It's been a while since my update. Life has had the usual craziness of work travel limiting my garage time. And Minne has struggled to keep moving forward. More on that later.
Last month I spent a bunch of time getting the car setup with alignment and corner balance. This was with the goal of making the car "minimal driveable". Of course, I don't want to venture out without some seatbelts. Those were pretty high on the list.
I decided that since the factory mounted seatbelt mounting brackets to the seat rails I would do the same. First, I had to fabricate some brackets. I used steel stock and welded nuts on the backsides.
The brackets were trimmed so that they fit tight to the seats for maximum clearance.
I welded (top and bottom) the brackets to the rear of the seat rails right next to the seat mounting bolts. This is the strongest mounting points. I used Grade 10l9 allen cap screws on the seat to rail mounting to improve shear strength should I ever have to use the belts. (let's hope not).
Here is the mounting position of the belt holding bolts relative to the seat opening.
The belts have a nice straight pull through the hip harness opening. This allows the belt to stay low and rearward of my position and prevent forward movement. The belt at this angle sits nicely across my hip bones. Perfect!
I did mention the belts were tight against the seats. I don't expect any movement or rubbing here to damage the seats. Additionally, the brackets have an offset bend. I lowered my seats and therefore needed extra clearance on the tunnel side. Yes, I would expect these to bend in the event that needed belts. But I don't expect any issues with shear.
The belts are from Seatbelt Planet in TX. I did have to mount them upside down because the adjustment clasp hit my shoulder. I moved it low and just outside the seat. These are non-retractable. They cinch nice and tight almost like a harness. Most excellent. I also wanted non-black color. Makes them easy to find in the interior.
