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04 /18/ 24, 8:19am

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Subject: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: John Fitzsimmons [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 06/ 24/ 04, 6:52am My wife has "fallen in love" with a 78 Bluebird for sale down the street. We have six children and would love to join the Bluebird family. My question is: Are there seatbelts in these older models, and if not, can they be retrofitted? Thanks for any help here. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: Steve Anderson [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 06/ 24/ 04, 5:53pm My 79 has three seatbelts behind the cushions in the couch behind the driver. If there is a couch on the passenger side, there may or may not be belts behind it.Can almost guarranty though that there will not be enough and you will be installing more. should be plenty doable as there is plenty of support in the floor system for additional belts. Steve Anderson 79 FC 35 Poulsbo, Washington [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: John Fitzsimmons [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 06/ 24/ 04, 9:48pm Thanks. It will need some belts. I checked out the Bird today. I must say I was fairly impressed by its solid construction, old as she is, she is very well kept up. We are taking it on a test this weekend to Cape Cod. The kids are down there already, camping out in a large tent--our current "2nd home." I will look further ino how to install seatbelts; I figured four on the dinette and three on the couch and we'd be fit for a cruise. Thanks for the post. PS Convince me I'm on the right track! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: Rich Cline [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 06/ 25/ 04, 9:45pm I need to install additional seatbelts in my 78FC33. I'd appreciate you sharing what you learn about adding the belts (I'll pass on anything I pick up as well). R. Cline Circleville, OH 78FC33 [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> [> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: Ernie Ekberg [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 10/ 13/ 04, 6:43pm seat belts can be installed almost anywhere, except the fuel and holding tank areas.The floor is plywood over steel. Just be careful where you drill. Ernie Ekberg [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: Bruce [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 07/ 1/ 04, 5:22pm John, the more you learn about Birds the more you will learn to love them. They are extremely rugged and last forever. If I were going to install seatbelts I would go to a local company that does handicapped van conversions. They routinely install belts and can do it correctly. Another great resource for info on Birds and getting help from members is the Wanderlodge Owners Forum at http://wanderlodge.org. Please feel free to join us. Bruce in Raleigh, NC 1983 FC35RB [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: John Fitzsimmons [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 07/ 3/ 04, 8:02pm Thanks Bruce, That is a great idea. I will follow through on that and let folks know the cost. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: tjhannink [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 07/ 26/ 04, 11:55am My '81 FC-33 has dual front couches, each with 2-sets of seat belts. The dinette also has 2-sets of seatbelts at each bench location. Including the driver and front passenger seats, my coach has seat belts for 10 people, all factory with the Bluebird logo on the buckle. They were all hidden under the seats, I had to remove the dinette booth to get out those belts, the previous owner must have gotten sick of them. Tim Hannink 1981 FC-33 Winter Park, FL [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Seat belts in Bluebirds Author: Shawn Fountain [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 10/ 12/ 04, 10:00am We added a couch on the passenger side and added seatbelts for 3 kids. We removed the interior siding to get to the vertical metal braces. We had to cut out the insulation around the braces we wanted to add. We attached 2" 90 angle iron to the vertical supports, and then a 6 foot 90 angle iron to those. We drilled holes in the 6-foot horizontal section and attached hardened steel eyes with hardened bolts. We attach the kid car seats to those. Or instead of the eyes, you could directly attach seat belt hardware if your kids are older. We then added more insulation and reinstalled the interior siding. This all took about 5 hours once I had all the supplies. The supports are probably overkill but it makes the wife happy. And it is now really quick and easy to add and remove car seats b/c we can use the child seat quick connects. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]