Retractable seat belts

I am looking to replace my old static 3 point seat belts with retractable 3 point belts for my series II OTS. Any suggestions as to where to source them?

You’ve probably sourced a set already, but JIC …

https://www.seatbeltsplus.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAiNnuBRD3ARIsAM8KmlsAN9ZEEC2wNLF1DTRNSDnuozVG59tLq-1fGSE2lJIDr3M7CuffcTAaAuK0EALw_wcB

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The location of the anchor bolt for the 3 point belt in the OTS makes a retractable belt a problem.

I saw one installation I should have gotten a pic of, it used a heavy steel bracket that came forward and down to locate the retractor on the forward face of the bulkhead. Anyone know if that was a readily available part?

Check with Chris Vine ( on his website )…he mounted the retracting reels in the boot ( trunk )

I just purchased the 3 pt retractable shoulder/seat belts for my 2+2 (from SEATBELTPLUS).

Seat Belts

It’s the same system I used on my '66 Corvette convertible. I imagine that set up would be similar to an OTS as I mounted it on the deck area behind the seats. I plan to mount these retractors at the upper attachment point where the rear seat shoulder belts are now attached. There it’s a perfect height above the seat and shoulders. That’s the e chore for today after I get some house painting out of the way.

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I checked with theses folks…seems that they assume the reel will mount vertically on the floor. I don’t think we have room for this in the OTS, and they did not know if they had a reel that could be mounted horizontally as per Chris Vine!!

Will you be able to lower the top (hood) with these in place?

John,
This is how I installed the retractors in my '66.
I would have preferred them mounted on the wheel well, but there they would interfere with the top. I also would have preferred them being positioned higher, but they’ve been performing beautifully from day one with no issues.

Geo, mine is a 2+2. …

Mack photos below are from a Securon system from SNG. Main problem is with the female receiver - it needs to be on a nylon strap like the stock system to fit between the seat and the consul. You can lower the top on this setup. I had cuts made into the hood cover to make this work. I think it preferable to have the shoulder strap at least horizontal. I’d worry about it coming up from the floor as in an accident it will exert a strong downward tug on your shoulder. Don’t know if that’s good.


IMG_8059

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I’ve been mulling seat belts for my 120 and E for a long time. The safest 3-point configurations feature the shoulder belt anchorage above the shoulder line. There’s no complete, practical solution for that in either OTS. I’ll go with lap belts in the 120 and I’m seriously thinking the same for the E. As it is the shoulder belt anchorage is most effective only when the soft top is up, which is rarely. Cooler months I mount the hardtop so the soft top is still down and pushing the shoulder belt into an S shape behind the seat, which increases forward upper torso movement in the event of a crash and bears down on the spine. The retraction mechanisms I’ve seen used in E-type open cars, whereby the inertia wheel is at the bottom of an L-shaped bracket bolted above to the factory anchorages, is an improvement of sorts for top-down driving but not as good as the standard top-up configuration.

I’d say your rear anchorages present a significant risk of spinal compression in a front collision. On the other hand, one might suffer a sheared spinal chord above the waist if wearing only a lap belt. It’s a conundrum.

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A compromise. It’s that or lap belts only. The lesser of two evils?

That, I’m not so sure about, which is why I’m still mulling it over. A crushed spine or a severed spine is a poor pair of choices.

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Here is the information provided by Seat belt Planet when I purchased a set of belts from them. They indicate their acceptable range for the shoulder strap to be angled.
seatbelt.pdf (708.2 KB)
Tom

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I installed the 3 point and wish I had just gone with a lap belt. The problem is (at least for me) is that the shoulder part doesn’t ride on the shoulder and is almost impossible to get it situated right. When the top is down it pushes on the belt making it useless,

The instructions seem ambiguous, saying the shoulder anchorage should be located at “a suitable point … that is above and behind the shoulder” yet the acceptable range seems to allow an anchorage well below the shoulder.

Shoulder belts should be approximately a 90 degree angle, wrt the spine, in seating position.

Anything much below that, or going over and down, is asking for spinal compression injuries.

Yes, Nick, it seems many things are these days.
I read it as:
Step 1 is the preferred location. If you can mount here, do it.
Step 3 is the “may” location. Meaning if one cannot mount per step one, the range in the diagram is acceptable.
And Step 4 is quite simply- if your car did not come with seat belts and shoulder harness, we are happy to sell you a set, give you some guidance as to how to mount them, but we have not seen your car, your installation, and no one has tested the installation in your car to know how effective it really is. But since you made it this far to believing that a shoulder harness is better than none, this is the best any of us can do without thorough testing.

I assume that they at least have some generic testing or evidence to suggest the range they provide or they would not have provided any information at all.

Tom