New seatbelts

[tvmaster]

I don’t think you need anything else.

Out of curiosity, why the focus on the belt reminder? Are you that likely to not buckle up without it? I can understand the key in reminder, you either like them or you don’t but an easy to live with thing in any case.

As someone who had a 1974 Datsun with a similar solution starter interlock, it was a complete effing nightmare. Too many connections, too little reliability. The belt switch was prone to failure due to dirt/schmutz of life.

I'm not a big fan of 'modding' - if something was there in the original design, I at least like to see what it was all about. True, once I get everything back to stock, I'm likely to do what most people have done and disconnect it all again. At the very least, I DO like the idea of the instrument cluster indicator being functional. The light that says your seat belt's off. That is a must if I can do it WITHOUT the starter-interlock, and possibly buzzer/chime. Amazing as it is, there are days when I'm pre-occupied, and end up half-way down the block without doing up my belts, and the chime reminds me I'm being an idiot. The indicator light would do the same
Do you think I need the missing interlock box to at least get the cluster lamp / driver's seat connection working?

 

[kmead]

I'm not a big fan of 'modding' - if something was there in the original design, I at least like to see what it was all about. True, once I get everything back to stock, I'm likely to do what most people have done and disconnect it all again. At the very least, I DO like the idea of the instrument cluster indicator being functional. The light that says your seat belt's off. That is a must if I can do it WITHOUT the starter-interlock, and possibly buzzer/chime. Amazing as it is, there are days when I'm pre-occupied, and end up half-way down the block without doing up my belts, and the chime reminds me I'm being an idiot.
Do you think I need the missing interlock box to at least get the cluster lamp / driver's seat connection working?

I know what you mean, however some things which were driven by a very short term government directive are not worth restoring (at least for me). I do keep the belt warning system light on my cars, just get rid of the chimes but I also buy the quietest dishwasher you can get when I get a new one...

No, you can likely just use a simple relay to do it or just make a direct connection from a power source through the buckle switch and then to the bulb in the cluster.

 

[tvmaster]

I know what you mean, however some things which were driven by a very short term government directive are not worth restoring (at least for me). I do keep the belt warning system light on my cars, just get rid of the chimes but I also buy the quietest dishwasher you can get when I get a new one...

No, you can likely just use a simple relay to do it or just make a direct connection from a power source through the buckle switch and then to the bulb in the cluster.

Super - that would be awesome. I guess I know the next project to start the new year - there are sooooo many little projects lol.
I'll look at the schematic, but will likely need electrical advice on this one...

 

[kmead]

Simple, power to the buckle, then to the wire that goes to the bulb and the buzzer. A relay is almost the same, power to the relay, power to the buckle and then back to the relay. Then power to the buzzer and the bulb. Yes I oversimplified this.

 

[tvmaster]

Simple, power to the buckle, then to the wire that goes to the bulb and the buzzer. A relay is almost the same, power to the relay, power to the buckle and then back to the relay. Then power to the buzzer and the bulb. Yes I oversimplified this.

Happy New Year!

 

[dllubin]

You will also want to connect the seat bottom switches so you don't have to buckle the passenger seat when nobody is there in order to keep the lights and buzzers off.

 

[xunonove]

I can confirm on the 74 that the little round plug on the B pillar covers a threaded hole that is suitable for a bolt. It's not just there to hold the headliner in place. This project is on my list - if I figure out anything for the 74 I'll post it.

 

[tvmaster]

7/16 - 20 bolt size, American, not metric thread, correct. Odd they’d do that...

 

[kmead]

7/16 - 20 bolt size, American, not metric thread, correct. Odd they’d do that...

It was a US NHTSA requirement that all US market cars had to use that fastener, it is overkill but will never fail. Your life depends on it.

 

[ng_randolph]

It was a US NHTSA requirement that all US market cars had to use that fastener, it is overkill but will never fail. Your life depends on it.

And they deliberately picked a somewhat odd size, so that people couldn't head down to Ace hardware and get made-from-cheese replacement bolts. This, of course, works even better in the rest of the world where "standard" means "metric", and inch-size hardware is a quaint oddity.

 

[tvmaster]

I've put 3-point belts in 3 prior '74s and all had mounts. I have a current '74 in the middle of a K20 swap, so I took a quick look and it has the mounts as well. The trick is in removing the plug. The cap portion will likely snap off due to age. Is usually comes off clean and no threaded hole is apparent. The rest of that ribbed plug left behind is quite stout and fairly long. Couple that with the errant upholstery cement that sometimes got on the plug during installation and you can have a bear of a time getting it out. Starting with a phillips screwdriver, place in the center of the plug and smack it with a hammer. Once the plug is dislodged, you may have to run a chaser tap to clean all the glue, vinyl, and plastic out of the threads. I've used the following belts multiple times and they work flawlessly:

SECURON Seat Belt - Auto Lap & Diagonal - Black - 500/30 | eBay

This auto rear lap and diagonal seat belt is a static seat belt, made from strong, durable and effective webbing designed to withstand any impact if in an accident. Auto Lap & Diagonal Seat Belt. We will respond to you within 24 hours and do our best to help you out!

www.ebay.com

Hope this helps!View attachment 39174View attachment 39174View attachment 39175View attachment 39174View attachment 39175

At the base of the B Pillar, there seems to only be one mounting hole for BOTH the retractor and the lap belt anchor. How and where did you anchor the lap belt portion, same hole as the retractor, between the retractor and B Pillar?

