Sorry to have to ask, I have searched as much as I can but still not absolutely sure how to approach this.

I have decided that I do want front seat belts in my 1965 3.8 MOD.
I have XJ6 Mk1/2 seats mounted.
I want inertia reel belts as static belts are too limiting in movement.

I very nice lady at FDTS is helping me put together some belts that will be reasonably fitting with the era of the car, I don't want stalks I will go with a classic buckle.
If I understand correctly there is a floor mount under the B pillar and another mounting point low on the B pillar?
This is the inertia reel I will be using.



Should I mount these direct to the B pillar or use a bracket and mount to the floor under the B pillar?

Looks like I should mount against the B pillar and use the floor mount eye bolt for the lap strap?

Cheers

Rishi

 

are those 3-point belts you want to install ?

if yes, you only need the B pillar top mounting or "pivot", and the B pillar bottom mounting for the reel.

The third mounting is on the opposite side of the seat by the transmission tunnel for the receiver part.

 

To mount the inertia reel on the bottom of the "B" pillar you will need to make a bracket so it sits over the top of the sill. I saw this bracket on an original Mk2 at a show and decided to copy it. If you mount the inertia reel to the floor then you either cannot slide the seat back or forth or the inertia reel is placed on the floor behind the seat restricting the foot well for rear seat passengers getting their feet in and out of the car. Ask me how I know.

These are some photos of the bracket I made (I doubt if you will find an original one) which I installed into my car.



This is the original position I fitted the inertia reel but it restricted the rear foot well space.


These are the brackets I made.


The brackets sit over the sill. The eye bolt goes through the base plate whilst the top is bolted to the "B" pillar.


The Inertia reel then sits on the bracket and is bolted to it.


Even using this bracket there is not a lot of room between the side of the seat and I had to remove the reclining handle to allow the seat to be able to slide backwards and forwards.


The inertia reel bolted to the bracket.

 

Thanks. These foto’s are really helpful. My reel has a single mounting point so I should be able to mount it directly to the B pillar. I do have reclining levels so I had better check the clearance. Otherwise I will have to go with static belts.

 

As I recall, my reel box was made for mounting on a vertical panel. We attached it to the bottom of the B post. We added a steel plate to spread the load. With standard (very wide) Mk2 recliners it was a tight fit.

As Rob wrote, if we'd used the canonical point on the inner sill, it would have conflicted with the seat. That location works only for belts without a reel.

 

Personally I would not mount it bolted directly and only to the bottom of the "B" pillar. The mounting point on the floor, which mine is attached to where the eye bolt is, is a factory fitted fully strengthened mounting point where as if you bolt it to the bottom of the "B" pillar the metal there is thin and weak and in an accident you could very easily pull the bolt out of the "B" pillar giving yourself no protection except in a low speed accident. You will note on mine that I have a single 8mm bolt going into the "B" pillar through a convenient hole that was already there but this is just to hold the top hard against the pillar and is not a securing point. I also found that when I mounted the bracket and put this top bolt in there is only just enough room to get your fingers in through the hinge hole to put the nut on the back of the bolt. Trying to mount the reel on the "B" pillar and getting behind the pillar to mount a suitable large securing nut and a strengthening plate would in my opinion be almost impossible.
The mounting points on the floor. top of the "B" pillar, under the back seats and on the rear parcel shelf of my car are all factory fit and I have a plate under the bonnet on the inner left wing that states they comply with BS AU 48 1965. I would not mount seat belts anywhere else other than these points without extra strengthening plates being fitted.

 

This is good food for thought. Maybe I will just go with statics. A little less convenient but sounds like it will be easier. I am also worried that my reclining levers will get in the way. Need to go and take some photo’s today and make some measurements.

 

Seat belts that don't retract are going to be long term painful. As XJ seats are much narrower than original Mk2, it should be possible to fit a reel. For loads, there are probably some standards that don't apply to old cars. I'd think in terms of a 100kg passenger and a momentary 10g deceleration giving about a tonne force. A tonne shouldn't be a problem to carry as a transient load. However, think about load paths; try to put loads into panels as shear rather than at right angles to panel. Good structural design works if all the joints are ball joints, all the angles are hinges, and all the bolts are undone.