Front Inertia s/belts in 2 door what is the correct position

Post by **speedbox** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:32 pm

Im sure this is going over old ground again but i have just purchased a new pair of front seat belts (inertia type) and have been doing a bit of head scratching as i can't see how to fit them.There are two problems the first being that there is no B pillar post to speak of on a two door and the inertia reel has to be directly below the seat belt anchorage for it to operate correctly. The instructions advise fitting the reel part of the seat belt to the rear parcel shelf but here is the other problem our car already has inertia rear belts fitted( i know its a bit odd having modern inertia belts in the back and static front ones but the car came like that!) and if i have four seat belt reels on the parcel shelf i won't be able to see out of the rear window ! I did find a thread on this website that suggested the reel part can be fitted to the heel board under the rear seat squab base which would make sense as the original bracket is under the rear window side rail about half way along so this would leave the inertia mechanism to be in line and work properly.I can't believe i am the only one to have encountered this problem but would really appreciate some tips, cheers Darren

Post by **Kevin** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:04 pm

The instructions advise fitting the reel part of the seat belt to the rear parcel shelf

That must be for rear belts only surely.
I know that the belts have to be specified for the model as the 2 door and convertibles are different to the Traveller and 4 door ones are yours the correct ones ?

Post by **bmcecosse** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:24 pm

Manual shows (R 34 and 35) the correct method for mounting fixed belts in 2 door/convertible - but their instructions are no use for inertia belts. Either swap for fixed belts - or use the rear seat frame.

Post by **Kevin** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:52 pm

Either swap for fixed belts

But that is what is already fitted,which is why the question was asked

( i know its a bit odd having modern inertia belts in the back and static front ones but the car came like that!)

There must be someone on the board with a 2 door fitted with front inertias fitted.
Darren I have altered the title sightly to make your query more obvious.

Post by **speedbox** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:32 pm

Thanks for the replies chaps but i have been to the top on on this one and took it back to Ian at Minor Services in Ely ,Cambridgeshire where we bought the car and as usual his friendly advice has put me on the right track(thanks Ian).It's quite simple really he showed me on another saloon he had there and all i have to do is position the seatbelt in a vertical position above the reel by drilling a hole in the waistrail with suitable washers and plate behind , because on a later two door there is no substantial position on the b-post to secure the bolt for the third fixing.It's really just a case of shifting the original mounting further towards the front of the car to obtain the vertical position of the reel to the mounting so the whole thing will work.Ian did say it's a bit awkward to reach for the seat belt when you are seated but no more faffing about with the old buckle flying about or stuck under the seat.Hope this makes sense , i hope it will to me as it looks like my job for the weekend it all sounds soooo easy in theory doesn't it hmmm !!! Thanks again, Darren

Post by **bmcecosse** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:52 pm

Just need to hope that part of the waist rail is strong enough. It is where the original static belts mount ,as you will know if you have these already, I had assumed you needed new belts hence my statement about swapping the inertia ones for static! I would try to put as big as possible reinforcing bar in behind that waist rail when fitting the belts.

Post by **speedbox** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:11 pm

Thanks bmcosse hopefully if it was strong enough for the original belt it will be a bit further along the waistrail so in theory it should be up to the job and you are right i will need a substantial bracket behind the rail just in case , never a dull moment is there? Under normal circumstances i would be ok with the original belts but i live in Norfolk and your life expectancy is significantly reduced living here as people seem to drive insanely, i guess it's the same everwhere these days.I actually got overtaken by a motorcycle doing a wheelie last year! I think the general idea was that i was supposed to be impressed and to be fair i was,overwhelmingly impressed by his stupidity! If people need to get somewhere in such a rush why not leave earlier?Just a thought, anyone gonna invent an air -bag that drops down from your sunvisor-with my looks i can't be too careful!!!!

Post by **Roni** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:01 pm

To share my experience, when I changed my seat belts to inertia type in my 2 door I let the professionals do it. What they did was this.
The existing mounts were re-used. To do any changes there, in NZ, is a certification mountain. The inertia unit used was of a type that can have its operating angle adjusted to the location/orientation. this meant that the unit did not have to be directly under the upper mount.
This might be of interest too;
http://www.morrisminoroc.co.uk/index.ph ... seat+belts

Morris Minor Owners Club

Front Inertia s/belts in 2 door what is the correct position

Front Inertia s/belts in 2 door what is the correct position

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