Chevy seat belt help.

[Eric Currie]

I have a 1990 Mallard Sprint based on a Chevy P30 chassis. the crew cab is the same as any 3rd gen Chevy van. Currently it has 2 point lap belts and I want to install 3 point belts with the shoulder restraint. There is an anchor point on the door post support but it's not threaded. It has what looks like a tapered cone about 1 inch deep. Does anyone have any experience putting 3 point belts in a Chevy van?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

For the record, your Mallard Sprint is either P30 or van-based, but it cannot be both. The shorter Sprints were class C coaches using a van cutaway chassis, while the longer ones (30 ft?) were class A using the Chevy P30 motorhome chassis. The car area is substantially different between the two.

The challenge in going to 3-point is finding a suitable anchor spot for the 3rd (upper) point.

 

[Skookum]

I wonder if one option might be retrofitting more modern seats. For example, seats from a 2000-2006 Chevy Tahoe/Suburban where the upper anchor is integrated into the seat. This style is popular in retro-modern restorations for older trucks with 2-point belts.

 

[Eric Currie]

For the record, your Mallard Sprint is either P30 or van-based, but it cannot be both. The shorter Sprints were class C coaches using a van cutaway chassis, while the longer ones (30 ft?) were class A using the Chevy P30 motorhome chassis. The car area is substantially different between the two.

The challenge in going to 3-point is finding a suitable anchor spot for the 3rd (upper) point.

It's a cut away van. Registration says class B P30, not going to argue with the DMV.

 

[Onyrlef]

I have a 1990 Mallard Sprint based on a Chevy P30 chassis. the crew cab is the same as any 3rd gen Chevy van. Currently it has 2 point lap belts and I want to install 3 point belts with the shoulder restraint. There is an anchor point on the door post support but it's not threaded. It has what looks like a tapered cone about 1 inch deep. Does anyone have any experience putting 3 point belts in a Chevy van?

Could be a plate with a threaded hole fits over the hole in the pillar. The seatbelt anchor bolt then threads into the plate.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It's a cut away van. Registration says class B P30, not going to argue with the DMV.

LOL. But you can't argue with the lack of a B-pillar on a P30 chassis either. Fortunately the van cutaway does have the B-pillar so there is a place to anchor the upper seat belt bolt.

BTW, the "class" shown on the registration or title will be the state's own vehicle classification, not the RVIA standard body type.

 

[Eric Currie]

I wonder if one option might be retrofitting more modern seats. For example, seats from a 2000-2006 Chevy Tahoe/Suburban where the upper anchor is integrated into the seat. This style is popular in retro-modern restorations for older trucks with 2-point belts.


View attachment 173860

That would be great, I'll start checking local wreckers.

LOL. But you can't argue with the lack of a B-pillar on a P30 chassis either. Fortunately the van cutaway does have the B-pillar so there is a place to anchor the upper seat belt bolt.

BTW, the "class" shown on the registration or title will be the state's own vehicle classification, not the RVIA standard body type.

I'm dealing with the government of Prince Edward Island so anything is possible. Friend had a BMW, they wanted to register it as a motorcycle. I can see what should be the anchor but there is no thread to screw the bolt into, just a tapered cone about 1 inch deep. I think I'll have to buy some after market anchors and have them welded to the B-pillar.

 

[Tulecreeper]

That would be great, I'll start checking local wreckers.

I'm dealing with the government of Prince Edward Island so anything is possible. Friend had a BMW, they wanted to register it as a motorcycle. I can see what should be the anchor but there is no thread to screw the bolt into, just a tapered cone about 1 inch deep. I think I'll have to buy some after market anchors and have them welded to the B-pillar.

Kind of makes sense, since BMW does make a motorcycle.