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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - seat belt mounting

Hi please can anyone tell me how the seat belt mounted on my 1965 car. There are two captive bolts sticking up on top of the wheel arch. How did it attach? what do they look like? a photo would be great!
m fairclough

there should also be 4 other captive nuts -- one on each inner sill, and one on each side of the transmision tunnel. these are three per side for each occupant and can be either inertia with the roll unit mounted on top of the arches, or for your year, i believe they would be 3 point fixed belts.



Mick - trying to sort the wiring

You need the part shown on the right hand table, shaped like an old fashioned bottle opener, to attach the belts to the two captive bolts on the wheel arch.

http://www.quickfitsbs.com/components_colours.asp

Donīt be tempted to use only one of the bolts, it will not be strong enough.

Tore

Tore

Thanks for the replies. The photo definitely makes sense.
m fairclough

I bought complete belts from Quickfit with coarse woven, grey webbing for my 61 midget. They look just like the belts in the original brochure, and the quality of everything is excellent. Not cheap, though.

Tore
Tore

Mike

Shouldn't you have a full harness? ;o)
Dave O'Neill 2

Yes you are right Dave it did have a full a harness but I thought about getting it MOT'd . Does it actually need belts, when did they become law?
m fairclough

A harness should have no problem passing an MOT
Mick - trying to sort the wiring

I think it was somewhere around 1965, but I'm not exactly sure. There used to be something on the chassis plate about seat belt mounting compliance, IIRC.
Dave O'Neill 2

Tore, ive also ordered a set of 3 point harnas in beige with the corse woven webbing, all chrome parts(buckles ect.) and retractors.
Will give them a call tomorrow to hear how they are comming allong.
Not cheap indeed but looks like good quality and craftmanship and that never is cheap.
Arie de Best

You are right Dave it does say that seat belt anchorages comply with a 1965 British Standard on the chassis plates, the problem was it didn't have a chassis plate-something else for the MOT.
m fairclough

Mick: Some harnesses will pass an MOT, others won't (or shouldn't).

In theory any belt or harness is required to be e-marked, and it will only be e-marked if the buckle has a one-handed release, ie a buckle like that on a normal seat belt. The rotary type release doesn't qualify. That said, MOT testers rarely seem to care.
Andrew Noakes

It was 1965 when the law came in, requiring all new cars to have seat belts fitted - but I don't know what its effective date was.
Nick

Seat belts are required for passenger vehicles with no more than 8 seats first used on or after 01/01/65

"an adult harness belt comprising a lap belt and shoulder straps bearing a BS marking is an acceptable alternative to any seat belt types listed" a quote from the MOT testers manual, so full harness are OK.

Don't ask how I know

Mike
M J Pearson

My own experience fitting seatbelts to my lotus was that three or four point harnesses are fine with a BS mark. The issue seems to be the catch used. My lotus uses an "aircraft" catch in the front that is fine as it was original fitment. In the rear I have more conventional modern catches which are also deemed fine for the MOT..
Cheers
Tim
T Dafforn

Thanks for all your help, I have dug out an old E-marked 3 point harness with a single handed catch on that sounds like it might do the trick.
m fairclough

This thread was discussed between 03/01/2010 and 06/01/2010

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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