SWB seat belt attach point rust

MikeDL · 10-26-2006, 03:12 AM

After I removed the padding in the rear of my 68T, I found (center of the picture) an unusual rusted area -- one of the seat belt attachment points on the inner wheel well. It's hard to see clearly in the picture, but the metal wall in the passenger compartment has dissolved, leaving the bolt only attached at the top and bottom of the inside wall where it can be easily twisted right off the welds.

Protruding out and into the wheel well area is a oval reinforcing metal "bubble" spot welded onto the wall where the bolt is welded. There is a hint that something was attached to the backside of the "bubble", but it rusted into dust. Anyone know what this assembly should look like?

MikeDL · 10-28-2006, 03:33 PM

Bump!

EarlyPorsche · 10-28-2006, 04:06 PM

I am just gonna have to interrupt and ask you. Is that a DB4?

MikeDL · 10-28-2006, 04:31 PM

Austin Healey 3000 Mk I

304065 · 11-01-2006, 05:01 AM

Mike, I am not ignoring this request, but am having a hard time finding a picture of that spot. But working on it.

MikeDL · 11-01-2006, 05:09 AM

Thank you very much!

ttweed · ttweed's Garage

Here are pics of that spot on my Karmann built '68 Normal tub (didn't think they had a "T" that year, did they?)

Lots of undercoating in the way of seeing any detail, but it is just an oval sort of cupped backing plate welded over the lug.

passenger side:

inside view for reference:

HTH, Mike.

TT

MikeDL · 11-01-2006, 03:08 PM

Thanks Tom!

That's just what I was looking for. Mine is a Karmann -built T -- sold only in Europe in '68. Is that a drain (pointing down) on the bottom of the cup? And is the thing sticking out of the "cup" center in the first picture a bolt?

jstobo · 11-01-2006, 03:17 PM

There is supposed to be a plug to protect the threads. The plugs I have seen have been plastic. With the undercoating they do get hard to remove. The thread is 7/16 fine thread. Universal for seatbelts. It is not metric. Hope this helps.

ttweed · ttweed's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeDL
Is that a drain (pointing down) on the bottom of the cup?

There is a little semicircle "half-pipe" stamped into the outside flange about midpoint on both top and bottom, it appears--you can see the top one in the second pic, and the bottom one in the 3rd. If it was a drain, I'm not sure why they'd have one on the top, too? Maybe the flange was shaped that way for some purpose in construction--perhaps some sort of fixture was used to position it while welding? I'm just guessing here.

Quote:

And is the thing sticking out of the "cup" center in the first picture a bolt?

jstobo's "plug" idea is as good as any--there is no bolt coming thru in my pics, as the seatbelt lugs are empty right now on my car, as I'm using a rollbar for the harnesses. They really smeared up a lot of areas with a thick tar-like undercoating on these early cars during assembly, so without chipping it off, I have no idea what's in the center.

TT