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[Healeys] Seat belts for a 100

Subject: [Healeys] Seat belts for a 100
From: coudesluijs at chello.nl (Oudesluys)
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:24:55 +0200
References: <0607AE33BB964D94802D8119F27A39B8@9535DEE118EC44B>
Don't mess about with safety belts. If you don't drive the thing get no 
or original spec belts for a trailer queen. If you do serious driving in 
modern traffic get the best you can install and use new modern materials 
and buckles. Best would be 5-point harness (track), second best 4-point 
harness (track & road) and the minimum is a 3-point fixed (best) or 
automatic reel (for comfort) belt.
The 3-point is the most practical solution for day to day driving

Make very sure that the lap portion is positioned over the thighs/lower 
part of the pelvis and that the top of the buckle is level with the seat 
cushion just in front of the seat  back. A lap belt over the abdomen is 
absolutely lethal in even smallish accidents, most certainly for the 
persons that generally drive these cars: older and overweight men. It 
will cause massive internal trauma.

The guide or fixed point for the shoulder strap can be fitted on top of 
the rear wheel well or somewhere near. The reel can be fitted 
(vertically) somewhere below the shoulder strap guide. You may have to 
weld a bracket for the reel on the rear wheel well. There are reels that 
can be fitted directly at the shoulder strap fixing point

If no fixing points are available originally you have to use steel 
backing plates of around 2" x 3" and 0,15" thick. Use  grade 8 quality 
7/16" UNF bolts and nuts, the usual standard for safety belt bolts. You 
can tack the nuts to the backing plates for easier fitting.

Always check the position and orientation the reel has to be fitted in. 
Some can be adjusted I believe.

For the 4 and 5 point harnesses there are variations with a reel. In 
these cases the 2 shoulder straps are joined and fixed to a single strap 
on an automatic reel which is fitted straight behind the seat near or on 
the rear deck. But you have to strengthen the area it is fixed to.

Kees Oudesluijs
NL

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