FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

I was talking to rare spares today about the various types of seat belts required for the FC/Fe Holdens, I was mostly interested in the retractable ones.
What I would like to know from the forums wealth of knowledge is whether there is enough room between the lower pillar and the seat for the mechanism to be fitted.
Rare spares couldn't tell me, It's the FC that will have the belts fitted if I want Julie to accompany me on future outings, :) so it's time to make a change for the better I guess.
Regards.
Leon

Leon,

I fitted my retractables at the bottom of the B pillar without a problem.

Cheers
John

John how did you fix them to the lower pillar section ? or did you fix/bolt it to the floor ?

thnx

FE 4 ME

if you get club reg,or normal reg,
do you have to fit seat belts in vic.
or just lap sash
or none.

mine are through the floor easiest way. my transport engineer said if I fit 2 seatbelts in front the car become a 5 seater as each person must be restained once modified, so lap belts were fitted for mindle person.

They are fixed thru the bottom of the B pillar and plated.
John

Are the front ( except the middle seat ) retractable seat belts ?, i was thinking of going through the floor myself but was concerned how that would be with retractable seat belts and how they how line up along the pillar. I guess it would depend on what model the retractable belts they came out of ( any idea what your retractables came out of ).... do you have any pics ? your advise and input would be great for all of us interested in this thread

your input would be very much appreciated

FE 4 ME

does vic rego full/or club have to have seat belts by law??
 :)

Freddy,
What Brand did you use?
Cheers,
Graham

I'm pretty sure Vic roadworthy requires seatbelts in all vehicles. It is easiest to use new seatbelts from Repco or Bursons etc. because they have a universal style fitting which suits being exposed at the bottom of the B pillar. For a sedan you make a 95 degree bracket to bolt through the jacking point in the floor. In all others you need to plate under the floor as there is no strength member under the floor in this area. Alternatively you can put a plate into the bottom of the B pillar on any model (whatever you fancy or are capable of).

Ken

Thankx Ken, you've done it again  ;)   what thickness and size of the 95 degree bracket should be used  Ken ?

FE 4 ME

By the way do you have anymore of the boot spring installer tools available ? or is it have a crack at making one myself ?

thnkx

Dunno about VIC, but heres my understanding of the rules in SA.

No seat belts are required for unmodified FE / FC's.  If you fit the seat belts you can't later remove them.

Recently stinky advised that young kids can't travel in a car without seat belts, unless its on historic/club rego.

P.S.    I assume with the picture in my head and common sense the 95 degree bracket butts up against the pillar with the seat belt retractor attached to it before its fixed to the floor ??? also i would imagine that the bracket would be best if it was bent up in 1 piece or is a 2 piece welded bracket also allowed ?


FE 4 ME

Hemco has a great on line store with many styles and colours  and custom made also ,and all types of mounting brackets great prices and delivered to your door in a couple of days ........FC427.....

Thanks fellows for your input, I have in mind pretty much on how I'm going to install the re trackables units to the floor but would like to hear or see photos of others that have done the same thing, myself and others may well learn from other ways, "example" thickness, height, width of the L shape bracket that will be bolted to the floor through the jack support directly under the pillar, bolt thickness and length and so on.
Regards. ;)
Leon

 :P

Leon,

Some time ago I put a post up on the forum Somewhere, on the way my seat belts were fitted to our sedan. I also measured the bolt for the "B" pillar and sent it , the measurements that is, to Rare Spares. I believe they now have the bolt in stock, but I could be wrong. It is a 2 piece item. I still have the measurements at home. If you want them I will try to email them to you or Post them here. I will also dig out the photos of my fit and email them as well with a explaination of what I did.

Good luck fitting them.

Rusty.

That would be great if you could post your notes and pics on the installation of your seat belts... I'm sure Both Leon and others interested in this thread would appreciate you showing us your outcome

thankx Rusty


FE 4 ME

 ??? ???

 If we can work this out, This is how the seat belts are fitted to our Sedan.

First off, the "B" Pillar Bolt.

