TR2/3/3A SECURON INERTIA SEATBELT ON TR3A

[houleyh]

Hi,

I have purchased a Securon (Inertia Type) seatbelt kit. I'm trying to fit this in a TR3A. Will it work? Where are the anchor points for the inertia real and the top shoulder point? If anybody has pics, it would help.

Thanks and good holidays for all.

 

[rlandrum]

Since the TR3A didn't come from the factory with any seatbelts, there's nothing specifically designed to hold seatbelts in place.

We installed our lap belts into holes in the floor, were someone had previously fitted seat belts. Large 3 inch washers were used for the anchorings.

I seem to recall reading that shoulder harnesses need to be anchored above the shoulder, which in a TR3A, is above the body, depending on the driver. In that case, you'd need some sort of rollover bar to mount the harness to. But I could be mistaken.

 

[houleyh]

I think I should buy lap belts and get rid of my Inertia's...

Thanks

 

[prb51]

Yvan,
I've the 3 point inertia reels in my TR3 and they work fine. I (as many have) place the inertial reel on top of the interior wheel wells as that is a straight line to your shoulder/seat. A large bolt/nut with a hefty steel plate/ washer bent to fit inside the wheel well and then grind the bolt off flush with the nut....it will not interfere with the tire.
The dash board is awful close to the occupants for lap belts to be of any real help...they'll just hold you in place while you crack your head or eat the steering wheel.
I've not put head rests in place but I'd rather have whiplash than eat the steel dash or nice steel grab handle.

 

[rlwhitetr3b]

I ended up with two sets of seat belts for my TR3B. I got the ones with shoulder straps and then read that you should not mount them as low as you would have to. I then get some lap belts.

I'm using a miata as my daily driver and the shoulder strap is mounted about as low as the one in the TR would have been.

When I get the TR back on the road, I do not know which I'll use. If I do not use the shoulder strap, I think I'll leave the grab bar off.

 

[CraigLandrum]

I wonder if it would be possible to build an airbag system into the horn button area on a TR... I've no idea how much space those things require - I imagine you have a small charge attached to a folded up bag, with some wired link to a G-force impact sensor elsewhere on the car. If the bag and charge unit could be made small enough, it might be worth looking into. I wonder what the smallest commercial unit size is....

Just did some quick internet research and have come to the definite conclusion that this is a REALLY BAD IDEA. Airbag systems are designed by experts for a specific model car - they are not generic. The experts design the airbag location, airbag sizing, and location of the deployment computer to which they are connected - all things that us garage guys shouldn't tackle.

Also learned that there is apparently a LOT of airbag scams out there on vehicles that have been in an accident where airbags have deployed and the car or truck has then been subsequently repaired and sold. The cost of replacing a deployed airbag can apparently run to $1,000 per unit, and at that price, its just too tempting for a shady operation to stuff the old deployed bag back into its cavity (or fill it with paper) and disable the airbag warning light.