 

[jimmyx]

At the base of the B Pillar, there seems to only be one mounting hole for BOTH the retractor and the lap belt anchor. How and where did you anchor the lap belt portion, same hole as the retractor, between the retractor and B Pillar?

There are a couple of things to be aware of with this installation. The first is the mounting hole for the shoulder belt is very low in an early car. Couple that with the raised lip of the parcel shelf and you will find there is no way for a clear belt run, nor will the upper belt attachment point be able to rotate. I recommended the Securon belt for several reasons; the components (retractor, etc.) are more compact than most, and the hardware kit has what you need. The pic will show how the upper mount is moved forward with a supplied extension bracket. The lower portion of the belt (lap) can be secured with a short extension bracket that runs from behind the retractor so that the one bolt secures both. The alternate method is to drill a hole through the floor and secure from under the car. There is no such thing as plug-n-play in a '74 but it's not a difficult job.

 

[tvmaster]

There are a couple of things to be aware of with this installation. The first is the mounting hole for the shoulder belt is very low in an early car. Couple that with the raised lip of the parcel shelf and you will find there is no way for a clear belt run, nor will the upper belt attachment point be able to rotate. I recommended the Securon belt for several reasons; the components (retractor, etc.) are more compact than most, and the hardware kit has what you need. The pic will show how the upper mount is moved forward with a supplied extension bracket. The lower portion of the belt (lap) can be secured with a short extension bracket that runs from behind the retractor so that the one bolt secures both. The alternate method is to drill a hole through the floor and secure from under the car. There is no such thing as plug-n-play in a '74 but it's not a difficult job.View attachment 40800

OK, thanks - this was my concern: first, that shelf (which I may remodel to fit 6x4 speakers into anyway), and yes, that lower problem. Not alot of room down there for a second anchor point, and I'm not a big fan of drilling holes in a car prone to rust. Do both the upper AND lower extension brackets come with Securon kits, or just the upper one. The big thing I noticed was that the original, FIAT retractors are very nicely sculpted so the seat-back fits into the retractors curve. So Italian.
PS - If you've got a photo of that lower extension bracket that would be cool. thanks

 

[jimmyx]

OK, thanks - this was my concern: first, that shelf (which I may remodel to fit 6x4 speakers into anyway), and yes, that lower problem. Not alot of room down there for a second anchor point, and I'm not a big fan of drilling holes in a car prone to rust. Do both the upper AND lower extension brackets come with Securon kits, or just the upper one. The big thing I noticed was that the original, FIAT retractors are very nicely sculpted so the seat-back fits into the retractors curve. So Italian.
PS - If you've got a photo of that lower extension bracket that would be cool. thanks

Yes, the extensions come in the hardware kit. I don't have a pic of the lower, but it is the same bracket as the upper.

 

[dllubin]

OK, thanks - this was my concern: first, that shelf (which I may remodel to fit 6x4 speakers into anyway), and yes, that lower problem. Not alot of room down there for a second anchor point, and I'm not a big fan of drilling holes in a car prone to rust. Do both the upper AND lower extension brackets come with Securon kits, or just the upper one. The big thing I noticed was that the original, FIAT retractors are very nicely sculpted so the seat-back fits into the retractors curve. So Italian.
PS - If you've got a photo of that lower extension bracket that would be cool. thanks

My car has areas stamped for 4" x 6" speakers in the sheet metal under the shelf. However, they are not cut out. When I put my stereo in, I did not bother researching rear speakers as 40+ years ago there were no 4" x 6" speakers that sounded any good. I assume there are better choices now although that is not much room to work with.

 

[tvmaster]

My car has areas stamped for 4" x 6" speakers in the sheet metal under the shelf. However, they are not cut out. When I put my stereo in, I did not bother researching rear speakers as 40+ years ago there were no 4" x 6" speakers that sounded any good. I assume there are better choices now although that is not much room to work with.

Yes, much better these days, especially if you contemplate removing the spare for a subwoofer
My shelf is half-way unglued at the moment, so it could go either way, but we‘d really feel better with properly functioning 3-point belts, as we‘re surrounded by Land Rovers and Yukon’s who likely can’t see us. lol

 

[petex19]

Hi all,

A few words to let you know that Wesco offers seatbelts that fit really well on our Xs. My car's original ones were sun-faded, the plastic parts covering the buckles were cracked and the reeling mechanisms weren't functionning properly anymore.

The new ones do not have electrical wiring (no more buzzer) but you can order them in the color of your choice (mine are brown).

I'm not affiliated or any way associated with Wesco, I just wanted to let you know that they offer a nice replacement product for our cars .

Are the seatbelts from wesco vehicle specific that fit the fiat or universal and work with our X?

 

[tvmaster]

Are the seatbelts from wesco vehicle specific that fit the fiat or universal and work with our X?

They seem generic. The retractor on the Wesco units seem larger than the Securon brand’s retractor, and the X is tight on space already. Securon also seems to include some hardware for difficult positions, which could help.

 

[kmead]

I find it odd that the extension bracket is such a light gauge of steel. I have looked at many seatbelt parts over the years and any extension bracketry has been decidedly overbuilt. The bracket shown looks to be 11ga which for the cantilevered load shown seems rather light even if it was HSLA.

 

[tvmaster]

I find it odd that the extension bracket is such a light gauge of steel. I have looked at many seatbelt parts over the years and any extension bracketry has been decidedly overbuilt. The bracket shown looks to be 11ga which for the cantilevered load shown seems rather light even if it was HSLA.

Which brand were you referencing - Wesco or Securon?