Need to add seats w/ seat belts to 2001 Volvo VNL660

[NeverEasy]

I have searched through the resource guide without success to see if anyone has replaced the stowable table/seats/lower bunk with some kind of seats with seat belts. This June/July, we will take the grandkids (ages 10 and 7) to South Dakota and Wyoming for their summer vacation. We will meet up with their parents in South Dakota.

 

We have never used the table in the sleeper, only the lower bunk for naps while the other person drives. I thought there would be some sort of seat belts down there behind the cushions but, alas, there were none.

 

Is it legal to put up the cargo net thing and cage the kids behind it?

 

I would prefer to put in some sort of bench seat that converts to a bed. Something like a love seat.

 

Any help with ideas or source for seats would be a great help.

 

Chet

[SuiteSuccess]

Believe it is BMzero who did it recently. Look through this thread.

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=114854&hl=bmzero&page=3. Go to page 5.

[genecolleen]

Gregg @ Rv haulers took out our table and added 1 seat for our grandson. We are still able to make a single bunk across the seat. He had a way to add 2 seats. Rv haulers.ca

[SuiteSuccess]

Gregg @ Rv haulers took out our table and added 1 seat for our grandson. We are still able to make a single bunk across the seat. He had a way to add 2 seats. Rv haulers.ca

 

Do you have any pics of this build?

[NeverEasy]

SuiteSuccess, Thanks for the link to the thread. There were some useful links within it to some good material. A good place to start. The thread ought to be broken into different topics as it jumps all over the place from headlights to TV mounts. There was some good info there on lots of things. Needs a better name than " Volvo 730 RV Hauler Build" which tends to point to a bed build. I went to ebay and found a ton of seats available. The most interesting were the ones taken out of new vehicles for upgraded seats. I need to make some measurements to see what might fit.

 

Chet

[PEIFamily]

I have the inside of mine all gutted out now, lower bunk removed but keeping upper one and building new wall panels and now have three air bases & original seatbelts (shoulder ones) , going to put three air seats and seat belts back there along with windows in the 670.

 

I can take pictures during my progress, although, its pretty much stalled until some snow starts melting.. The newspaper was reporting this morning up to date we had 13 FEET of snow..

[hdonlybob]

Not a bench seat, but when I sold my 2001 610 the new owners wanted me to remove the bottom bunk and put two independent seats with seat belts and full adjustments.

Not hard to do and worked out real well...I used Lincoln Continental Seats and fabbed the rest.

Note: The arrangement is what they wanted, not necessarily what I would have done.

I can give you the details if you want.

Cheers,

Bob

 

 

[SuiteSuccess]

Bob,

 

Did you maintain the drivers and passengers storage compartments?

[SuiteSuccess]

I have the inside of mine all gutted out now, lower bunk removed but keeping upper one and building new wall panels and now have three air bases & original seatbelts (shoulder ones) , going to put three air seats and seat belts back there along with windows in the 670.

 

I can take pictures during my progress, although, its pretty much stalled until some snow starts melting.. The newspaper was reporting this morning up to date we had 13 FEET of snow..

Please do take pics. This conversion has been on my bucket list for several years. I may end up doing what bmzero did with the e-trac as my grandkids would only be going with us once or twice a year and I would like to maintain our workstation. Just still not completely comfortable with them sitting sideways. Have been looking for some racing seats that have the wrap around head restraints but they are expensive. That would at least give some sideways protection. Still not ideal. Something like this.

http://www.saferacer.com/sparco-pro-adv-racing-seat?gclid=CIzn266AksQCFQqFaQodMJkAwg

[hdonlybob]

Bob,

 

Did you maintain the drivers and passengers storage compartments?

 

Yes, but cut down the whole bottom bunk platform by a bit over two inches...replaced with 3/4" plywood. The inside compartments were then about 2" less in height.

[SuiteSuccess]

Yes, but cut down the whole bottom bunk platform by a bit over two inches...replaced with 3/4" plywood. The inside compartments were then about 2" less in height.

 

Thanks

[NeverEasy]

SuiteSuccess,

Would these do? http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-FULLY-RECLINABLE-TYPE-R-GRAY-BLACK-CLOTH-SPORTS-RACING-SEAT-SEATS-SLIDER-RAIL-/400835007370?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d53a0d38a&vxp=mtr

[NeverEasy]

Not a bench seat, but when I sold my 2001 610 the new owners wanted me to remove the bottom bunk and put two independent seats with seat belts and full adjustments.

Not hard to do and worked out real well...I used Lincoln Continental Seats and fabbed the rest.

