FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

G'day all,

Has anybody purchased any repro lap belts lately?  What is the best type to fit that sort of look the part?  I am only going to fit lap belts as the hole in the B pillar doesn't appeal to me but I still want the relative safety of belts for the rear seats (kids) and something to stop my fat ass from sliding all over the front seat (which I can imagine the kids will armour-all for a laugh).

I have read the post about AS standards, but was after something a little more recent.

Thanks

Nige

nige   does your fat ass weigh more than a vauxhall viva

this demo was to show the strength of hr seat belts
the crane driver got the blame but i reckon it improved the look of the viva ;D
 sorry    it doesnt answer your question
your kids sound like fun ;D
   cheers  trev

Nigel,

Go the lap sash option. A hole in the B pillar looks a lot better than a hole in your chest from the steering column.

Seeing you are going to so much trouble with the welder on your car, you should be able to fabricate and install a suitable concealed mounting point in the B pillar anyway.

Captive nut on 6mm plate inserted through slot cut in B pillar, secured to face of pillar with puddle welds, lots of swearing etc trying to hold it in place..... but worth it.

Regards

Edward

 To quote Homer Simpson ' hhmmmm.....Solid Steering Column heeey'.  I wonder if I could make an SRS from a shopping bag and a can of finelek  ??? ;D

So if I was to go lap sash, is there a decent retro looking one around?

I tell you Trev, the little Bastardos are getting too hard to catch now.....I'm sure they think my heart needs a good seizure every now and again.

Nige

Nige....there are a mob here in Perth who make seatbelts to suit your needs...and yes that means the RETRO look.

Basically, what you need to do, is source the wreckers yards around, and look for a good set of old Metal buckle type seat belts....this is your retro look.  Don;t worry about what they look like at this stage, just as long as the buckles work.

Then he sends the buckles off the be re-chromed or polished depending on whether they can be chromed or not, and they pretty much come back looking brand new again.

They then fit them up with your choice of webbing (ie) brown or burgundy depending on the retro colour your'e looking for, and hey presto....RETRO looking belts, buckles and all.

He even supplies the nut and backing plates already welded together, so all you have to do is weld them in your car.

The backing plates with nuts attached sell for around $5 each....the seat belts start from around $145 each, and if you need the buckles re-chromed then add a further $50 each ( ish ).

-  4 Belts ( $145 each ) $580
-  12 Plates ( $5 each ) $60

Total of $640 ( $840 if you need rechroming )  is a pretty cheap way to have brand new RETRO belts that will protect you properly !

Yes they are standards approved, and will fit if you live in Perth, otherwise they just phone order the parts to you.

The go by the name SEATBELT SOLUTIONS (08) 9353 3522

They are also an upholsters, so that gives you the tip right there...just look for a reputable upholsterer in your area that is authorised to do seatbelts, fidn a good set of old metal buckles, and your'e pretty much done.

Good luck !

Cheers

Mark

Thanks heaps Mark


Nige

Just an update for anyone interested, the new number is 08 9258 3666.

Prices are more competitive than previously stated, too.

Belt re-web:      $98
Adjuster:          $15 (as req'd)
Backing plates:   $5.50 ea (as req'd)
Rechrome:       $65
Not being a steering column shish-kebab: priceless ;D

That makes the cost per belt (exc rechroming) between $100 and $130.  They also have vinyl decals for the buttons (the original aluminium ones cannot be obtained any more).

Turn-around time (without rechroming) is about a week.

Hope that helps.

cheers
RET

If you use lock nuts or half nuts depending on your age,weld  these to 2.5mm sq plate then tack a piece of welding wire to hold them through the a slot cut behind your door rubber .the wire is solid enough to hold in place while tightening and is relectivly easy to break when finished hope this helps regards mal

Mal, you are a legend! I was wondering how I was going to install my front seat belts, problem solved.

Here's how I put the seatbelt mount in the B pillar of my van.
Drilled a hole on the inside of the B pillar at the required height, big enough for the seat belt mounting bolt to pass through. Drilled two more holes, one a bit above the first hole and one a bit below.
Cut a 3mm plate and pressed it to the shape of the pillar. I drilled a hole in the centre of the plate the same size as in the one drilled in the B pillar. Lightly tack welded a H/T nut over the hole on the side to face out and made sure the seatbelt bolt screws freely into the nut from the plate side when finished (Important use antiseize). I then drilled a small hole to the top of plate in the centre and tied my string line to it.
Now the trinky bit.
There is a slot in the top of the B pillar near the roof.
Lower the plate through the slot with the nut facing to the outside of the car. Lower the plate down till it can be seen through the hole in the pillar. Screw in the seatbelt bolt to hold the plate in position against the pillar. Plug weld the plate into position using the two holes drilled earlier. Remove bolt and dress plug welds
Ezy really. Hope it makes sense. I have a few pics if any one wants a copy.
Graham

it would be good to see  some pics, I am also about to do this.

