Rear seat belts

Legal Bill · Apr 8, 2015

Please share where you located your back seat seatbelts. I'm looking for the best anchor points. I assume I'll have to remove the back rest/parcel shelf assembly but would be interested to see what others have done and what anchor system you used.

Thanks.

bdcvg · Apr 8, 2015

I gotta think lap belts in a Healey backseat would do more bodily damage than no belts at all.

Legal Bill · Apr 8, 2015

I can't imagine how. But regardless, the law requires seat-belts.

HealeyRick · Apr 9, 2015

Legal Bill said:
I can't imagine how. But regardless, the law requires seat-belts.

Interesting, I always assumed the seat belt law didn't apply to vehicles not originally equipped with them, but looking at the MGL, there is no such exemption.

Keoke · Apr 9, 2015

Hi bILL

You will be required to locate the belt anchors in the sheet metal adjacent to each seat pan using stiffeners such as 2" fender washers on the top and bottom of each SS anchor eye bolt..This probably will provide the structural integrity required.

Legal Bill · Apr 9, 2015

Thanks Keoke. Sounds like that will look terrible with a big washer sitting on top of the vinyl.

Keoke · Apr 9, 2015

Legal Bill said:
Thanks Keoke. Sounds like that will look terrible with a big washer sitting on top of the vinyl.

Have them chrome plated or perhaps SS ones can be located ??

Bob_Spidell · Apr 10, 2015

FWIW: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/piston-slap-traversing-world-led-retrofit-bulbs/

LarryK · Apr 10, 2015

Law was Federally mandated in 1964 and including retrofit to all models and years. After 64 all cars were manufactured with lap belts and of course prices went up. I remember, as my Dad woke me up early on Saturday and said I was going to help put seat belts in the cars. First we did the 63 Mercury Monterey Custom with breeze window and 390 ci, 4 bbl. posi. with 4:11 gears, then the 57 XK 140 MC Coupe front and rear jump seats. Took all day. Really screwed my Sat off school, but remained quite so I could drive.

Legal Bill · Apr 10, 2015

Bob_Spidell said:
FWIW: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/03/piston-slap-traversing-world-led-retrofit-bulbs/

That looks like and article about light bulbs.

Legal Bill · Apr 10, 2015

Another question, does anyone know where I can find the "Y bracket" that is used on the tree point seatbelts? This is the bracket that attaches the shoulder belt to the two studs that stick through the rear side panels.

HealeyRick · Apr 10, 2015

Larry,

AFAIK, federal law never required retrofitting seat belts to cars manufactured before 1/1/65, after which front lap seat belts were required to be installed by the manufacturer. Bill, I found this in the Massachusetts Driver's Manual, p.65:

The following people do not need to wear safety belts:• Drivers and passengers of vehicles made before July 1966

https://www.massrmv.com/rmv/dmanual/chapter_3.pdf

HealeyRick · Apr 10, 2015

Legal Bill said:
Another question, does anyone know where I can find the "Y bracket" that is used on the tree point seatbelts? This is the bracket that attaches the shoulder belt to the two studs that stick through the rear side panels.

British Car Specialists carry them. The chrome plating on mine seemed a little thin and you might want to put a flat washer between the acorn nut and the y bracket to spread the load and prevent the acorn nut from figging into the chrome.

Legal Bill · Apr 10, 2015

HealeyRick said:
Larry,

AFAIK, federal law never required retrofitting seat belts to cars manufactured before 1/1/65, after which front lap seat belts were required to be installed by the manufacturer. Bill, I found this in the Massachusetts Driver's Manual, p.65:

The following people do not need to wear safety belts:• Drivers and passengers of vehicles made before July 1966

https://www.massrmv.com/rmv/dmanual/chapter_3.pdf

Thanks for that Rick. I'm actually just trying to avoid an argument with fellow members about the efficacy of seatbelts and see if anyone has an answer to my question.
So back on topic, does anyone have any pictures of their rear seat-belt set up? If I anchor them in front of the rear seat-back assembly, the anchor needs to be low so that the parcel shelf can still fold down. If I anchor them behind, I'll have to remove the seat back and then run the strap under the seatback area and reinstall the seatback. I'm not sure it will all fit.

Legal Bill · Apr 10, 2015

HealeyRick said:
British Car Specialists carry them. The chrome plating on mine seemed a little thin and you might want to put a flat washer between the acorn nut and the y bracket to spread the load and prevent the acorn nut from figging into the chrome.

Thanks. I'll give them a call. Their website doesn't show the pictures of the parts so I wasn't sure what the descriptions meant.

HealeyRick · Apr 10, 2015

Legal Bill · Apr 10, 2015

Great photo Rick. Thanks. I hate to cut through the vinyl, but that looks like the best location.

dougie · Apr 11, 2015

Hi Bill -

I installed factory style rear seat belts in my '65 BJ8 about 20 years ago to accommodate my 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter at the time. I modified a child's car carrier so it would fit tight in place to keep our littlest secure. The four of use took many long trips to the beach together and I still have the big bag of sand toys which you could only place in the boot one direct. Many great family memories, including the Healey Rendezous at Lake Tahoe in 2003. Here's a few pictures of the belts, I ran the straps under the rear seat back rest for a clean look.

Legal Bill · Apr 11, 2015

Thanks Dougie. That does look clean. I assume you had to remove the seat-back/parcel shelf assembly to install them. It looks like you had to drill the holes pretty high up the rear firewall/bulkhead. Thus the belts were routed down the bulkhead, then under the seat-back, then "up" around the waists of your rear seat passengers. It seems to me that the passengers' body movements in the car would be pulling up on the seat-back assembly. Did the use of the belts ever cause any problems with your seat back assembly? Were you not concerned that in an accident the force of the passengers against the belts would lift or break the wooden seat-back assembly and allow the passengers to fly too far forward? Sorry for all the questions, but I like what you did and would like to do something similar.

Legal Bill · Apr 11, 2015

One more question, on the inside did you install the belts under the rear carpet or over it?

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Rear seat belts

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