Seat belts: what should I put in the CSL?

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schnell540

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My CSL is down at CoupeKing getting some little rust pinholes taken out of the floor and cleaning up the work from the restoration by the PO.

Part of what I want done is getting the seat belts to actually work right. It has 74 style belts in there with no pivot at the [missing] B pillar. Also, the belt reel is bolted in at the place where the rear seat belt bolts in (waist high) not at the right part for the 74 (shoulder high) as the reel won't fit in the higher spot with the pre-74 rear seats.

CoupeKing sells two point (waist) belts, but that has no shoulder belt. It certainly is the cleanest and easiest install. But I am reticent to go shoulder-beltless, especially for my 11 year old daughter who is the person to occupy the front passenger seat the most.

So, how workable are the 74 and up belts? Is it worth modifying the car for the shoulder belt?
 
My 72 coupe is fitted with the retractible 74 belts. The last time I checked the mounting setup, the mounting holes looked completely unmodified so there is a possibility the holes are already there. If not then you could simply weld a mounting plate with a nut welded on to accept the belt reel. The retractible reels are mounted flush to the body and sit inside the side armrests which have L shaped cavities on the inside. On each side of the armrests, there is a single small metal plate that is screwed in place to allow for unrestricted movements of the belts. Hope this helps.

Bert
72 3.5 CSi
88 M6
 
The shoulder high hole is there. There one at the non-existent B-pillar is the one that may have to be put in. The rear seat arm rests would have to be modified to accomodate the reel, too.

How well do yours work? Would it be possible to stop by and take a peek at them some time soon? I'm in San Francisco as you appear to be, too.
 
Do you have Scheel seats? In my opinion, those seats don't work with any of the stock CS/CSI shoulder belts. The problem is that the side bolsters are so high, and their profile is such that the seatbelt rides up until it's around your ribcage, which is certainly not safe. I tried Autoflug harnesses but those didn't work either. My biggest gripe about using a CSL as a driver is the lack of decent safety belts. I ended up using some simple lap belts that a local lister gave me, but I don't like not having shoulder restraints, especially the way I drive.
 
The 74 front seat belts work very well like they should, no issues. There are no belt achoring points near the B pillar areas, there are small mounting hooks which are intended to 'hang' the belts so they don't droop down to the car floor.

TJ brought up some valid issues with the stock belts and the Scheel seats so I don't know how well the 74 belt system is going to work with your CSL.

PM me so we can set up a time for you to examine my coupe.

Bert
 
Schrott belts for the CSL

My "Italian" (sold new there in `73) CSL had Schrott belts mounted during the last 10 years in German ownership. They have one rear mounting point: a reel on the hat tray. A foot and a half behind the head rest of the Scheels, they separate into 2 straps that go on each shoulder. These then buckle up to each half of the waist belts which in turn lock together pretty much at belly height. They are very easy to use, as each side stays together, calling for just the "belly lock" to be engaged when the belt is to be used. On shorter trips, I just leave each side hanging on the outside of the Scheel seats. They are out of the way completely.

I have contacted Scheel for a second set for another car, but this particular model was discontinued several years ago, but there are replacements which I still haven´t ordered or even looked closely at.

Google Schrott, safety belts and see what you find. They seem to work through retailers, and the company is now owned by someone else.
 
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