mOUNTING OF SEAT BELTS

[smithy]

while it is proven true that seat belts and crumple zones in newer cars have reduced the amount of fatalities and serious injuries in accidents i believe there are some truths to what ratbox has said.
up until a few years ago i was a cameraman then stills photographer with several metro and regional tv stations and newspapers for well over 20 years. as part of out duties we were required to attend and cover fatalities or serious motor accidents sometimes even at the request of emergency services when police scientific units were not availible. in all this time i have seen some prangs were it would appear no-one would ever live only to see the occupants standing on the side of the road in shock but very much alive and others where mulitple occupants have been killed horribly from what looked like a minor accident. it has always been my belief after witnessing this carnage for years that when your number is up thats it, no amount of safety equipment will stop it. thats life.

BUT if you happen to be hit by or hit a car whose driver's number is up then a seat belt will certainly help to reduce the llikelyhood of you joining him.
in the end i guess it is up to the individual and their mentality to wear a belt but for those who dont spare a thought for the fire and ambo officers who have to remove your face from the windscreen and the others it affects.

it only take 5 seconds to put on your belt but years to learn to walk again! (if your lucky)

[Martin]

Fatboy,

Go back to the final paragraph of my previous reply ( #15).  Before you begin drilling holes, talk to some professional motor trimmers/seat belt fitters about concealing the bolts on your ute. It will look much neater, and more original when viewed from outside the vehicle.

Martin

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Fast Eddie's wagon build has a few pics of how to install belt bolts.
http://fefcholden.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,5462.20.html
About 2/3 the way down the page.

[kelnic]

Hi everyone, just found this forum and have to say that its a great site! I know this topic has been thrashed to death but i just have purchased an 58 FC special sedan that does not have any seatbelts in it. Because i have a 6yo son the law says i have to have seat belts installed in the car.I know i can buy the seatbelts (4 lap/sash ,1 lap)from RARE SPARES in adelaide but have to install them myself.Since the interior has already been painted and retrimed i dont wont to go cutting and welding in the car to install the anchor points.i want to try to keep that original look of the car so have decided to get the old manual adjust belts. is their a way i can conceal the B pillar top bolt so i cant see it from the outside? or do i stick with the bolt going through the pillar and chrome/paint the bolt as they would have done back in the 1950/60s.                                                                                                                                                                         what is the best way to install the rear top anchor point? onto the parcel shelf?or in to the side of the C pillar? if so how is this done? is their a cavity that is accessable where you can get to bolt to tighten up? does any one know of somebody/company around the gawler  (south oz) area that would be able to help me out with some advice? would be greatly appreciated.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              cheers  scott.

[mcl1959]

Difficult to install a hidden B pillar bolt once car is painted. It can be done but you really need to know what you are doing. Go with the drill through option - but you will need to purchase a special barrel bolt assembly for use in door pillars.

The rear belt reel can be mounted on the parcel shelf with a suitably sized backing plate. Usually 50 x 75 with radiused edges and rounded corners is fine.

Ken

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Scott if you are in Adelaide.
1. The last time I checked you don't have to fit seatbelts to a car so old, if you choose to do so no inspection is required. It would pay to check with Regency though.
2. You can get belts elsewhere, but Andrew is pretty good with his pricing at Rares.
3. You can get pre-made anchors (plate with a nut welded to it) for a few dollars ($2-3 last time I bought some) each from Willshire Motor Trimmers on South Rd. Saves stuffing around and is legal spec.
4. B Pillar installation.
Using the plates from Willshire I cut a slot just big enough to slide the plate in on the B pillar, the slot needs to be just above the top hinge of the rear door or you will have trouble getting the plate up the pillar. Then drilled two holes further up, one for the bolt to pass through and a smaller one just above to use for a guide wire.
Feed the guide wire (MIG wire works well) down the B pillar to the slot, attach to the plate via hole that you have drilled. Fuss around for anything up to an hour to the plate in position and secure in place with the seatbelt bolt. Remove the guide wire and pop-rivet the plate in place.
I covered the slot with a piece of alloy that I polished up and screwed in with polished stainless screws, you can just see it hiding behind the belt in the pic.


As for the rear belts, I put the top mounts on the parcel shelf.

[kelnic]

thanks for the reply.looks like i will stick with the bolt through the B pillar idea.(not really keen on cutting slots in a good interior.)I spoke to RARE SPARES over the phone and they can also supply a fitting kit with the seatbelts which include the anchor backing plates,bolts and barrel bolts.should this be all i would require or would contacting willshire be the better option?                                                                                                                                    yes stinky you are correct about not having to have seatbelts in a car built before 1967.but have been informed by the rego office that if you have a passenger under the age of 15 that you do require the car to have a restraint system,plus it dosent feel safe to drive without seatbelts fitted.  also stinky i noticed you live in this area. i am keen to join a car club do you know if their is one around this area?   cheers scott

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

i am keen to join a car club do you know if their is one around this area?   cheers scott

All your questions answered here - http://www.fefcholden.org.au/sa/index.html

[Jockster]

When I fitted lap sash belts to the front of the first Fc I had, I did the b-pllar mounting the same way as sStinky did except that I coated the back of the mounting plate with srtructural body glue (the same stuff that  late model car roofs and panels are glued on with), then tightened the seat belt mount bolt and allowed the glue to dry, it gives you a firm fitting and no need for rivits. I also glued a section of painted metal back on over the slot above the rear hinge so it looke all finished and didn't burn any paint as no welding was needed. The glue is strength rated equivalent to a structural weld.
Cheers
Jockster

[colt]

A mate of the club here in Canberra has just finished refurbishing an EJ sedan. There are 2 funny dents in the lower dash. The front {original} seat looks funny. He stripped the seat to recover it, the angle of the seat is very close to 90deg. The brace that goes from either side at the bottom is loose on 1 side. I couldn't imagine being in the back & doing that sort of damage to a metal framed seat. The guys in the front would have had very sore knees as well.
Colin.