Nam Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Hi All, Just want to re-introduce myself again with a new toy. 1990 Itasca Spirit picked up in Brentwood Calif. last week. The rig needs some work like new muffler and CAB A/C recharge, some holes to patch but nothing I can't handle. I have been looking for this particular floor plan for a while but a decent Itasca/Warrior is quite hard to come by with my limited "budget." I have looked at several Dolphin/Odyssey/Americana/ but none that I found I could live it until this one. Quite interestingly, this rig's picture got into national scam (the $3500 Toyota Motor Home) for some strange reasons. First question is: where are all seat belts? I found only one seat belt in the back by the dinette. What about the sofa? has anyone installed seatbelt for the sofa? I am thinking of hitting the RV salvage yard in Sacramento to get 4 seat belts (one for the other side of the dinette) and three for the sofa if I can find a way to mount them. Other than that...I'll start clean up...doing all the basic maintenance stuff and should be ready for the road anytime. All the best, I know will learn a lot form all your experience on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 your bench seat should have seatbelt brackets or you should be able to install them on bench frame (thats where mine are) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 enjoy your new-to-you toyhome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 You are right, that photo did end up on Craigslist here in Wisconsin. I hope that everything goes well for you in getting it fixed up the way that you want it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydancer2992 Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 My sofa seat belts had fallen down into the base under the sofa. If yours is the convertible bed, you can prop it up in a halfway position and reach down and push the seat belts back up through the gap between the two sections. I also found about two dollars in coins and various brochures and receipts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 seat belts are less than useless in the rear unless you are using the sofa ones. Only the main sofa ones are bolted to the frame. The ones in barrel chairs and side dinettes are just Lag Bolted into the the plywood. I agree with sky, they most likely fell behind. remove the couch cushinons ; pull out the bed and look in the crack closest to the wall. please send the $2 found to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giant in a Shoebox Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Of the more than half dozen rigs I looked at, I only recall seeing one with seatbelts in the coach seating. They were just screwed to either the bench framing, or the wall... I think it was the wall. I saw no evidence on any of those rigs of any anchoring system that tied into the truck frame. I'm guessing most owners decided they were useless and removed them sometime in the last 25 years. I guess what I'm saying is that for less than 20 bucks you can set your rig up with seatbelts, assuming you are capable of finding a couple of wall studs. They'd probably be ok in a fender bender, or for the purpose of satisfying an inquiring policeman, but would likely be very unsafe in the event of a serious accident. The couch style ones totem described might be ok though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Updates: still no sign of seatbelts. I will have to look harder but so far, none was found. There was evident of leak by the AC unit. Upon removal of the AC, the roof sags a little since the AC has been there for 22 years. The seal has dried out and roof sags --> leak! For now since I have an extra roof vent, I'll put it there until next summer. Next project: install support for the dinnet to convert it into a child bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stamar Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 The seatbelts are good for kids during a trip but provide no crash help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Well, thanks for all of your input. I surveyed every square inche under the bench and found no evident of seatbelt or seat belt installation trace. But I found several labels said "This seat is not intended for occupancy while vehicle is in motion" I guess my Toy home is designed to carry only two passengers and has sleeping space for about 5...does not make a whole lot of sense to me. After market seatbelts installation is on my list...at least give my passenger some form of protection...better than nothing and with the low speed on a MH...I think they will help a little. Anyone attempted to install seatbelt on these MH yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 how many passengers? The Itasca is probably a bit of a heffer as it is with no one in it. Assuming its children the seat belts do more to control them than to offer any protection. The rig will be disintegrating in event of a crash anyway; it very well may be worse to be tied down to the floor. I have a full set of seat belts; 3 in my bench and two from the barrel chairs I removed. I could ship them to you or you could flea bay some. they should be practically easy to find like these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Adjustable-Car-Truck-Seat-Belt-Lap-Belt-Universal-Two-Point-Safety-N98B-/130782288399?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e733b5a0f&vxp=mtr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90toydolphin Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 not all states require seat belts for those in the coach. CA does is all i'm sure of. personally have never heard of anyone getting ticketed for the infraction. but for kids would be a good idea so they wouldn't get tossed around everytime you hit the breaks, even for adults as far as that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Especially if you are drafting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Totem, Pls. ship them to me...with bolts and brackets if available. I'll PM you with additional info. how many passengers? The Itasca is probably a bit of a heffer as it is with no one in it. Assuming its children the seat belts do more to control them than to offer any protection. The rig will be disintegrating in event of a crash anyway; it very well may be worse to be tied down to the floor. I have a full set of seat belts; 3 in my bench and two from the barrel chairs I removed. I could ship them to you or you could flea bay some. they should be practically easy to find like these: http://www.ebay.com/...33b5a0f&vxp=mtr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Hmm...that's kind of strange...this rig was sold in California...I guess Winnebago just wanted to cover their butt so they put those stickers in...or they wanted to save some pennies but replacing those seatbelts with stickers??? not all states require seat belts for those in the coach. CA does is all i'm sure of. personally have never heard of anyone getting ticketed for the infraction. but for kids would be a good idea so they wouldn't get tossed around everytime you hit the breaks, even for adults as far as that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90toydolphin Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 or didn't want to do the engineering to meet requirements for the states requiring belts? who knows, but if i were to be hauling around passengers in the coack i would add them. i also don't have a clue as to what year it became the law. mine is a 90 and has what appears to be factory installed belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Yeah, my previous 1990 Warrior had seatbelts to all the seat too...without those stickers though. Sure enought, I will install them regardless...who knows...we occasionally carry passenger on the coach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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