I have the typical Dodge minivan seat seen in many Model A's and other small cars. It has the buckles built into the middle and I would like to keep them if possible. I'm looking for a retractable lap belt with a male latch that will work with the Dodge buckle. From memory, all the minivan seats are 3 point style and my schedule has been a little hectic with no time to make it to a salvage yard. Does anyone use the Dodge buckle with a lap belt? What vehicle did it come from? Thanks!
DO the seat belts come out of the minivan easy? Could they be used? OK reread your post they won't work
Crusty there is another thread on using the mini van seat as the front seat, and questions on my part came up as to how you would access the rear seats for the passengers. Have you found a way to do that with that seat? I tried every way to sunday to make it work..I finally decided to just use a bucket seat arrangement for the front 2 seats.. have you?, or how have you made this work?
This could be your answer-sew the old male latch onto a new webbing, but you said the old set-up was a three point and you want to go to a lap belt only so I guess that would depend on your male latch set-up. There might also be an insurance question about altering a seat belt-hopefully that would never come up. You might also consider contacting Juliano's or Andover Restraints (http://www.andoauto.com) or another seat belt purveyor and see if they'd have ends that would work. I suspect you'd likely have to purchase the entire safety belt, but they're not horribly expensive to start with and you'd have a new, strong latch.
I'm figuring it will mostly be kids back there and me and my friends aren't that old yet. The seat I have, the back folds forward all the way to flat, so whoever is in the back just has to climb over that. I was trying to come up with a way for it to fold and tumble forward, but it didn't work out and would have hit the steering wheel. Both good ideas, I may end up calling Juliano's.
The middle lap belt out of a Dodge Pickup will work with these. Should be lots of them in the wrecking yards. (Edit) I just noticed you said you wanted it to be retractable. The lap middle lap belts aren't, but you might be able to use another retractable mechanism with them. V/8
I got a pair of retractable belts out of a dodge mini van. My seat came with short buckles in the middle. Had to get the outside belts from two vans. The seat only came with one. Don't remember what year.
Hey Matt, I can't be of any help on the seatbelts, but I am using a "Fold and Tumble" rear seat from a Jeep, for the front seat...it's really narrow, there's plenty of room on each side of the T body, probably 3 inches on each side between the seat and doors, and not only does the seat back fold forward, when you release the catch on the seat base, the whole seat tilts forward... I got it off of Craigslist, right across the street from your local Target store...
Thank you. I can get the retractors that clip on or just do without. I had a feeling more Dodge products would interchange. Now to find time to visit the junk yard.
Matt, if you know of anyone looking for a Minivan 2nd(middle) seat like you and I have, I just got another one up here North of you...
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