help with installing Sparco's in a mini van

Cdnone1 · 03-16-2011, 02:36 PM

Hi.
Here is a picture of my son and I when we where touring No Cal Universities.

My son Bryce has Cerebral Palsy and is confined to a wheelchair for life, as an added bonus he can not speak.
He travels in a special car seat made for quadriplegics, but it is basically a large child's seat with a four point harness.
Bryce is outgrowing his present seat and they don't make a larger one. The option most people use is to strap down the wheelchair to the floor of the van. I don't feel comfortable doing this as Bryce has so little control over his body that any accident would not end well and, well I'm just not comfortable with that option.
What I would like to do is instal a Sparco or other "racing seat". The seat would have to be raised off the floor and mounts fabricated so he would be high enough to clear his feet, see out and not be in danger form the side air bags.
I would also need to fabricate and install some sort of anchoring system to keep him strapped in properly that would have a proper shoulder mounting points not to break his back in a crash. Bryce already has to use a "sub belt" in his wheelchair and car seat or he will just slide out so he would need a sub belt in his car seat as well.
Any help on suggestions or direction you could point me in would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Steve

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

1st, check out junk yards for a seat mount that is like the one that came out of the same model van, the anchoring system could be the same we are using in our track cars, through the floor, as for the rear, you would need a harness guide bar, like in a 944, but wider to fit your van. Pix of the van would really help..

stomachmonkey · 03-16-2011, 03:11 PM

Find a shop that preps race cars.

Good luck.

kaisen · 03-16-2011, 03:11 PM

What year, make, model?

Cdnone1 · 03-16-2011, 03:21 PM

Sorry, it's a 2005 Toyota sienna. He sits in the row behind the front seat. I would like to see if it's possible to make a removable harness bar so I can use the van when he is not in it.
I could drive it up to Dave at TRE and I'm sure he could fab up something for me in no time, I'm just looking for suggestions or idea's at this point
Thanks for the suggestions so far
Steve

Steve Viegas · 03-16-2011, 03:29 PM

I am sorry, I cannot offer any advice, but I wish you the best of luck. UC Davis is a great choice for schools by the way.

kaisen · 03-16-2011, 03:30 PM

I'm with Byron on this one.

Buy a used center row bucket seat (I assume you have two buckets in the center row). Visit car-part.com and look for them in your area. Around here they are $100-150 each.

You can keep the base mechanism and remove the seat cushion and entire backrest. Then fabricate a way to bolt an appropriately sized racing seat with harness upon the base. When you're not using it, it should retain removeability so you can swap in your old seat, or remove them for cargo.

Cdnone1 · 03-16-2011, 03:51 PM

Thanks
He applied to Davis but I don't think he is going to get in

Cdnone1 · 03-16-2011, 06:02 PM

Do you think I can mount the harness to the base of the seat?

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdnone1

Do you think I can mount the harness to the base of the seat?

Not without a Guide bar, otherwise is an accident you will compress his spine..

kaisen · 03-16-2011, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdnone1

Do you think I can mount the harness to the base of the seat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Not without a Guide bar, otherwise is an accident you will compress his spine..

You CAN mount the guide bar to the base. In fact, on some Siennas (and lots of other cars) the upper shoulder belt is mounted in the seat itself. But BVD is right, if you don't mount an upper bar, the belts will pull downward. The horizontal guides need to be as high as his shoulders. Some of this depends on the seat and how the belts are routed. But again, you should be able to utilize the factory mechanism/base.

john70t · 03-16-2011, 07:09 PM

Good dad for thinking of these things.
Wheelchairs and even most modern cars have sharp points and things that can break the human body in crash situations. Even now, very few design the bottom of dashboards to safely protect the shins in head-ons.

Just a dream/concept, but a seat mounting system that pivots and then extends outside the vehicle would make loading a person from a wheelchair to the seat a much easier process.

kaisen · 03-16-2011, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john70t

Just a dream/concept, but a seat mounting system that pivots and then extends outside the vehicle would make loading a person from a wheelchair to the seat a much easier process.

Ya mean like the system that both Toyota and GM have had for years?

Here are a few pics of Siennas so equipped:

Cdnone1 · 03-16-2011, 07:33 PM

that would be perfect but Bryce needs a 5 point system to keep him in place and you couldn't have this with a shoulder harness bar.
I have actually torn 2 tendons in my elbow getting him in and out of the seat he uses now and he's only getting bigger

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Custom Vans in the 70s had Capt chair that had a base that swiveled & locked forward. Wish I was closer as sounds like it would be a fun project with a great pay off..

john70t · 09:09 PM

I see two unique problems with two unique solutions:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdnone1

that would be perfect but Bryce needs a 5 point system to keep him in place and you couldn't have this with a shoulder harness bar.

1). You need a secure seatbelt system attached to the seat(perferably).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdnone1

I have actually torn 2 tendons in my elbow getting him in and out of the seat he uses now and he's only getting bigger

2). You need an easy lift and/or better seat-to-seat transfer system.

Either a better wheelchair needs to be secured in the vehicle, or a better method of transfer needs to be made available.