Thursday 6 June 2013

Minor seatbelt issue

I know the Minor was not designed with seatbelts until 1966 or so. But that doesn't mean I like to drive long distances without them. I wanted a set of new ones, but found them unavailable. I could buy inertia reel belts, but the holes someone already drilled were in the wrong place for inertia belts.
 
Good thing I never throw old belts away when I dismantle a car. I found a good set in the attic. These belts are a bit more modern than the car, but I don't mind.
These were the only holes I needed to re-drill Each belt needs three bolts, but I could only find two holes. I realized that the holes in the floor, near the sill were covered when the floor/sills were welded. They were visible from underneath the car. I only needed to drill one panel to access the hole.
The belts came with an interesting "Belt Park" feature. The bolt here goes right through the B-pillar, with a capped nut on the outside. There seems to be some reinforcement inside the pillar.