Technical Seat Belt Installation

[Ian Stanford]

What is the favoured method of installing retracting/inerta safety belts to the front seats? Specifically, I'm enquiring how to bolt the swivel guides to the B post at shoulder level. At present I'm using the old static belt swivel points sited lower down the B posts, in line with the bottom of the rear windows, where it's possible to hold a nut for the mounting bolt - uncomfortable!

Any directions would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Ian

 

[stocky]

I have just done exactly this.
I had old static belts which looked ugly laying all over the car.
I thought about a car with comparable mounts and brought a pair of inertia belts for a mgb GT and they fitted in the holes already made and work great. Only change i had to do was put the stalks in a vice and bend them so the stalk went up the centre tunnel as my holes were in the floor.
You will only need some suitable bolts and lock nuts to complete the job.
I can recommend getting the belts from Sussex Classic Car Parts part SSB101 £58.76 inc delivery cheapest I could find and great service, google them.
Good luck let me know how you get on.

 

[Ian Stanford]

Hi Stocky,
Thanks for your reply. I probably phrased my enquiry badly - I have the retracting belts installed, using, like you, existing holes from the old static belts. My "problem" is that the existing swivel guides on the B post are too low for comfort, and I'm looking for ideas on how to move them up the B post to shoulder level. Has anyone had experience of using rivnuts in this location?

Cheers,
a

 

[MattGibson]

Here is my thread on installing inertia reel seat belts: https://www.fiatforum.com/500-classic/313327-fitting-inertia-reel-seat-belts.html

I did, however, use the captive nuts the previous owner had fitted to the B-pillar.

Matt

 

[Ian Stanford]

Thanks Matt for your reply. I have my belts installed almost exactly the same way as you did yours. I'm looking for a method of installing the B post fixtures higher up, at shoulder level, as one finds in more modern cars. Or not so modern cars - my '73 BMW 2002 has the swivel guides for the belts located above shoulder level.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Bigvtwin996]

Please don't do what the previous restorer of one of my cars did...
Drilled holes right through the outside to inside just below the roofline on the B Pillar and put bolts straight through for the upper seat belt mount!

I have seen captive nuts welded in similar positoins on other vehicles...

a peice of metal is shaped to match the pillar and a slightly oversize hole is drilled in position... and the plate with a welded captive nut on the reverse on is pulled up the pillar into position and welded in position... the oversize hole allowing a ring of weld to be put to hold the plate and captive nut in place.. I think there were a couple of extra holes drilled that were used to keep the plate in position durng welding and these were plug welded afterwards as well

I hope you get what I mean... tiz good when done during resto as it looks factory.... Swear I have seen it on many VW Splitscreen vans..

 

[Ian Stanford]

Fear not - no through holes, no welded nuts on the outside; I was thinkng more of a 6" nail......

Your third paragraph, however, makes a lot of sense, and looks do-able without too much damage providing it's done with care.

Many thanks for that,

Ian