Seat belts?

[rob64981]

I have just been looking on Ebay.com.au and seen this camper...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330341355009&indexURL=1&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Can you guys tell me the answer to this question..

Do you not have to have seat belts in the rear of your vehicles in OZ?

One of the reasons i ask this is,
The Variotech seat this van has in it can not be fitted with seat belts.

And the vehicle used is a transporter/van so did not have the seat belt mounting points fitted at the factory.

Only the caravelle or the long nose van versions (same front as later caravelle) had them fitted.

Thanks Rob

[Stan]

yes, rear belts should be fitted
the exception is older cars that were not originally fitted with seat belts - e.g. i have a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite, not originally fitted with seat belts. When i finally finish it, i will not have to put them in for registration.

[melissa]

I cant see any seat belts in the back either. Could they be lap belts only and are pushed down between the seat in the photos? Maybe contact the seller and ask them.

If it does not have belts in the back, it probably only has a 2 seating capacity on the compliance plate - it just means you cannot carry passengers.

[Tornado T5]

Unless the owner can provide you with an engineer's certificate for the fitment of the rear bench and it re-registration as a 5 seater then it's not road worthy for carrying passengers in the rear. In some Australian states roadworthy certificates are required every year.

[jets]

I have just been looking on Ebay.com.au and seen this camper...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330341355009&indexURL=1&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

The Variotech seat this van has in it can not be fitted with seat belts.

My Trakka is fitted with the same seat & has 2 seat belts fitted. I would think the seat in the advert would have belts fitted.

[rob64981]

Jets,

What sort of seat belts does yours have?

The variotech seat was never tested with seat belts to my knowledge.

Thats why lots of people have problems here in the UK.

Rob

[jets]

I am away holidaying at the present, wont be home again to look until next Sunday. Seat belts in Aust. must be tagged AS..... [Aust Standard].

[Deeceer]

And the vehicle used is a transporter/van so did not have the seat belt mounting points fitted at the factory.

Only the caravelle or the long nose van versions (same front as later caravelle) had them fitted.

You'll likely find the vans do have the rear seatbelt mounting points fitted, at least the wall points. They are in evidence in my 2 seat Transporter van and even have the lower mount belt trim covers capping the opening where the inertia reel assembly would be bolted. It makes no sense from a manufacturing standpoint to not include the mount points in common pressings such as wall frame rails; why have 2 (very expensive) dies when one will do? The floor is a different matter as it's a single skin that requires a hole through to the outside and a reinforcement plate as part of the bolt mounting hole.

Nonetheless, speaking from bitter experience of fitting extra seatbelts in Queensland, it wouldn't matter if all the mounting holes were there already and you bought all factory bits - they'd still want an engineer's report and to rivet a bloody ugly big blue modification plate on your vehicle. One '98 Transporter I looked at while shopping for mine had 3 mod plates - one each for a second row of seats and a rear sideways facing jump seat added at different dates, and another for the LPG conversion.

[jets]

From memory my belts are bolted to the seat frame as the seat can be moved along tracks in the floor. One belt is lap sash [one mount on side of van] & the other is lap only, mounted to seat.

[rob64981]

. It makes no sense from a manufacturing standpoint to not include the mount points in common pressings such as wall frame rails; why have 2 (very expensive) dies when one will do?

There are quite a few differences in the shells that left the factory.

One of them is the double skin in the rear third of the transporter.
If the shell was meant to have seat belts then it is double skin.
If its not meant to have seat belts then its single.

They all have the locating points at the bottom.

The transporter that is meant to have seat belts in the middle of the van has captive nuts fixed in place where the top of the seat belt fixes to.

If its not meant to have seat belts then there is just a hole.
You can put a captive nut up the inside if the skins and rivet it in place to stop it moving(dropping) if the seat belt was ever removed.

The bottom still has the locating points and nut always.

There are quite a few other things that happen at the factory like middle and rear windows...
The inner and outer skins are welded together if done at the factory.
Most after sales convertors stick them together some other way.
Windscreen adhesive is a typical way.

Rob

[jets]

Jets,

What sort of seat belts does yours have?

The variotech seat was never tested with seat belts to my knowledge.

Thats why lots of people have problems here in the UK.

Rob

Here's some pics of my seat frame.

[Tombi]

There is a camper conversion Co' here in Melbourne that produces a similar bed/seat for all types of vehicles and when I enquired about this type for my T4 it is supplied with seat belts and engineers certificate which certifies that it complies with the relevant Australian Design Rules (ADR) legislation.
Same set uip as Jets, 1 lap belt and 1 lap/sash belt retro fitted to rear pillar.
$5000.00- ouch.

Tombi

[Deeceer]

One of them is the double skin in the rear third of the transporter.
If the shell was meant to have seat belts then it is double skin.
If its not meant to have seat belts then its single. They all have the locating points at the bottom. The transporter that is meant to have seat belts in the middle of the van has captive nuts fixed in place where the top of the seat belt fixes to. If its not meant to have seat belts then there is just a hole.
You can put a captive nut up the inside if the skins and rivet it in place to stop it moving(dropping) if the seat belt was ever removed. The bottom still has the locating points and nut always.

Interesting.

Is the 'double skin' an additional pressing attached to the standard outer skin pressing? And do the belt attachment points fasten to the extra skin or the standard frame? It sounds in terms of the seat belts as if the difference is a captive nut (which could describe some of my passengers once they're strapped in... ) so I kinda stand by my original assertion that you don't waste money on multiple dies for commonly shared infrastructure (nor on fitting captive nuts, not to mention entire double skin pressings) if you can avoid it. And the missing captive nuts surprises me not a lot because a mate who works in the auto manufacturing industry reckons they go over vehicles with a fine tooth comb and if they can shave costs by 5c a car they will!