Question About '73 Factory Seat Belts

Jim Richards · 02-16-2005, 08:00 AM

Background: I'm putting away my sport seats for the upcoming track season and I need to figure out how to attach my 3-pt. seat belts to the car with my track seats installed. I use the 3-pt. belts on the street and my 5-pt. harnesses on the track. The belts attach directly to the sport seat bases.

My Question: How are the '73 seat belt receivers attached to the car if you don't have sport seats? Pics would be great, too. Thanks for your help!

Deschodt · 02-16-2005, 09:58 AM

If I recall - I'll check my car tonight, there is a tab welded on the tunnel that protrudes thru the carpet behind the E-brake, a bolt runs through it and one receptacle is bolted on each side of the tab...

jpnovak · 02-16-2005, 10:19 AM

Jim, Which seats are you going to run? do you have to make brackets? I had to make brackets and welded two M12 nuts onto them. They are right next to the bolts that secure the brackets to the tub and as wide as possible to distrubute load to the tub and not the seat in an "event".

I then mounted my harnesses and stock belts to these nuts. The harness clips just fold back behind the seat until they are needed. Then they trade places with the stock belts. I keep the harnesses and seat belts clipped behind the seats when not in use.

This was the simplest option and is very effecitive.

Jim Richards · 02-16-2005, 10:23 AM

Jamie, I'm using the Bilstein's and have some "prototype" brackets that I made in the car for now. I'm going to have some "real" seat brackets fabricated in the coming weeks. I haven't mounted my harnesses yet...something about drilling holes in my car. But, I'll get over it. Maybe I can reduce my hole count by doing something like you've done. Would you mind emailing me pics so that I can better visualize the approach you took? Like you, I want to be able to use the street belts or the track belts without messing around too much. Thanks for your help Jamie!

jpnovak · 02-16-2005, 10:50 AM

My wife is out of town with the camera. She returns on Friday. i will send some pics when she gets back.

Jim Richards · 02-16-2005, 10:59 AM

Thanks!

HarryD · 02-16-2005, 05:08 PM

Jim,

Before I replaced my '73 stock seats with iones from a '77, the seat belts and recievers were attached to a small tab that was attached to the seat near the pivot.

sorry no pic.

Jim Richards · 02-16-2005, 05:24 PM

Hmmm, so they weren't originally mounted somehow to the seat rail, like they are on the outboard side of each seat. That's helpful...thanks Harry.

Jim Richards · 02-16-2005, 06:18 PM

Here's what I'm talking about for mounting the "tail" of the seat belt to the outboard side seat rail. I didn't realize that the inboard side mounted differently. Maybe I need to get another pair of outboard ends to mount seat belt receivers.

HarryD · 02-16-2005, 06:37 PM

Jim,

Those look like they were made afterwards. The ones on my seats (Assumed to be original) are flat. The hole was tapped for the bolt.

Jim Richards · 02-16-2005, 06:45 PM

Harry, the bolt hole is indeed tapped on this bracket, it might not be obvious from my slightly blurry pic. I can't verify the originality of these brackets, but they did come with a partial set of what appeared to me to be factoy seat belts from a guy pulling them out of his 73. Unfortunately, I was never able to acquire the seat belt receivers. My 73E was purchased with sport seats and the 3-pt belts attach to the sport seat base as I mentioned before. I'm not sure if I love a mystery.

jpnovak · 02-16-2005, 07:30 PM

Jim, I just looked at my targa. It was originally delivered with sport seats. By the looks of them, they may have never left the car. I suspect they are pretty darn original.

So... The tilting bracket has a vertical side section on each side of the seat. From this there is a triangulated, reinforced section that starts about 8" or so from the rear edge and sticks about an inch. Near the back of this bracket a hole is tapped and the seat belt brackets are mounted there. The bolt is really short. This mount is the same inboard and outboard on the seats. one side is the belt recepticle and one is the end of the lap belt.

I am not sure if a 73 is different than 71. I will post some pics as soon as the camera returns home...

Shuie · 02-16-2005, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim Richards

My Question: How are the '73 seat belt receivers attached to the car if you don't have sport seats? Pics would be great, too. Thanks for your help!

My seatbelt receivers were attached to my regular non sport seats in my '72 the same way they were attached to the sport seats in my old '73. The angled piece that the receiver attaches to was bolted to the bottom seat between the seat itself and the slider with M8 or maybe M6 bolts.

Maybe you could steal the brackets from a thrashed set of seats and weld them them to the mounting brackets for your new seats.

BTW, do you still need the receiver(s). I never found the 2nd one, but Id be happy to send yout the one I have. Shoot me a PM with a shipping address if you want it.

HarryD · 02-16-2005, 07:56 PM

Jamie,

The seat belt mount is Flat? If so, sounds similar to the ones on my stock, non-sport seat '73. As I recall, ther bolts were of an unusual, short length as well.

Jim Richards · 02-17-2005, 03:42 AM

Thanks a lot guys. For your non-sports seats, what it the "tail" of your seat belt attached to? If it's a bracket like the one in my pic above, then I think I need to locate a pair of those to mount the receivers to. Otherwise, I'll need to weld per Sherman's suggestion. Oh yeah, I need to obtain the receivers, too. Pelican jstgermaine is sending me some seat belt HW so I'll know in a few days where I stand. Once again, thanks!

jpnovak · 02-22-2005, 10:34 AM

Jim, Here are some pics I took of the seat brackets. You can see how the angle iron goes together to drop the seat. The Bielstein sliders sit on top of the cross member.

Here are the seatbelt mounting points. I used a flanged nut. I cut off part of the flange to allow the nut to set flat on one face. I then welded the circumference between the nut and the base plate. I then threaded a bolt in place holding the harness and stock belt. They are threadlocked in place.

sport seats next.

jpnovak · 02-22-2005, 10:35 AM

Here are the pics of my sport seat bases. AS you can see there is an angled part that gives support. Small bolts are used like your seats. Mine are mounted inboard and outboard on the stationary portion of the tilting bracket.

randywebb · 02-22-2005, 11:39 AM

A potentially big problem I see above is the use of a bolt in shear. Factory items have a non-threaded shoulder on the bolt (making it more like a pin). You have weakened things over the factory installation with that bolt. A "stronger" bolt may also be more brittle.

I don't know how much the reduction in safety is, but I would sure search for a factory shouldered bolt to use...