Vanagon Seat Belt Extension

[Red Baron]

I had a long distance call several days ago from a longtime LiMBO member residing in St. Petersburg, FL. His question to me was: "Did I know of any sources for an seat belt extension for Vanagons?"

As you know, the seat belt receiver on Vanagons is bolted to the side of the front seat supports and it's retention bolt is very close to the floor of the van. Being located so low, it does take a bit leaning over and reaching down to secure the belt in the receiver.

Our St. Pete friend said he had heard about a short, maybe 10" long extension, that had the male connector on one end and the female receiver on the other end, which would make it easier, especially for senior citizens, to fasten the belt without the leaning and reaching maneuver. I told him that I had never heard or encountered such an extension but that I would post his inquiry to see if anyone knew about an extention or had another solution.

Here's my solution that I did when I first acquired our Westy. The long reach over and down the side of the seat to fasten the belt was unrealistic and there had to be a better way. As it turned out, the solution was very simple. Remove the receiver and mount it on an 8" long flat steel extension. Reattach the extension and it brings the receiver up level with the seat. Cost: Minimal. Effort to construct: Minimal. Safety: Same as original attachment.

Here's a sketch of the extension:


If anyone has any other ideas or a source, kindly post a reply and I will forward it on to our Florida LiMBO friend.

[prez]

The earlier stock female integregated "extentions" have served me well for years, they fit like a glove and work well if the police are on your tail and the front pasengers are not wearing them.   [gotta put them on FAST].

[obnoxiousblue]

While Ive never known of an extension specifically for a Vanagon, I do recall seeing extensions for sale in local parts stores. Also, I vaguely remember seeing them for sale on those "Sold on TV" commercials... I think its ingenious, I hate having to lean to the floor to reach my belt buclke.

[MrLiMBO]

If memory serves, the standard passenger bus has a longer buckle.  The camper buckles are shorter so you can swivel the seat.  Maybe that might work.