Note: The arrangement is what they wanted, not necessarily what I would have done.

I can give you the details if you want.

Cheers,

Bob

 

 

Thanks for the pictures, Bob. That looks like what I want to do. Maybe some smaller seats from a Honda.

[SuiteSuccess]

Chet,

 

Yes have looked at those on ebay, thanks. Just can't convince myself to let my grandkids sit sideways and risk neck injuries in an accident. The one I linked has more of a wraparound head protector but as you can see very expensive. Think I'm gonna figure a way to do three across the back and utilize the bracket for the workstation table in the design. Will incorporate the e- trac like bmzero as the attachment points. Just have to have some warmer weather and time to really look and ponder. I want the seats to be removable so I can reconfigure to the original workstation. The seats or ones like it you linked will probably be part of that design and be removable. BTW think I'm going to carry through the etrac attachments to under the cab with some wide pieces of plate or large washers as load distributors.

[skp51443]

The second row seats from a Honda Odyssey might be really easy to work with as they have the built-in quick releases and fold flat to make storage easier when not in use.

 

 

[PEIFamily]

Please do take pics. This conversion has been on my bucket list for several years.

 

I was worried about kids getting carsick and not being able to see out the windows travelling sideways so that is one of the reasons I decided to put them forward facing.. Plus more chance of issues during an accident with the body being whipped sideways where the seats will not help you to absorb the impact except for seat belt damage (your spine being jerked sideways with only the seat belt holding you, etc) vs being faced forward. I think the original seats were meant when you were parked to eat, etc not for cross country driving, but that is just my opinion.

I opted to delete my rear air, heater and storage to make the seat bases, will have plenty of storage in the underbody boxes and upper bunk.

My seats came from a 2006 Chevy Uplander minivan, lady stored them since they were brand new and were never used. The seats are just a shade wider then the stock truck front seats and have both armrests, a requirement when I was looking for seats. Since the kids may have their cat on the seats with them sometimes, I opted for cloth seats, these had partial leather but that will need to do.

Going to replace my front seats with similar so I have 5 the same.

I also picked up two 15x24 windows I am installing to give more sightseeing capabilities back there so it don't feel like they are travelling in a big box lol

Here is a few pictures of the bases, seats and how they will fit. I have some 1.25 wide 1/4 bar stock that is cut to the width of the seats and will bolt to them and then bolt across the seat base. Those buggers won't be going anywhere.

Also got all the seat belts from the donor trucks and will be putting shoulder belts in the back. Will be running a steel plate through the rear wall for the upper seat belt post.

[SuiteSuccess]

PEI,

 

That is going to look really good. I am just not as crafty as you obviously are so I need to do some more "pondering". Plus as I said, I need to be able to reconfigure to the workstation when it is just the wife and I. Don't you just love projects?

[PEIFamily]

Just finished bolting all my seats in this evening.. (Been a crazy busy summer working over 100+ hrs a week), never had much free time to do anything to the truck..

 

Well, I origionally was going to lay a steel plate 24x72 (IIRC) on the floor to bolt the seats through and down through the bunk floor.. But the engineer overseeing the conversion for the DMV said NOT to do the plate but instead put large washers on the bottom (made some from 3x3x1/4" flat bar) and the two outside seats are solid since a few are bolted through the frame, BUT the center seat has so much play, if you give it a push it rocks for a few times. SO... back to the drawing board and ripping them out tomorrow.

 

Going to build a base from 2x2" 3/16" tubing left over from another project and then bolt that down through the floor with the seats bolted to it.. Puts me behind on my completion but want the truck safe..

 

[hdonlybob]

Pictures please when you are done

Cheers,

Bob

[NeverEasy]

I only wanted two seats and still wanted the left side clear behind the frig. I put in Chrysler Sebring seats that have seat belts built into the seats. I installed a piece of 3/8 aluminum over the storage compartments and then bolted that to the floor with all thread. Modifying the Sebring seat brackets for the floor was the hard part. It took a while to figure out how to get the original slides out of the seats, cut them, and weld flat angle to that to bolt to the aluminum and keep them as low as possible. Then I had to build a box in front of the platform for the kids feet to rest on. We call it the "Toy Box" because I made a hinged top and put carpet on it so the grandkids could store all their stuff in. Then I mounted a 19 inch TV on an arm that swung out in front of the seats. Grandkids rode just fine from the east coast to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore on a month long trip.

 

Got home and removed the seats but not the aluminum. Put the matress back and then an air matress on top of that to return it to a useable bunk. We never used the table and it was not very stable under the matress anyway.