Fitting Front Seat Belt Anchorages

Post by **lowedb** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:31 pm

I've searched the site, and can find no reference to this.

My early car (1953) has no seat belt mounting points.

I still havn't decided whether to do a original rebuild, or incorporate some mild updating to make the car more useable, and therefore more acceptable to have money lavished upon it (funds have to be approved!)

I would like to add the front seat belts. Has anyone any eperience of adding the mountings?

Post by **Kevin** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 4:03 pm

I think you need to ask one of the specialists with a car of this age, try Charles Ware he has a free advice service like most of the specialists
http://www.morrisminor.org.uk/

Post by **Willie** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 8:47 pm

If you are doing a rebuild then presumably at some stage you
will be uncovering the boxing plates and inner sill areas for
at least an inspection. it is easy to fit the captive nuts to
the inner sill and weld them in position at this stage. Inspect
a car fitted with standard seat belt mountings and you will know
where to drill the 'inner doorsteps'. At least if you weld in the nuts
you will be able to fit seat belts at any later date.

Post by **Chris Morley** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 9:27 pm

My car's been professionally altered in the past to have seat belt anchorages on top of the transmission tunnel. It's held in place by a large nut and a stress plate under the tunnel. It's position is identical to that on modern cars (between the front seats).

I've no idea how you get a captive nut in the door post though....

Post by **Peetee** » Wed Aug 06, 2003 10:11 pm

I've no idea how you get a captive nut in the door post though....

DSN do a seat belt anchorage plate that has a nut welded to it. If the B-post is wide enough you could, feasably, drill a hole in the post wide enough to allow the nut to sit in it then weld the plate to the post.
I would think a 4-door post would be wide enough but maybe not a 2-door.

Post by **Kevin** » Thu Aug 07, 2003 6:50 am

Pete is right you cannot fit an anchorage in the B post of a 2-Door the mounting goes below the rear side window, but if you have a 4-Door, Traveller or Commercial the b Post can be used, also the 2-Door uses a slightly different type of seatbelt if you use an inertia style belt due to the different angles involved

Post by **Benjy** » Thu Aug 07, 2003 9:28 am

My Traveller Pickup has had a new floor welded inside the old one (B4 my time) and the captive nuts at the bottom are missing (holes are still there)!

Any suggestions? I am not a welder and have already purchased the inertia seatbelts. I had considered using a hollow wall style (metal) fixing that would accept a large bolt (e.g. from Screwfix), but am not sure it would be strong enough and would need a spacer to ensure final diameter was correct?

As for the original question: Did the 53 have high trafficators? Is so, could you get to the B post behind them to fit a nut, never seen one, so just a guess?

Ben

Post by **lowedb** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 1:18 pm

The two doors have low trafficators, the four doors had hi. There is no access to use the B post as far as I can tell.

Under the window is a possibility, but I'd want to fit them in the right place so I know that it's strong enough. Also, this area is curved, so wouldn't easily take a plate behind. Were the cars with fitted points different in this area?

Post by **Peetee** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 2:01 pm

The convertible that lounges in my remote garage has inertia belts which have guides mounted on brackets halfway along the horizontal frame below the rear windows. These are a little too far forwards and the belts have a tendancy to fall off your shoulder.
The reels are bolted to the vertical panel below the rear seat.

Post by **winger300** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 9:00 am

So on a 4-door Saloon, where can the top bolt go? bearing in mind that i am 6ft tall.

Post by **Kevin** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 9:48 am

Give East Sussex Minors a call, I think they hold all the fittings for all the permutations for seat belts and will give advice over the phone

http://www.morrisminorspares.co.uk/

Post by **Cam** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 5:20 pm

Just out of interest, a couple of questions:

1. When were seat belts made a legal requirement in the UK?

2. When were Moggies fitted with them as standard from the factory?

Post by **Gareth** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 5:35 pm

Winger - take the vinyl headlining panel out from the top of the B-post - you may be lucky and find that there are two captive nuts already in place, depending on the year of your car...

Post by **Willie** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 7:52 pm

CAM, seat belt anchorage points were fitted to all Minors
from August 1961. My first MGB was excused seat belts
because it was MANUFACTURED(not registered)before january
1965 so the compulsory fitting date must be around then.

Post by **Cam** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 10:01 pm

Thanks, mate!

Post by **winger300** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 7:56 pm

Gareth wrote:Winger - take the vinyl headlining panel out from the top of the B-post - you may be lucky and find that there are two captive nuts already in place, depending on the year of your car...

No such luck

Post by **Willie** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 8:06 pm

CAM...according to the 'Auto Express', three point
front seat belts were made compulsory in the UK
in 1967.

Post by **Cam** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 11:07 pm

Post by **Peetee** » Sun Aug 31, 2003 10:46 am

1. When were seat belts made a legal requirement in the UK?

They were made compulsory fitment in new cars many years before they became compulsory to wear. And that's just for front seats. The legislation for rears is another story and makes it far too complicated for my feable memory

Post by **Gareth** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 10:38 am

Wasn't that 1987 or something...? 1991? I'm sure I remember it, although I was always belted up in the back as a nipper...