SEAT BELTS

[RUBBLE]

Hey guys
just wondering where would be the best spot to bolt the rear seat belts to in my fcwagon eg wheel arch or side panel under windows?
cheers rubble

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

A little hard to explain, but, you need the top bolt to be above shoulder height, otherwise the seatbelt will probably cause more damage than anything.

If the seatbelt is bolted below shoulder height (to the wheel well) and it slips between the seats in a sudden stop, the passengers weight moving forward will cause a back compression injury. Hope that makes sense.

[FCwagon]

Engineers will accept a mounting in the lower window panel so long as you include a reasonable sized plate formed to the same profile as the panel (to stop it from tearing out). That anchor point is only slightly below the top of the seat & not likely to cause any compression injuries.
cheers,
Leigh

[Ed]

Alternatively, you can mount a reel or anchor on the wheel arch and put a sash guide in the C pillar.

I was going to cut the seat down instead of using a sash guide and place a warning sticker that only ppl under 4 ft in height be seated in these positions... but the engineer didnt like that.


Cheers

Ed

[tmudie]

Ed,

I have some digital pics of inertia real seat belts fitted to a wagon by ............um I forget the guys names just now.....a guy from the club. It was a real neat job. Whats your email address and I'll send them to you. Better still, email me tjmudie@optusnet.com.au and I'll reply with the pics

Tony

[Ed]

Hey tony,

I think Rubble was after this one, but cheers anyway.
mine are finito.

Cheers

Ed

[Blown_FC]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but saves starting a whole new one....

I have been lucky enough to have some seatbelts given to me.....BRAND NEW 2001 made lap sash belts, but not the retractable ones.

They are the normal old style adjustable / fixed seat belts but are made in England to UK standards as of 2001.....Brand name SECURON.

Does anyone know if these would be accepted in Australia for when my car goes for rego ?

And the other question is, where is the best place to mount the rear achor points for a SEDAN.

Any help much appreciated

Cheers

Mark

[Ed]

I think this has been discussed previously (cant find thread), but the outcome was belts must have the Australian Standards (AS....) label affixed to be accepted.

I cant help with sedan mounting points, but sure somebody here can.

Cheers

Ed

[Blown_FC]

Thanks ED.....actually thinking about it now.......licensing is not a problem, as I'll just get the cart licensed without seatbelts as it's a 1958 model.......then just bolt the belts in afterwards for safety.

Saves any potential headaches at licensing time.....but still curious to know where to weld in the mounting plates....

Cheers

mark

[RET]

You'd know the WA rules better than me, but I think your insurance company might have something to say about seat-belts that don't conform to Australian Standards if the unthinkable were to happen.

Logically, yes I know, anything should be better than nothing.  But we both know that any excuse to not pay a claim is worth a try with those guys...

cheers
RET

[Blown_FC]

Too true...... !

However, seatbelts should have no bearing on a potential car insurance claim, as it's my body at risk, not the car.

My life insurance policy may investigate closer as to why the belts were to UK standards and not Australian.

I guess it's that can of worms thing again...as even an Australian approved set of belts could still be discounted in an insurance claim, if the belt anchoring points are attached to the B pillars, which were never designed to withstand the amount of force put on them in a car crash...(ie)...doesn;t matter how good the belts are, if the way they are bolted to the car is not approved.

Cheers

mark