3rd seat in the back?

Trotsky · Post by **Trotsky** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 2:25 pm

We have our 3rd child on the way and I am pondering my options for using my bus with a 3rd car seat back there. Obviously safety is my first concern so I want to do it properly, but I also want to make sure it is legit too. Would hate to have to retire the bus since it really is a member of the family already. Any ideas, links, products already available?

BellePlaine · Post by **BellePlaine** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:32 pm

I think that if it was me, I'd swap the Baywindow for a Vanagon or Eurovan. I don't think that there is a safe way to add a third seat belt in a Baywindow camper.

grandfatherjim · Post by **grandfatherjim** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:19 pm

Put in a seat from a 74 or 75; they are three people wide. We have that in ours and really enjoy the extra shoulder room when sleeping.
However that may interfere with your cabinetry - maybe you'd have to switch that as well...

BellePlaine · Post by **BellePlaine** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:23 pm

grandfatherjim wrote:Put in a seat from a 74 or 75; they are three people wide. We have that in ours and really enjoy the extra shoulder room when sleeping.
However that may interfere with your cabinetry - maybe you'd have to switch that as well...

That would work, but wouldn't he still need stock seat belt anchors?

grandfatherjim · Post by **grandfatherjim** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:15 pm

Yes, but they could come out of the bus that donates the wider rear seat.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:13 pm

BellePlaine wrote:
grandfatherjim wrote:Put in a seat from a 74 or 75; they are three people wide. We have that in ours and really enjoy the extra shoulder room when sleeping.
However that may interfere with your cabinetry - maybe you'd have to switch that as well...
That would work, but wouldn't he still need stock seat belt anchors?

He is not going to be short of the hard-installed anchor nuts. Three seating positions no matter what, and two shoulder anchors. Good solid well supported sheet metal behind the seating area if you have to fab.
Colin

IFBwax · Post by **IFBwax** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:40 pm

Third seat in back no problem with existing holes as Colin says. What gets tough is when they move from the lap belt stage that cinches down the baby car seat, to the toddler stage because then all of a sudden you need a shoulder belt and frankly the mounts in the bus are too low and wind up not fitting right again the upright toddler car seat. We're back at the stage now with my daughters that we've gone back to just lap belts. Is it as safe as today's car with shoulder belts? Not even close. But there's so much room back there that in accident with the belts tight around their hips, they are not going anywhere and we don't use our bus with the kids very often.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 10:02 am

IFBwax wrote:Third seat in back no problem with existing holes as Colin says. What gets tough is when they move from the lap belt stage that cinches down the baby car seat, to the toddler stage because then all of a sudden you need a shoulder belt and frankly the mounts in the bus are too low and wind up not fitting right again the upright toddler car seat. We're back at the stage now with my daughters that we've gone back to just lap belts. Is it as safe as today's car with shoulder belts? Not even close. But there's so much room back there that in accident with the belts tight around their hips, they are not going anywhere and we don't use our bus with the kids very often.

Many shoulder belts can harm your child at the delicate neck area. The back seat area in a VW bus is safer than many cars with a just a little hatchback. Did you see the post of that pretty '78 green and white bus that got rear-ended by the Peterbilt, over on theSamba? It held up surprisingly well.
Colin

tristessa · Post by **tristessa** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 11:14 am

Rear-facing Vanagon jumpseat behind the passenger seat? It would interfere with the swivel, but it's designed to be easy to remove with an unlatch-and-lift setup. Joseph/mentalQtip has one in his '77 and I don't think he lives that far from you -- off SE 182nd between Division and Powell.

(Lee! You're alive!)

honeybus · Post by **honeybus** » Mon May 07, 2012 7:05 am

tristessa wrote:Rear-facing Vanagon jumpseat behind the passenger seat? It would interfere with the swivel, but it's designed to be easy to remove with an unlatch-and-lift setup. Joseph/mentalQtip has one in his '77 and I don't think he lives that far from you -- off SE 182nd between Division and Powell.

Here is a picture of a set that was installed.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/308763.jpg

You can check my SAMBA gallery (honeybus) for other helpful pictures.

Barry sends

(( Sorry, the attached picture is just an excersize to see if I could really attach something. It is probably no longer available ))

drober23 · Post by **drober23** » Mon May 07, 2012 10:22 am

Second vote for the full width '74-'75 Westfalia foldout bed. My kid is 8 now, and on the verge of growing out of his booster seat. I have a 3-pt belt tied into the hard point behind the seat and it works well. The 3-pt rides a bit low for an adult back there, so they use a lap belt. Just a lap belt for the middle location too.

A lot would have to crumple to endanger someone in the back seat of a Westfalia, compared to the poor folks in the front.

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Itinerant Air-Cooled

3rd seat in the back?

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