See if this works

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/spannerc/Seatbelthole.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/spannerc/seatbeltmount3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/spannerc/seatbeltmount4.jpg)
I also put some extra spot welds between the inner and outer plates of the pillar in the area of the plate (Not shown in photos).
Graham

Wow Graham.
That is an awesome way of fitting plates.
How did you find that hole in the top of the pillar?.....I never knew it was there. Shame I have drilled holes and painted, or I would have done this conversion.
Thanks for sharing it, 1 for the memory bank.
Regards
Alex

Isn't it amazing that people have been fitting seatbelts to old holdens for over 40 years yet we still learn new and better ways of doing it.  I have lost count of the number of articles and posts on different forums that I have read on how to best fit belts without external holes and all were far more complicated and involved that this.

If you came up with this yourself Graham you should receive some kind of annual award for the most useful new modification :)

thanks graham, ill try it out.

Dammit! I've got the  hole in the pillar but my roof lining has been fitted  >:(

dam, seems that hole is unique to vans, I cant find any hole in the wagon.

Hmmm. Only hole in the top of the FC sedan is about the size of a 1c piece.....and that plate ain't fitting through that. Did you cut the hole yourself or is it factory?
It may be that the vans are indeed the only model with the hole.
Is this a FE v's FC thing?
Regards
Alex

Isn't that ironic, considering how many other holes in the thing you've filled over the last year or so? :-/

For what it's worth there's definitely a different part number for the panel van "B" pillar, as you'd expect, given the difference in the way the outer area is skinned and so on.  It's the same component for both FE and FC vans.  The "B" pillar for sedans (except 217) and wagons are have the same number, and are interchangeable.

cheers
RET

Looks like I got lucky with the hole. After reading your posts, I guess the only reason the hole is in the van  is because thats the route the wires take to the rear lights.
Cheers Graham

Any one considered slicing a hole on the side of the B pillar to slide in that metal plate? any one done that before?

Yep, that's what I did, as the car was already painted etc I made up some ally cover plates to cover the holes rather than welding them shut. The hole needs to be cut about halfway up the pillar just before the "bump", otherwise you are tangling with the rear door hinges.
Here's a closeup from an older photo.
(http://i4.tinypic.com/110kq6p.jpg)

Here's what I have found about seatbelts and re-fitting with new webbing.

1. New webbing is dirt cheap $65 for 100 metres, the seller does NOT want to know what you are using it for.

2. The Upholsterer/Aircraft fitter in WA that does the work is not keen on divulging their "secret" of why they are approved, only that they will accept more "collection" points throughout Australia. Even then the boss did not return my calls.
As I understand Stamps in Melbourne are one such "collection" point.

3. Dept of Transport SA say that you need to be certified by Standards Australia to renew seatbelt webbing

4. Standards Australia have no standard for renewing the webbing on old seats. Nor any certification process.

5. Klippan in Melbourne(?) are a possible lead for replacing webbing on old seats.

6. There is supposed to be a company in QLD that test rewebbed belts to Australian Standards, but I have yet to find it.

7. Despite having two trimmers licensed to renew webbing, a prominent SA trimmer won't touch old seatbelts (liability nightmare). They didn't say much about the licensing process either.

8. Various people within the trimming and automotive industry seemed to have varying ideas about legalities of older seatbelts, ranging from "it's OK" to "it's jail time if you touch them".

It was my understanding that FE had the gap at the top and the FC didn't.  My research (talking crap at swap meets etc) shows FC's are normally done in reverse, cutting a small slot in the bottom of the b pillar and pull the backing plate up.

cheers
Al
Flamed FE

I haven't checked a FC, but my FE sedan definately has the gap/hole in the top of the B pillar.

So does a FC wagon as can be seen when we were opening up the pillar to install seat belt bolts. I wish I'd known about the slot then!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/fc_58-59/FC%20Resto/sb3.jpg)

For what it is worth, my FC ute has the hole at the top of the "B" pillar. I recently fitted some belts in a similar way to the one described above.

Just checked my FC sedan,no slot.Bugger!The last photo almost looks like my best option. :-/