Seatbelt mounting bolt

[Mr Spigot]

I wonder if anybody can tell me where I can get a threaded bolt like the one in the photo? I need it for the top seatbelt mounting in my 2 door saloon. It lifts the top bracket up and out, giving a more comfortable fit. I have looked all over the internet but no luck. I know they are out there as I have seen them on a few other cars and the photos below show it!

[Bill_qaz]

You can get 90 degree seat belt bracket online and use spacers if you need more height.

[Mr Spigot]

A 90deg bracket may be Plan B but this bolt would be better and neater.

[philthehill]

It may look neater but is it better?
Are you using a factory installed seat belt body mounting?
The seat belt loading on this area of the body can be quite high in the event of a crash and unless you have a factory installed mounting position the mount could fail.
Having the special bolt installed increases the loading on the mounting so increasing the risk of mounting failure.
The installation method shown in the photo above appears to show that the metal channel under the window has been distorted and if that is the case then that it is not a good installation.
Unless you have factory fitted captive mountings I would steer clear of any do it yourself mountings which may lead to injury or non pay out by insurance companies in the event of injury caused by incorrect installation of the seat belt.

[Mr Spigot]

Unfortunately, both my cars pre-date factory fitted mountings and while the lower mountings are fairly easy to install with suitable anchor plates, the upper mount is always tricky to balance a secure mounting point with an angle of the belt which does not slide off your shoulder. The bolt shown would seem to do this but I agree that the anchor plate behind it needs to be robust to prevent the sill from creasing. Ideally it should extend several inches either side of the bolt to spread the load. I would appreciate any suitable recommendations and while all will be some sort of compromise, it is better than having no belt at all. I am happy to sacrifice the originality of the car to maintain the originality of my face!

[svenedin]

I really don't like the look of that installation. That long bolt looks to be acting as a lever so that in the event of a sudden large force on the seatbelt, the bolt could rip out of its mounting.

Stephen

[don58van]

Ideally it should extend several inches either side of the bolt to spread the load.

I would say not 'ideally' but 'essentially'.

I too have wrestled with the 2-door front seatbelt problem. With them mounted as per the factory arrangement the sash does not sit correctly on the shoulder so that in a crash there is a very good chance that it will not be on or stay over the shoulder so the upper body will be free to move. As the OP indicates, they won't stay on the shoulder even when just motoring along let alone in a crash. This being the case, the result would be that the factory lap-sash arrangement would act more like a lap-only restraint. Referring back to his comment above, the OPs face would be at considerable risk.

I have investigated using a guide that would hold the sash over the shoulder (without changing the factory mounts in any way). I used belt guides I scavenged from various models of car but without satisfactory outcome. Such factory-fitted guides have been used in various cars over the years, particularly in US two-door models. I stress that the purpose of my guide was not to resist crash forces--they were only intended to keep the sash in the correct position on the shoulder so that, in the first instant a crash, it had some chance of doing its restraining job.

I also investigated moving the upper mounting point further to the rear on the rail under the rear side window. I don't carry passengers in the rear seats so I am not concerned about intruding on their space. I found that this did not greatly improve the sash geometry.

BTW. Most of my working life was spent in the road safety field, and one of my responsibilities was encouraging passengers to use their seatbelts and to use them correctly so that they provide the protection they are designed to afford.

Don

[Mr Spigot]

All sensible advice, but I still need to find a solution! I have looked at the factory options and the workshop manual shows a triangular bracket (as shown below) fixed under the sill as a mounting point. This could work with a suitable anchor plate behind ( a 6" strip of 3mm bar?) and would reduce the risk of the leverage force of the longer bolt originally mentioned, but the triangular bracket is hard to come by. There is a chrome one on Ebay for £50 (!) but two are needed.

[Bill_qaz]

You could check dimensions with suppliers on eBay, there is a choice of brackets .
For example https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394707625576 ... media=COPY

Or fabricate your own if you can

[svenedin]

I have a 2-door (a convertible) but it has always had seatbelts in the front. The original factory fitted seatbelts were not inertia reel of course. Those seatbelts had a clasp rather like that on an aeroplane seat belt and each time one put them on they had to be pulled tight. Those seatbelts had no tendency to fall off the shoulder if I remember correctly but then again one could hardly move! Eventually my old seatbelts wore out so I had them replaced with inertia reel type. I notice with the inertia reel type that one has to make sure they do go properly over the shoulder when fastening them but the belt does not fall off my shoulder during the journey.

Stephen

[philthehill]

Have a look on 'e' bay for Landrover seat belt anchorages as there does seem to be good selection of mounting brackets available.

[Bill_qaz]

Have a look on 'e' bay for Landrover seat belt anchorages as there does seem to be good selection of mounting brackets available.

That what I suggested aswell Phil, several VW and LR options

[Mr Spigot]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I will look at the Land Rover options and get some 3mm steel bar to act as anchorage and see what I can come up with.