My E3-Licensed and Insured Today

[CSBM5]

Damn, that's beautiful, congrats on making it to this monumental step!

As an aside, through the past few years as I've pondered acquiring (was contacted by current owner a number of years ago) and restoring my old Bavaria, one item I've pondered is safety belts since they are NLA. From what I can tell, your car is a 1972 and has the correct seat belt receivers up front; however, in the rear the belts appear to be the older style 2800/2.8Bav belts, so I assume you found some nice quality old style rear belts and replaced the originals? Any comments or thoughts on belt quality/safety concerns given their age - not just yours but in general too.

Cheers,
Chuck

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Damn, that's beautiful, congrats on making it to this monumental step!

As an aside, through the past few years as I've pondered acquiring (was contacted by current owner a number of years ago) and restoring my old Bavaria, one item I've pondered is safety belts since they are NLA. From what I can tell, your car is a 1972 and has the correct seat belt receivers up front; however, in the rear the belts appear to be the older style 2800/2.8Bav belts, so I assume you found some nice quality old style rear belts and replaced the originals? Any comments or thoughts on belt quality/safety concerns given their age - not just yours but in general too.

Cheers,
Chuck

Thanks, Chuck.

My car is a July 1971 production so somewhat of a mix of old and new. One of the first with the 3.0. Titled as a 72 (I believe all early 3.0s were titled as 72s). Some 2800 features.

The rear belts are original. (I even have the short section for use by the center rear passenger). The corresponding original front belts were also in good condition and I have the chrome hoop that they attach to on the center hump. The problem with them is that it is a real chore to adjust them properly. Both the shoulder part and the lap part adjust individually. Any time there a change in passenger or driver it's a 10 minute job (exaggeration) to redo the belts. Also, they do not stow very neatly.

I bought the car in pieces. The original belts were included but also included was a set of modern, aftermarket, inertial reel belts for the front. I installed the original belts first, but quickly learned they were a pain in the butt. The aftermarket inertial reel belts are in it now.

I had no concerns about the safety of the original belts. They are in excellent condition. No signs of discoloration or other deterioration. But that's just me. These cars are not like our daily drivers. No air bags, side impact beams, collapsible steering columns, impact absorbing bumpers, crumple zones, etc. We do take our chances mixing it up with the modern cars if we want to actually drive our collector cars.

The original Kangal belts in my 71 MGB were not in as good shape. I had them re-webbed and restored by Ssnake Oyl. They did a beautiful job. That would be a good option if you are concerned about old belts but want to stay original.

 

[CSBM5]

Thanks Dick, and thanks for that link...good to know options are out there! Also, thanks for the details on the old style belts; I wasn't aware of their idiosyncrasies having only experienced the newer style.

Regards,
Chuck

 

[kkro]

Congratulations! What a stunning car. I love the colours and appearance with the wheels. Good luck with chasing any bugs and small fixes until this classic is a true continent crossing sports sedan again.

 

[billpatterson]

Damn, that's beautiful, congrats on making it to this monumental step!

As an aside, through the past few years as I've pondered acquiring (was contacted by current owner a number of years ago) and restoring my old Bavaria, one item I've pondered is safety belts since they are NLA. From what I can tell, your car is a 1972 and has the correct seat belt receivers up front; however, in the rear the belts appear to be the older style 2800/2.8Bav belts, so I assume you found some nice quality old style rear belts and replaced the originals? Any comments or thoughts on belt quality/safety concerns given their age - not just yours but in general too.

Cheers,
Chuck

Hi
Contact BlueDevils. I think he's a member here and he is a member on 2002FAQ. He makes real good seatbelts out of German parts.

Regards,
Bill

 

[GolfBavaria]

Great job! Bav looks amazing. It’s cool when all the parts and pieces come together and turn into a great looking and functional driver like it was brand new. Now is the fun part, tearing up the pavement....have fun with it!

 

[OCCoupe]

Beautiful car!

 

[StephenZ]

Ohhhhh, that's gorgeous! I'm so sad looking at mine in pieces in the garage...one day....one day....lol

 

[BorgBmw]

Pretty sweet - congrats!

 

[afeustel]

Bav looks great! Congratulations.

What's the story with the dash? I like the look. Is it covered in leather? Are you happy with the result?

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Bav looks great! Congratulations.

What's the story with the dash? I like the look. Is it covered in leather? Are you happy with the result?

It was recovered by CoupeKing (Peter). It is vinyl with more of a matt finish than the original. It does look like leather. I used a similar material to recover the rear package tray.

I like it better than the original. Not only the material, but also the classy top stitching. It was much less than a Just Dashes recover and I had not heard all good things about Just Dashes. A NOS one would be nice, but not only is it unobtanium, but it would break the bank if you did find one.