I did what Chris suggests here with my 71. I did run the belt through the headrest, which keeps it positioned nicely. This retractor arrangement is a bit cumbersome and requires some getting used to, but seems to be a good solution. Plus, no hanging belt in a pillars-less coupe.
The endless seatbelt update question
- Thread starter e9Leveque
- Start date
Here are some pictures of the belts from Al that I described earlier in this thread.
My wife worked for Nissan and Toyota and handled rollover, seatbelts and airbag cases. She would not ride in our coupe with a belt over her shoulder from the rear or one that was too vertical from the roof as Erik pointed out as that type could sever your aorta.
Dan,I have installed the driver side retractable seat belt in the coupe using the original attachment bolts and locations.
I used this belt with a 6 inch metal extender which I bent to work around the rear seat bolster.
The action of the retractor is very smooth and a quick pull locks it up. I expect since it is mounted sideways that it might lock up with road bumps and it certainly easier to use than the original belts.
3 Point Retractable Seat Belt - Chrome Lift Latch
Check out the deal on 3 Point Retractable Seat Belt - Chrome Lift Latch at Replacement Seat Belts | Lap Belts | 3 Point Seat Beltswww.seatbeltsplus.com
please post a pic of the metal extender idea ... very curious
Scott,
Click on the text and it will bring up the other string and pictures.
I have a wide velcro and leather strap now holding it to the head rest.
Nick has the E9 and pic added.
I also would have gone with the smaller buckle and the stiff cable receiver.
The retractor works without any issues in that orientation.
Dan
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thanks Dan ... since i use Scheel sport seats, i don't have a horizontal bar on the headrest - just 2 verticals that are the same width as the headrest. my thought was to put the inertia wheel behind the seat in the original seatbelt mounting hole or at the bottom of the B pillar (steel would have to be added) - the belt go up and over the seat (that's the problem child) - connect across the seat and then dead end in the original seatbelt mouning hole.
always been intrigued by the approach that Paul Cain used in the first fjord car - no roof hoop is a problem, but either need to beef up the top of the B pillar to turn it there ... or figure out how to go over the top of the seat.
opening up the box a bit in the B pillar - probably adding a little steel at the bottom
i always felt this was a little suspect - would have to have some real steel at that pivot point.
always been intrigued by the approach that Paul Cain used in the first fjord car - no roof hoop is a problem, but either need to beef up the top of the B pillar to turn it there ... or figure out how to go over the top of the seat.
opening up the box a bit in the B pillar - probably adding a little steel at the bottom
i always felt this was a little suspect - would have to have some real steel at that pivot point.
It bolts into the steel behind the wood.
Sure, there's steel there, but is it robust enough to withstand the forces that will be put on it during a collision? I'd think it would be easier, with less cosmetic damage, to reinforce that area after removing the wood than to remove the headliner and reinforce the roof area for an attachment point.
Well Paul is an engineer and never cuts corners, it is probably beefed up as well.
i don't think that picture is of Paul's car. the one with the ivory interior was Paul's 3.8L with the beautiful way to let the seatbelt out of the side panel which went up to a roof hoop. the other one is somebody else's car, with the use of the e30 seatbelt bar on the floor ... i would be very happy if there was enough steel to support a seatbelt force on the existing B pillar ... but i don't think there is.
Minivansomeren
Well-Known Member
I really like the look of this solution, but I have to wonder - in a crash, would the belt tear through the leather/velcro and slide down to the lateral side of the seat, releasing the tension and allowing your body to move forward too far? Or... would the force be pulling it inward against the headrest? I guess it would depend on the angle of impact?
I also appreciated @eriknetherlands points about routing through the space under the headrest. It could dig into the seat material, and also compress the spine.
Doesn't seem like there are any truly safe solutions for the old style belts that attach to the rear seats...
I feel the same way. We're driving a car that would be smashed to bits when impacted by even a small hatchback.
A perfect belt system can't add what the body structure lacks (crumple reisistance).
It's like risks that you have while skiing, mountainbiking or horse back riding. Isn't even reading books bad for your eye sight? Just accept, forget and enjoy.
My 2 cents…..
The face lift car seat belt system is the neatest of all and being that it’s a factory design TÜV approved, surely as secure as possible!
Apart from the seatbelts which are hockey stick design, the armrests specific for this system is available thru cs-Werke + the few plastic bits. The only real job is to add a nut/ bolt higher up on the wheelwell to get the belt retractor position to slide in and out.
The face lift car seat belt system is the neatest of all and being that it’s a factory design TÜV approved, surely as secure as possible!
Apart from the seatbelts which are hockey stick design, the armrests specific for this system is available thru cs-Werke + the few plastic bits. The only real job is to add a nut/ bolt higher up on the wheelwell to get the belt retractor position to slide in and out.
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i agree @Keshav that the version you have linked looks the cleanest, as the appearance of both belts (front and rear) are improved from the current in my car shown here. The rear belts look to emerge from within the armrest rather than from the space between the armrest and seat. As a newer member here I’m not familiar with all of the various places to source parts. Can you provide a link to the cs-Werke page with the armrests? Thanks…
Ideally you’d want to shop around for all parts from a 1974/75 E9 coupe in the US.
The arm rests can be ordered from Christoph, see link. He states that he could also alter your current ones thus keeping them original, color etc. If someone wants new armrests, send a request to Christoph.
Seat belts with retractors can be ordered via @TomHom (everything else too)
www.cs-werk.de
www.cs-werk.de
The arm rests can be ordered from Christoph, see link. He states that he could also alter your current ones thus keeping them original, color etc. If someone wants new armrests, send a request to Christoph.
Seat belts with retractors can be ordered via @TomHom (everything else too)
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www.cs-werk.de
01 1 BMW E9 Umlenker - CS Werk Bonn
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www.cs-werk.de
I have ordered 3 more sets. These belts are simple to install and work great.
Very interesting to see all the different approaches. Here is what my 1971 Coupe came to me with. Note the routing of the belt through a guide that attaches to the bottom of the headrest, and not routed directly over the seat. Thinking of what Erik said, perhaps this is a reasonable solution.
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That under-headrest guide is definitely intriguing - seems like it would be something original but sounds like you’re the only one with it?