So making some progress on the battery boxes. Doing some more today. I will post progress as I go.
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In case you were not aware… I apologize if you already are… once you get those battery boxes cleaned, repaired, and down to metal, POR 15 is a great great product to put on them.
POR or KBS are good products. I have some KBS on order.
Maddy
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while all accessible it is a good time to investigate seat belt anchor locations…the belt is only as good as its anchor. Consider shoulder-either 1 or 2, as the steering wheel on any XK is quite close, and is solid. Nick
Nick,
What am I looking for? I see below the battery tray where seat belt might have attached. The pair of holes on the left are the same pattern on the right only mirrored. I looked in the parts manual and the book you gave me but do not see any mention of seat belts. You may refer me to th e proper resource or image and I will locate on my XK.
Maddy
It’s curious, my FHC battery area never had body color paint, just primer.
There were no provisions for seat belts originally.
Most purchased seat belts come with over large washers and bolts, so you can drill holes through the floor and attach them there. With the huge thick washers, they are unlikely to pull out in the event of most accidents.
Of course, it’s not like we can test these cars with crash dummies. But modern “period appearance” belts are well engineered.
I have not investigated nor done a FHC for seat belts, so may be some differences in body work, the strongest parts, and seats so as to develop a good route for the belt, and a sound placement. No doubt wherever will take a flat steel backing plate, as large as can fit, and the the large washers, so kinda have to experiment. But while it is all exposed is the time to figure it out. Maybe someone with FHC has the info. Oh, looky, there is Robs…So…what I am suggesting is that behind that location, explore for how you can put in a re-enforcement plate, of whatever size, and have room for the bolt heads, room for nuts and washers, and as direct a no twist pathway as possible…determine how long the belt must be to “get around what it has to get around”…that being you…and same for passenger side. Possible there were belts in your by someone prior? Nck
As Borat might say…
Nick,
The only “proper” way to attach seat belts in a Jaguar XK is to go back to the chassis. Now I understand that this can only be done with a “body off” restoration.
I did this for a 1955 XK 140 FHC and had a special bracket made that also was the anchoring point for the center bolts of the seat belt. It fits on the chassis and there’s is sufficient space between chassis and floor panels. Just for info; not sure whether this actually fits XK 120 FHC as well…
Bob K.
I needed to put belts in my 140 for rallies and used 2" X 1/16" angle iron at the intersection of the rear floor under the body on each side to secure the mounting bolts. The angle iron is held in place by 2 quarter inch bolts under the seat.
Vintage racing has pages of rules for seat belt installation. There are complex requirements for how forces are applied and how the angle of the belt at the anchor, and on the body should be: …but few of us can do all that is required for that level, tho it is helpful to read thru it for some ideas and some what not to do…we are pretty much left with finding a reasonable attachment location where back up will fit and has a good run of the belt, and then backing up the attachment location as best as possible with what will fit. It for sure is not just the bolt and a large washer on the thin metal…it will rip right out. Find as solid an area as possible, back it up as much as possible. Since I have an OTS, I have double shoulder Simpson competition belts…, the lap anchor kinda near the battery boxes, with back up metal both behind and in front: the shoulder belts anchor, with similar reinforcements in the side curtain tray storage area. Nick
Hope you have a roll bar…
shoulder belts and must have a roll bar…I always love that response: …so if no bar, then no belts? …that will work well in 99 % of incidents…which are collisions and impacts, not roll overs: collisions like a head on…like the head on I was in…in my old XK120…40 mph each car…I had comp lap and shoulder belts and a cut chin…unclipped and climbed over the stuck doors of a car that was crushed and bent to behind the doors: but no you say. , So none or I should just have a lap belt so I can what? “duck”? and have your head and chest bashed, or none and be thrown into whatever…no thanks…If I roll, I am done…I get it. Odds are waaaaaay with me with my belts.
Nick
Should this thread be renamed? It’s been about seat belts since my battery box post. So should I have seat belts or not? I am not doing a body off frame resto. I currently do not have seat belts.
Maddy
No, let’s stick to battery boxes.
Seat belts is an entirely different subject that has been argued in other threads.
You’re putting words and thoughts into my mouth… again.
With full shoulder belts, in the eventuality of a rollbar, you become the rollbar!
There’s a reason street cars have three point belts, because in a rollover, that allows you to go either left or to the right and fold over that way, not become the roll structure.
Yes.
It’s not that difficult to install a decent 3-point set-up.
And, your cleaned-up batt boxes look great!
There is a hinged shelf making up the surface behind the seat to the hole cut for the speaker unless that is a custom addition. When closed it covers the battery box. Is there a piece of wood cut to go across the entire opening (40") and wide enough to rest on the angle on the sides of the box area itself (5 1/2").
Then there is a 12" wide piece and 40" long that attaches to 2 hinges at the battery tray which hides the storage behind the seat.
Or do I leave this area open? I tried to find pictures of how this is configured but did not find any.
Maddy
but my lap belts are connected in the metalwork that also has the battery boxes…now what??