Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello all, i've got a hankering for fitting some rear seatbelts. my passengers seem to complain about the lack of them for some reason... so i've been out and got some, i'm just wondering if anyone's got any advice on the best place to fit them. i've got a few ideas, with pics you'll all be pleased to hear, but i'd like to hear from people who have tried any of them (or anything else) and if you'd do it that way again, or if you definately wouldn't do it that way again!

pics as promised:

this way has the reel mounted flat on the parcel shelf, but could be uncomfortable on the neck. this is as far over as the roller will go being mounted flat on the shelf due to the shelf shape:
[frame][/frame]

this way is further over, but would need to be raised with a bracket or spacer. looks comfier, but the spacer/bracket could comprimise strength:
[frame][/frame]

and finally, this one is reversed to the normal way, which means you can fit the roller as far over as you want, and is still mounted flat on the shelf. on the downside, it'll confuse passengers, it looks a bit weird, and buckles could get trapped in the door:
[frame][/frame]

any pearls of wisdom?

the final way is the way i would go and the way they are mounted on my convertible..

As close to the outside edge as poss. Not being designed for belt loads, the shelf ideally wants something to tie the loads into the side structure so a piece of box section underneath the shelf would be ideal.

I'm just about to do a mod on mine to allow my belts to go just below the side window but just behind the seat back. Waiting for some laser-cut steel pieces to be done.

Not planning on fitting rear belts, but if I were I'd either go for statics, or cut a slot in the parcel shelf for the belt to pass through and mount the reel box in the boot. Having the reels visible on the shelf looks rather untidy.

The reels need to go as far as possible towards the sides of the car. Best if you use another strengthening plate under the shelf as well. The parcel shelf is at it's weakest in the centre.

thanks for all of your responses. i have access to copious amounts of angle-iron, so was planning on using a length under the parcel shelf as a reinforcing bar, with the reels bolted through it.

it would be a tidier job to have the reels hidden, and stronger to have the reels on the inner wings in the boot, rather than the weaker parcel shelf. but that involves cutting a slot in the shelf, and making sure the belt doesn't chafe on the slot edges. i'll have a think about that bit! may have to make a teflon/ptfe sleeve for the belt to pass through.

Chris - there's a thread on this which is really helpful. Peetee did it (sleeved the seatbets through to the boot) Have a trawl and find it.

i've just had a trawl, but come up with nothing

i'll keep trying though, thanks Lou!

ah, i've found mention of it now, but it was a link to a diagram, and the link says 'image no longer available'.

i'll pm peetee!

great - I've been looking but couldn't find it either.

If you have a series II rear seat (higher back), the belts are partially hidden - mine will have a secondary shelf over the top of the belt reels and will be totally hidden.
Mine are mounted like picture #1 and are intended mainly for having kid/s in the rear - therefore less of a problem with the shoulder height. I don't think the parcel shelves are different but mine seem to fit closer to the edges that your pic #1.

As for belt trapped in the door - option #1 and #2 will make this more liklely - your wording suggests you think #3 will cause belt in door but I see it the other way round.
In reality the front seatbelts belts are more likely to get trapped in the door than the rears anyway.

Various Minor traders sell seat belt nut + spreader plates. These are ~100 times stronger than just a nut/bolt through thin body section but if you are making your own I'd recomend at least 100mm square of 2mm plate.

thanks RofL. the trapping in door thing was with regards the buckle itself. the bit you plug into. as it's on a length of strap i was thinking that upon leaving the car, you could knock the buckle into harms way. but that depends on how low down you mount the end of it.

i've thrown option 3 out of the window anyway, based on the difficulty of folding the seat forward, and the weaker centre of the parcel shelf.

my rear seat is the later (lower) type, so the top of the seat is only ~1 inch higher than the shelf itself. i like the idea of having them hidden in the boot. in my mind it will look a lot neater. and keep the centre of gravity low i can see myself getting a block of plastic or similar, and milling a slot into it to act as a sleeve where the belt passes through the shelf. having the sleeve means i can make the hole in the shelf bigger (to get the end of the strap through in installation) but not have too big a hole when fitted, as the sleeve will make the whole smaller again.

that would be the most sound engineering solution, but i go to france in a week, and it would be good to have them fitted for that!

i can see myself getting a block of plastic or similar, and milling a slot into it to act as a sleeve where the belt passes through the shelf.

Scrap yard! There are cars with this "seatbelt plastic letter box thingy" on them...

good idea! i've never been to one before

Take some tools with you.

i drive a minor. i've always got tools!

Scrap yard tip - turn up in cheap/old clothes and not in a posh car - otherwise prices can increase.
Also busy times like bank holidays can be more expensive.

Generally it doesn't matter a lot, but if you're after bigger stuff like cylinder head / cam assemblies there's a fair different between £60 and £100.

thanks for the tips! luckily i dont have many smart clothes, and with regards the posh car thing... well i'll have to borrow swmbo's punto unless they might (like most people) take a shine to the minor and he'll let me have seatbelt guides for free as it's for such a good cause

Here is my effort:

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... 40#p318940

thanks! that's exactly what i'm after. i agree, the hardest thing looks to be the slot...

i suppose it could be made easier by drilling a line of holes and then filing it into a slot. thanks. that's given me something to aim for.

i wasn't thinking of mounting the roller on the back of the seat support panel though. i was imagining twisting the belt by 90 degrees in the boot, and have the roller mounted onto the inner wing in the boot. i'll mock that up and see how intrusive that'll be to the boot area.