Adding a rear seat belt to a TJ

[flywaterguide]

I’m going in the opposite direction of Nailer and others… My “family” has recently expanded from two (my daughter and I) to five (addition of GF and her two sons).

So, here’s my question – Has anybody ever added a seat belt to the rear of a TJ? It’d be nice to be able to have all three kids belted up back there. It’d be nice to be able to buy an OEM type (or any type) seat belt and bolt it in back there.

Anyone ever do this? I’d like to hear any comments, suggestions, or any info anyone might have.

Thanks!

Flywaterguide

[seapahn]

Do you have the seat but no belts or are you going to get a seat too? Mine came with the rear seat and two belts but of course I took the seat out the first day and it hasn't been back in since

The coiled parts of the belts are mounted to the lower parts of the rear roll bars and the bottom parts of the belts where they snap in are bolted to the tub if I remember correctly.

But if your question is to add a third belt, I don't see any room for another person! But if I had to, I would use an air plane type seat belt and bolt each side to where the stock belts are bolted in the center of the tub in the rear. It should be an easy install if you get the type of belt I'm thinking of.

[Dukes69]

I wouldnt rig something together and possibly risk the life of a loved one.

[goodtimes]

If you add a belt to the seat (assuming you are seating 3 small children back there), you can add a generic lap belt. Be sure to use the original mounting bolts and locations (same as the other 2 belts). There are laws regarding the attachment points of seat belts. Be sure to check your local, and the federal, laws so that you remain in compliance with them. Otherwise you are putting yourself in a difficult position (liability wise) if something unfortunate were to happen.

[flywaterguide]

yeah... I know it might be "risky" to put another seat belt back there for another person... four people works perfect in the TJ... or even two... but now we're 5 and I need to figure out something....

[Dukes69]

buy another Jeep for the wife

[flywaterguide]

assuming that some day she'll be my wife... and it's a farily safe assumption.... not a bad idea... in the mean time, where trying to buy a house, so the cost of a new seat beat is a lot better for our budget...

[jeepdawg]

I bought a lap belt from the auto parts store and it was an easy, and solid, install. It works fine with three kids in the back.

Caveat: the kids have to be old enough to go without a car seat, yet small enough to fit (6-10 years old). Stick a small child in a car seat back there and you're not going to fit two more . . .

Luckily I only have two kids, which is perfect for a Jeep. The third seatbelt is for one of their cousins who likes to go wheelin'.

[JeepGal]

Hey Jay!

Where did you attach the seat belt to?

Tam

[jeepdawg]

Tam,

I used the brackets the new belt came with, but bought Grade 8 bolts to attach them too. The mounting points for the belts are supposed to be set as wide or wider than the person using them so the passenger doesn't get pinched by the belt in an accident. For that reason, and the strength of the stock mount, which isn't meant to handle two seatbelts, the manufacturer recommended against adding the belts to the stock mounts.

[flywaterguide]

How long of a belt did you get? the kids are 13-11 years old.

[jeepdawg]

I don't remember exactly. I bought it at Schucks the summer before last. It is fairly long, though. Long enough for an adult to use.

If all three of the kids are 11-13 I think you'll have a hard time fitting them in the back seat, unless they are fairly small.

[flywaterguide]

haven't had a chance yet to try to get all three kids in the back seat... but it's looking like they won't fit... for a while, we may have an odd man out once in a while, but the older kid is fooling around with his buddies, so it's not too big a deal.

thanks for the replies!

FG