SEAT BELTS ????

My speester does'nt have any seat belts! Anyone have or know of a good sorce to purchase them? Also any suggestions on whats the best to put in! thanks, mike

JC Whitney has the chrome aviation flipper type clasp about $19 each

Get a 3 point seatbelt/shoulder harness not just a seat belt. www.cip1.com has them from $39-59 each. They have 10% off -enter code XM5 (til 31 Dec). I went with the DIEST and am happy with them - vintage look with aircraft buckles.

Alan,
I think we've covered this topic before, but I can't find it...
What are your thoughts on 3 or 4 point seat belts, when the car doesn't have a roll bar?
I was going to put a roll bar in mine, but the one I have (an old CMC)looks a little too feeble to rely on, so I haven't installed it.
I only have lap belts, and I'm nervous about putting belts in that will keep me upright. I'm aware that in a collision, a face plant (head to dash)usually results without a sholder belt. But then...If you go on your head, without a roll bar, belted in a sitting isn't the the most desireable position.
Do you know what restraints D.O.T. says should be in convertibles?

Greg B

Greg

Depending on the year on the title , this dictates what type of restaint is required . With a '55 to the 60's Porsche, seat belts were "it".
A three point harness is great but where do you anchor it to? The only half correct way to anchor it would be to weld in a 2x2 cross member from the Beetle factory rear body mounts ( where the speedster body plates are bolted to. Then weld in the harness anchors to this cross member. Run the belts up throught the back of the driver's seat area, then there is the question of how to "support" the harness on a lateral (somewhat horizontal) position to the driver's shoulder ?
A harness that would be solely anchored on the rear floor area w/o some type of the previously mentioned lateral support, would break the drivers shoulder or worse, on impact. Anyone else care to comment on this ?

Hey, thanks for all your input guys, you've been very helpful! Anyone else have any advice? thanks, Mike

Assuming you are okay with having yourself completely strapped in (solid rollbar, etc.) one thing to keep in mind is any shoulder harness attachments should be about shoulder height and not below otherwise could cause more injury in a colision. I have 4-point harnesses but only use the seatbelt when driving.

I am always amazed watching the vintage racers that their heads sticking out of the car with no rollbar. I never noticed, do they use shoulder harnesses and do they duck under the dash in a rollover or what? Surprised modern-day racing standards let them race that way.

EC Bruce,

I also noticed at Thunder Hill in October a lot of the cars were still wearing the factory windshields on a roadster, yikes, Speedster among them!

WC Bruce

Bruce, Alan,
Thanks for the input. I'd still like to have at least a 3 point belt system in my Speedster.
I guess I'll start paying more attention to other convertibles like Miatas etc. and see how they do it.
For now, the lap belts are O.K.

Greg

If you roll a car at anything more than walking speed you won't be able to duck under anything. I've see a couple of rollbars fail in roll-overs and the drivers survived, probably by dum luck.
ed

Most of the "roll bars" in our speedsters are nothing more than a "show bar" that should not be relied upon to prevent roll over vehicle support and will not prevent personal bodily injury .
They lack the SCCA specs for mounting, cross supports to prevent twisting, proper tube wall thickness etc. I wouldn't recommend them for shoulder harness support.

Shine, paint or pad them. they're for show purposes only.

I can confirm that the roll bars Henry puts in IMs will survive a roll-over. I've talked with both Henry and the driver of the car that rolled. I've also seen the car. Looks as good as new. So they can work if done right.

The photo gallery at JPS Motorsports website, has a few interior shots where you can almost see the 3 point seat belt set up.
The photos don't show the attach point of the sholder harness at the height of the seat back
Would anyone that has a JPS or has details for the sholder harness pick up point on a JPS, post some photos or describe the installation?
I have a set of Renault and a set of 70's style bug 3 point belts. I'd like to try use one of these systems, but I'm not sure how/where to anchor the sholder belt.
Thnx,
Greg B

Greg,
The shoulder pivot is mounted behind the seat just below the pivot point for the top. I don't have any photos but could get one if you can wait until Friday.
Terry

Terry,
Thanks! Pictures would be great.
What I need to know is what the sholder harness pick-up is bolted to (underneath). Does it just bolt to the fiberglass or is there some structure or support that anchors it to the frame?

Greg B.

Greg,
Take a look at this. I believe jps uses the steel sub frame to mount the shoulder pivot. You can call or email John at JPS to confirm.
Terry
www.vintagespeedsters.com/photos/photos.asp?p=11

That's an easy installation even on a completed speedster and looks correct!

Alan,
The location is correct. I was interested in seeing how it's anchored. Does it attach to the fiberglass only or more likely to the frame structure.
The frame is still 6-8 inches away, so there should be some more structure fabricated. And is making a bracket from the frame member to the glass tub enough? Or is the frame upright beefed up?

like that,
Greg

The verticle support is in the correct location, if you want to alter the location (L or R) for the harness position best suited for you by welding on a plate as long as it is at least 1/2 - 5/16" thick for the upper harness anchoring position.

Hey Greg,
Here's the photo as requested. Hope it helps.
Terry

Terry,
Thanks,
I'd like to see whats on the other side. Does it only bolt to the fiberglass body or does it have some structure to the chassis?

Greg B

From what I've been told the belt anchor is bolted to a plate that is on the backside of the glass, this plate is not welded to the car structure though, kinda acts like a big washer on the glass. I'm not sure how strong it is, only a crash test dummy could tell.

J-P

jp=if thats the case i wouldn't bother installing one. it might slow you down a bit but it ain't gonna stop ya.

Greg,
Call John Steele at JPS. He'll give you the info.
Terry