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/SeatbeltBolt0001.jpg)

From under the gutter , come down the pillar 70mm. The bolt size, external is 9/16th, so you need a hole drilled at 9/16th from the out side being careful not to drill straight through the Pillar, however drill in far enough to so you can just see where the drill bit touches the inside of the pillar. From the inside, and using the drill mark as a guide , you need to centre punch, very lightly, the drill mark left by the 9/16 bit, and drill a 7/16 hole. When fitting the bolt into the hole(s) you may need to ajust the bolt by removing a small amount from the end of the 9/16 bolt so it fits without causing the bolt to pull a dent in the outside of the pillar when tightened.

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/100_1331.jpg)

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/100_1332.jpg)

The floor mount I used some 2" angle and bolted the retractable real to it and bolted it to the floor. I made the angle long enough to avoid any obstructions under the floor. If you look under your own floor you will see what I mean.

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/100_1334.jpg)

(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/Rusty_T_bucket/100_1335.jpg)

I used a sting line from pillar to pillar across the floor to mark out and drill the centre mount holes. Once again the hole is 7/16th, the size of a seat belt bolt. I also used 2"X2"X4mm plate with all the sharp edges rounded to stop it pulling through the floor. You also need to seal between the floor and the plate.

Deal with the rear ones later.

Hope this helps

Cheers Rusty

That is great thankx Rusty, i real look... did you make up the bottom retractor bracket up yourself ?

thankx for posting your pics Rusty

FE 4 ME

 :) Thanks Rusty, now I know how to do the belts in my fc, the diagram, dimensions and photos are a big help.
Well done, give yourself a pat on the back. ;)
Regards.
Leon.

you get a +1 from me Rusty for taking the time to post a diagram and pics that really helps us all who are in this situation

thankx mate

FE 4 ME

Hi guys  i came across these on ebay

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-SEAT-BELT-RETAINING-PLATES-BOLTS-FX-FJ-FE-FC-FB-EK-EJ-EH-HD-HR-HK-HOLDEN-/170701894456?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27bea03338

i'm sure that all sharp edges have to be rounded off to stop pulling through the floor on impact

and i was in conversation with a guy who installs seat belts and baby seats as his trade an sells similar brackets for approx. $3.00

if you read through seat belt threads on here you will find ( and confirmed by the above installer ) that the area circumference of the plate has to equal 3" square

correct me if im wrong, as i dont want to post things that aren't right... but this is the information i've gathered

hopefully this might help some out there who are in the same position


rusty I'm keen to know the measurements and thickness of the bottom pillar bracket.... that really looks the part

thankx guys

" Have a Great Holden ( FE ) Day !!!" :):):)

FE 4 ME

Gouging twice  :P

For seat belt plates, I've always worked off the NSW guide which is 65mm x 45mm x 3mm.  this works out to be approx 4.5inch square.

those ebay plates are expensive, I normally just use flat bar, and go to the wreckers for bolts which would cost about $10.

I installed a retractable reel similar to Rusty as well, except using thicker steel.  I found a scrap piece of folded steel, cut and drilled it... too easy!


(http://s1.postimage.org/2gnweqfwk/belts7.jpg) ($2)

Cheers 

Ed

Hi Leon, I did my lower bracket a little different to Rusty's, made an angle bracket with the nut welded to the inner surface, then drilled a hole in the b pillar and welded it in position around the pillar & floor. This gave a flush fit to the pillar with a bit more space between the seat . Also I have seen the pillar bolts on ebay Regards Jim

Leon this is what I did to my car.

Cheers
John

The common sense engineering rules are;
a) don't use any thinner material than what the seat belt bracket is made from
b) don't use any bolt smaller than the bolts the seat belt is normally retained with (inc don't use course threads when fine threads were standard)

If you follow these 2 rules then engineers will generally be quite happy.

Ken

Thanks all for your input, I won't be welding as that would mean I'd have to respray the car and I rather not go down that line.
Ken what you mentioned made a lot of sense, I've done everything except the pillar bolts, just waiting on the kit to arrive. ;)
Regards.
Leon.