VW Bus, How to Add a Rear Seatbelt

There is no discussion that safety seat belts will keep your health, but on early vehicles you may miss some safety features. This is page is to show how to add a three point, or shoulder/loop belt to the rear seats of a Vanagon.

The Vangon is a safe vehicle, specially as the passengers are sitting in a high position, this is discussed several times. But the front part is very short, and there is no engine compartment to take the power during a front hit, it will be a short time to stop the van. Passengers do not have the strenght to keep themselves on their seats. Seatbelts are needed, and there are different kind of it. Single loop belt, shoulder belt, racing harnish are used in different applications. Vanagon campers are usually equipped with a loop belt in the rear. But they are not best to attach a baby safety seat. I decided to add one of these to the current loop belt.

In this picture you see, for what the rear seatbelt is supposed to be used for. For adults this is a bit of uncomfort to wear the shoulder belt. But for the baby's revers seats it is better than without the upper belt. For the next step of seats for childrens older than a year, the larger seat will be fitted well. too. I keep both, shoulder belts for the youngster's seat, and the single belt for adults.

	You will need some parts to mount the belt. There is a complete set, as Joel wrote, but I got the whole set as single parts at a local VW dealer. Some mounting instructions, written by myself, or two Service Bulletins for Vanagon model year 1991 will help you to do your own.
	This is whole retractor assembly, usually covered behind the rear panel. In the camper the wall is isolated with rock wool, and the retractor assembly have to be separated from it. I inserted a small pice of plywood between the rock wool and the belt assembly.
	The rear panel should look like this. I didn't know about the Service Bulletin that time, and it will look a bit different if you will do the installation according to it. On the upper belt anchor is a cover missing. The shop had only the older, smaller cap. I keep it without it, and there is no real need for it. It just will look nicer with the cap. But it is still a long way from the rear belt anchor to the seats. It is not very comfort to keep the belt in place. But anyway, it is safer with the shoulderbelt.