kmead
Old enough to know better
Sorry, the image up above courtesy of JimmyX which shows a blade of steel with the nut and bolt through it with the upper belt mount attached to it.Which brand were you referencing - Wesco or Securon?
Sorry, the image up above courtesy of JimmyX which shows a blade of steel with the nut and bolt through it with the upper belt mount attached to it.Which brand were you referencing - Wesco or Securon?
The “extension” pieceSorry, the image up above courtesy of JimmyX which shows a blade of steel with the nut and bolt through it with the upper belt mount attached to it.
I thought about that as well. This site has some good, hidden info. You have to poke around to find it all though. I think these can make a vertical install, as their retractors seem smaller than most companies. The 45 degree angle will come off the upper, B Pillar connection. Securon also includes adapter pieces to get around some tight mounting positions. See what you find:The factory lap belt retractors are installed at about a 45 degree forward angle. The 3 point retractors from Seat Belts Plus need to
be installed vertically. There doesn't seem to be enough clearance between the mounting hole at the base of the B pillar and the
rear bulkhead to achieve this. Anybody out there mount these at an angle without any issues? From what I can tell the belt doesn't
reel out smoothly when pulled at an angle.
Pictures please lots of pictures, bottom and top pillar mounting points. Did you have to use any of the included adapter hardware? Who was the seller?Just installed Securon 3 point belts. Part # 514/30, uses adjustable retractors. The retractor mounts at the upper B pillar mounting
point. Solves the clearance issue at the lower mount. They are listed as fitting 73-80 MGB roadster. Easy install and they work and look great.
Yes, you have a later model, more flexible mount location. I’m pretty stuck doing the reverse I think. So on your install, the only thing anchored up top is the retractor?tvmaster, upper B pillar mounting point on your 74 looks quite a bit lower than on my 78.
Not sure this same set up would work on your car but I think as long as you have room to mount
the retractor you could pull the belt out horizontally and then down across you to the receiver?
Okay, that’s making some sense. Thanks for the pics - your car’s in good shape it seems. When you get a chance, a wide, tall shot of the B pillar mount and belt running down towards the bottom mount would help visualize this. Do you feel safer?Yes, only the retractor is mounted up top, I went with the 514/30 for that reason. The factory 2 point retractor is mounted at a forward
angle so the belt reels out perfectly. Most of the 3 point retractors only mount either vertically or horizontally. The 514 is adjustable to
different angles. You could use an extender on a bottom mount retractor to get away from the bulkhead, but that creates clearance issues
with the seat itself. That's why I couldn't use the 500/30. If you look at the pics of my retractors they are mounted at a slight downward angle
which brings the belt right down across my body and over to the buckle. Take a look at the retractor dimensions in the link you sent me.
You might find that there's room to mount the 514 retractor horizontally at your upper B pillar. You'd need to pull the belt straight out, then
down and across. I'm thinking that's your best bet, But I obviously can't say for sure not being there. One more thing, the 514 upper B pillar
mount eliminates the extra belt run from a floor retractor, up to a B pillar loop, and then over to the buckle. Makes for a simpler install
because you're not bolting both the retractor and the belt end at the same spot.
Thanks, it's an original 17,000 mile car that I bought 15 years ago. Drove it stock for a couple of years, then a failed fuel line caused a minor fire.Okay, that’s making some sense. Thanks for the pics - your car’s in good shape it seems. When you get a chance, a wide, tall shot of the B pillar mount and belt running down towards the bottom mount would help visualize this. Do you feel safer?
And why do you figure Securon lists the 500/30 as the only, compatible system for X 1/9’s?
In the first photo, where is the retractor anchored into the B Pillar? Is it in the center of the pillar, or the side? So close it‘s hard to tell. I‘m starting to see why the 514 system may be easier to implement, but my lower nut location is still of concern.Pics of the install. The retractor extends out about 3/8 inch past the B pillar, same angle as the pillar so looks fine
IMO. Only needed 2 bolts from the hardware kit and no extenders. Seller is sportscarpartsltd, ebay. These are carried by
multiple sellers. Once you get the inertia reels adjusted properly (easy) these belts work at pretty much any angle.View attachment 41681View attachment 41681View attachment 41682View attachment 41683View attachment 41684View attachment 41685
One of these may be necessary on the floor depending on you retractor design, no? There’s only one anchor point on the floor as is.The early X shoulder belt attachment location can be easily altered, but does require removing the vinyl covering the b-pillar. Once the upholstery is out of the way, take an attachment plate designed for vehicles that were never equipped with shoulder belt mounts and place it in position under the b-pillar interior vent. Mark the center bolt location and the 2 1/8" rivet holes. Drill the bolt hole slightly oversize and the 2 1/8" holes. Tack weld a coat hanger or similar to the top of the attachment plate and feed it through the b-pillar vent opening. Line up the plate so you can securely capture it with the bolt. Once threaded securely, use the bolt to pull the plate toward you and use a 1/8" punch to locate one of the rivet holes so you can install a rivet in the opposite hole. Remove the punch and install the other rivet. The rivets hold the plate in place when the bolt is removed, so now you can twist the coat hanger off the bracket and get ready for the really difficult part of putting the upholstery back together. The plates take about 10 minutes per side - the upholstery; you don't want to know....View attachment 41709View attachment 41710
Floor can usually be handled with a bolt and a specially designed curved washer. The washer is curved so it won't dig into the floor pan and tear the metal during impact. Most seat belt mounting kits come with the washers. The plate for moving the upper mount is for the 514 install. The retractor will never fit in the '74s lower supplied b-pillar mount. The only thing to double check on the 514 is the inertia lock. That retractor is designed to be a horizontal mount. Make sure if it is mounted vertically that the inertia lock operates properly.One of these may be necessary on the floor depending on you retractor design, no? There’s only one anchor point on the floor as is.
yeah, I'm pretty sure the 514 system won't work on a '74 - nut's too low. The 500/30 retractor measurements are no bigger than the factory retractor that's on the floor now, but the FIAT retractor is tapered a touch. There's another thread here where someone else connected to the upper B pilar, but had to use the extender bracket that Securon supplies to get the belt anchor out beyond the back shelf.Just went back and looked at the pics of your B pillar. Yeah that upper mount is really low, right down at the bulkhead.