Looking for seatbelt how-to

[karrlot]

I'm looking for a resource explaining how to install seatbelts. Can anyone help?

[Piersg]

I haven't got that far in my conversion yet, but there are a few threads on the site that might help:

https://www.google.com/search?q=seat...m=122&ie=UTF-8

[Puggy]

We put lap belts in for some temporary seats, and essentially it's just two bolts through the floor for the anchors. Mainly it came to making sure there was a clear spot we could make the holes and then get to the bolts from underneath for a bolt.

[Grumpina]

Finding information about installing safe seating for children in a converted bus is ironically elusive. I haven't exactly worked out what we will be doing, but hopefully along the lines of finding a pedestal with belt attachment points. I did want to point out here that if you are considering making your own anchor points, keep in mind that the bus body is specifically designed to disengage from the chassis in a really big front crash. I was pondering this and suddenly realized that if I were to install seat belt anchor points through the ribs under the bus, in the event that the body did slide along the chassis? Either the belt would break or the person using that seat would be severed. Seriously creepy, and it doesn't seem that anyone anywhere mentions this.

[Jolly Roger]

Originally Posted by Grumpina

Finding information about installing safe seating for children in a converted bus is ironically elusive. I haven't exactly worked out what we will be doing, but hopefully along the lines of finding a pedestal with belt attachment points. I did want to point out here that if you are considering making your own anchor points, keep in mind that the bus body is specifically designed to disengage from the chassis in a really big front crash. I was pondering this and suddenly realized that if I were to install seat belt anchor points through the ribs under the bus, in the event that the body did slide along the chassis? Either the belt would break or the person using that seat would be severed. Seriously creepy, and it doesn't seem that anyone anywhere mentions this.

No one here is a safety engineer and can only give suggestions and there own advice and experience to the questions asked.
I myself have never heard that the body was made to seperate from the frame?
I would think it depends on your specific make,model,design and any info. You can find about what you have.
On my re-build my wife was adamant about seat belts in every seat so we bought 3 point belts from JC Whitney for about 15$ each and the shoulder buckle is through bolted through the main ribs in between the windows and the lap belt's and buckles are bolted through the existing chair rail just like the original seats and the original drivers seat frame with new padding and leather went back in the original bolt holes which included the right side of the seat frame through the main bus frame.
I am not scared because there is not to much on the road if I do get into an accident that is not gonna crunch before I do and if I heaven forbid do end up rolling off a mountain then my bus frame is an entire roll cage and as long as I have everything secured while driving down the road properly then it will not bea projectile when I and my family are secured and rolling down a mountain?
Research and build for your frame!
I have put hands on every bit of my frame and body. I don't see the jolly roger separating at any point even rolling down a mountain?
Build for what you have and if the structurability is in question then maybe it's not the right one for your build!
Your own judgement is all you have and no one here is going to stop you?
They might question something in a picture you send but your own safety is up to you.
We can only relat the info. on what we decided for our selves.
Specific safety wise we can only provide what we have done in our builds and not specific engineering for yours.

[sdwarf36]

Ain't no way the body is meant to come off the frame!
When in doubt, look what s out there. Go look at what is in your car or truck for referance. Or Google seat belt installation-racers have all kind of specs for how to mount them. It will give a good general idea. Heres one i found in a quick check. http://www.wescoperformance.com/imag...ll-diagram.gif

[Grumpina]

I admit that I am new to school bus conversion as well as this forum, so forgive me if I have misspoken. I researched this for my own satisfaction, and I am certainly not telling anyone else what to do. I only brought it up because I have not seen it mentioned on this forum. After seeing this evidence, I personally would not install an anchor point on the chassis of my bus.

Here is a crash test where you can see the chassis and body separate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJegZB7KOVY

Here is someone who seems well versed on the subject describe the build.
School Bus Crash Safety - School Bus Fleet Magazine Forums

Every bus that I've seen in those tests that hits the wall has the chassis separate from the body, the chassis staying behind, and the body moving forward. By allowing that to happen, the occupants will experience MUCH less violent forces because they have that much more time to decelerate. The breaking of the body mounts also helps to use up some of the impact energy.

I would not solely rely on one individual for information, so I also found information from the NTSB. These are summaries of two separate crashes.
Safety Recommendation H-01-046

In the accident on which the recommendation is based, if the school bus driver's seat belt had not torn as the chassis and the body of the school bus separated, the driver might have suffered serious or fatal injuries.

https://app.ntsb.gov/investigations/...xt/HAB0903.htm

Physical evidence at the scene indicated that the bus rolled over at least twice (720 degrees) before coming to final rest. In addition, the bus body separated from the chassis at a point just beyond the engine unit rearward.

And here is a photo of the bus in the second report. It was hit in the rear corner by a Chevy Tahoe and this is the result.


I want to be clear that in no way did I make this up and I'm feeling a bit defensive since it was the first time I had anything (I thought might be) helpful to share. I'm over it now, though, and I will continue to keep learning from you who have gone before me.

[M1031A1]

Grump,

Outstanding research! My minor is Investigative Journalism. Well done!!!!

[Grumpina]

Thanks, M1031A1. That means a lot.

[Grumpina]

Originally Posted by sdwarf36

Ain't no way the body is meant to come off the frame!
When in doubt, look what s out there. Go look at what is in your car or truck for referance. Or Google seat belt installation-racers have all kind of specs for how to mount them. It will give a good general idea. Heres one i found in a quick check. http://www.wescoperformance.com/imag...ll-diagram.gif

This exploded diagram is very helpful. I had not seen one before. Thanks!

[onenationundergoat]

That's really nice to know! With our passenger seat up front we used a seat that already had a buckle built in and attached the anchors to the frame beside the door. So if the whole bus comes apart the seat belt should come with it and me!

[crazycal]

All the seats that I have pulled out have had the seat belts attached to the seat frame. I would assume that you would want to do the same.

[Jolly Roger]

Thank you grumpina, I didn't mean to upset and/or aggravate you
I never imagined the frame and body separating? I have watched older videos of school buses more around my buses age and frame in mountain/hill roll test and head on collisions and they didn't seperate and from crawling and working under my 86 Wayne/Thomas it (in my opinion) would take a lot to make the two seperate.
If you have a make, model already or are interested in a specific one then look up specific test.
The seat belts I bought from j.c.whitney came with all the proper grade bolts and washers. They are not self retracting or fancy in anyway but they are secure 3-point belts.
No one here minds giving there opinions to a question. But some are a little more rough cut than others so please don't get offended.

[mrblah]

Just to add a small suggestion: Ask the manufacturer of your bus for the strongest anchor location.

In Quebec, they ask that seats and belts be installed by the manufacturer "for safety reasons". Their reasons are bullshit, they just don't want to deal with structural studies for anchoring seats.

But their suggestions isn't THAT bad. The builders of your bus ARE more knowledgeable about which part of it will hold up in a crash...

Just a thought!

[VeldatheWonderbus]

I will not be showing the pictures above to my mother. Eek.