Has anyone mounted rear 3 point belts in a Bavaria

Tim-C

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Hi. As it says above, has anyone here installed rear 3 point belts in a Bavaria? I have a 5 year old in a booster seat, and if lap belts are the only viable option it looks like no Bavaria for me...

Thanks!

Tim
 

Peter Coomaraswamy

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Tim, you can mount them in lots of ways and probably find some newer versions. The problem with the e9 3 points, weather they came with the car or not is that there is such a long "throw" from the rear deck lid to the drivers shoulder (or neck). I have a harness bar in my Shelby and think it might make a good mod for my blue e9, as I don't plan on putting anyone in the rear seats, but more to your point- yes, you can adapt a 3 pt. and I think the Bavaria is a very safe car for the era it was built in.

Good luck!
 

GolfBavaria

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All I know is I grew up in the back seat of a Bavaria in a car seat, then the front seat when I outgrew that. I remember it was in the middle of the car as I recall....You should be able to attach the 3-point to the same holds as the rear seat anchors. May just need to share one of them with booster somehow...shouldn't be a major problem. Can always weld something in under rear bench somehow...hidden...
 

bavbob

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If this is your first child, you can build a fortress in the back seat and I bet it won't meet your wife's standards.....I speak from personal experience.
 

Tim-C

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So consensus seems to be that it's doable. I'm looking to get an older BMW sedan as a daily, and rear 3 point safety belts are a must.

Aesthetically, my preference order is Bavaria>E12>E28, which is probably the inverse order for practicality/usability as a daily...

If/ when I get a Bavaria, I'll post up a full thread on how to do it. I'll be doing the same with my 944, but that's easier as the 88 and later cars were factory equipped with them.

Thanks!

Tim
 

windnsea

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Years ago I took out the earlier "Hitler's Revenge" seat belts so that I could use the retractable 2nd generation on all 4 seats. Now, I have mounted more race oriented seat belts for the front seats with shoulder harnesses. That being said, I must also say that the car has not been on the street in over 20 years!

However, if you want to mount 3-point seat belts for the rear seats, it is very doable. If you look in the trunk under the rear parcel shelf, you will see two welded-in threaded bolts, one at each end of the shelf, for the upper shoulder belt attachment. The 'seat belt' attachment bolts can be used as is behind the lower seat, but you will need to bend the lower metal surround for the seat to accommodate the retractable belt assembly at both ends.

Why are the 3-point belts angled from the doors of the cars to the inside lap attach point? So that if there are 2 people (or 3 in the back seat) and there is a collision, they will not be thrust in the direction of each other as their upper bodies rotate around the shoulder belt - they will collide instead with the doors, seats, steering wheel, etc. For a youngster, I'd almost vote for the currently installed lap belts!

... Just my 2-cents worth.
 
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