original bolt (bottom), and the new (replacement) bolt needed above it. The nut added onto the new bolt keeps it from tightening in beyond a certain point. You need to enable the shoulder belt strap guide to swivel on the bolt as it is used; not locked in one position. The new bolt extends the belt guide out beyond the door pillar welting (shown in the photo below as the white plastic edge covering that is behind the black swivel guide bolt cover). Without a longer bolt, the belt guide will bump into the welting, and not be able to swivel towards the front when you pull the belt to extend it to use. When you go to install your own belts, all this will make a lot more sense. The first thing you have to do is get your hands on some Vanagon retractable belts, and make some brackets to accommodate them.

Sun May 02, 2010 3:31 pm

BusterBrown wrote: Looked around in my junk piles for scrap steel I might use for a "L" bracket to bolt into the base mount next to the front seats. Found some old gate hinges that looked like they would provide the stout steel stock I needed, and started cutting and drilling:

Here's where you will do it differently; that bottom hole that is used to bolt the bracket to the floor will need to be 1/2" to the right of center on one, and to the left of center on the other. I had to go back and cut some more metal out from these to allow the bracket (and therefore the retractable belt housing) to move slightly towards the seat; otherwise the door wouldn't quite shut.

The above photo is so you can see the bracket and belt housing together. The bracket and belt housing will be facing the front when finished, with the steel tab at the end of the belt NOT in the housing installed between the bracket and the housing.

Brackets painted before final install.

Photo taken from behind passenger seat. When looking at this photo (above), one might ask "Why not just use that wedge shape green metal tab that is already part of the bus's seat pedestal?" Well, some people have, and have submitted their results in various threads on this subject. But in my opinion this approach does not provide nearly as solid and secure a solution for mounting as does using the original threaded mounting location. The way I'm describing here is extremely solid! If, heaven forbid, you ever have a collision and need those belts to really hold, you don't want the thinner metal to just tear out from the forces involved, and not hold you and your passenger in your seats!

i would be worried about the hinge metal holding up in an accident, if you were able to bend it by hand in a vice easily, think of how it may bend or break if the seat belts are actually put to the test.

from the way it looked in the pic the majority of the force is applied in an upward direction to the bracket as the lap belt is going to apply pressure to the seatbelt bolt, i would just be concerned that it may pull bracket apart

Sun May 02, 2010 3:34 pm

nvwainfo wrote: i would be worried about the hinge metal holding up in an accident

me too. it's too thin for the application. and those hinges are made from shitty steel.

if it were my bus i'd use those brackets as a nice pattern and make some new ones from steel at least .125" thick.

Sun May 02, 2010 3:36 pm

germansupplyscott wrote: nvwainfo wrote: i would be worried about the hinge metal holding up in an accident

me too. it's too thin for the application. and those hinges are made from shitty steel.

if it were my bus i'd use those brackets as a nice pattern and make some new ones from steel at least .125" thick.

Me third! :shock:

Sun May 02, 2010 3:40 pm

Quote: i would be worried about the hinge metal holding up in an accident

Good observation. The metal is not as thin as it looks though. The photo doesn't give perspective; those hinges were quite large and THICK steel. As thick as the steel ends of the orig. belts. Without an engineer's test of course, it's not possible to know. One definitely wants a seat belt to hold if the time ever comes when it has to do its job.