Plus 2 Seatbelt Mountings.
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:18 am
I have just been refitting the seat belt mountings to my Plus 2.
These are the two plates (per side) held together by four nuts and
bolts which have the actual seat belt reels bolted through them. They
are fitted one inside the car and one at the front of the rear wheel
arch with the fibreglass of the bodywork sandwiched between them. I
have a few questions which I hope someone can answer.
The plates are not symetrical, the large hole in the middle being
offset to one side. Depending on which way up the plates are fitted
the offset can be towards or away from the transmission tunnel. I
would have expected both plates to have the holes offset towards the
transmission tunnel, so that the seatbelt reel clears the bodyside
and the fuel breather pipes which are in close proximity. However in
my case both sets of plates must have beeen originally assembled with
the large holes offset towards the driver's or righthand side of the
car. This is clear from the positions of the holes drilled in the
body for the plates. Is there a reason for this, or is it a typical
Lotus assembly cockup?
If I try to bolt the "U" shaped brackets holding the reels to the
plates then, due to the offset, they foul the heads of the plate
fixing bolts on one side and won't sit flat on the plates. Is this
fouling intentional to stop the brackets rotating on the plate, or
should I insert some washers to lift the brackets clear of the plates?
What is the purpose of the aluminium spacers fitted to the bolts
retaining the "U" shaped brackets? These are under the wheelarch and
sit between the plate and the nut on the large diameter bolt which
passes throught the "U"shaped bracket, inside mounting bracket,
bodywork and outside mounting bracket. Why didn't Lotus just use a
shorter bolt thus eliminating the need for spacers?
Neither the manual or the parts list is clear on these points.
Thanks.
Graham.
These are the two plates (per side) held together by four nuts and
bolts which have the actual seat belt reels bolted through them. They
are fitted one inside the car and one at the front of the rear wheel
arch with the fibreglass of the bodywork sandwiched between them. I
have a few questions which I hope someone can answer.
The plates are not symetrical, the large hole in the middle being
offset to one side. Depending on which way up the plates are fitted
the offset can be towards or away from the transmission tunnel. I
would have expected both plates to have the holes offset towards the
transmission tunnel, so that the seatbelt reel clears the bodyside
and the fuel breather pipes which are in close proximity. However in
my case both sets of plates must have beeen originally assembled with
the large holes offset towards the driver's or righthand side of the
car. This is clear from the positions of the holes drilled in the
body for the plates. Is there a reason for this, or is it a typical
Lotus assembly cockup?
If I try to bolt the "U" shaped brackets holding the reels to the
plates then, due to the offset, they foul the heads of the plate
fixing bolts on one side and won't sit flat on the plates. Is this
fouling intentional to stop the brackets rotating on the plate, or
should I insert some washers to lift the brackets clear of the plates?
What is the purpose of the aluminium spacers fitted to the bolts
retaining the "U" shaped brackets? These are under the wheelarch and
sit between the plate and the nut on the large diameter bolt which
passes throught the "U"shaped bracket, inside mounting bracket,
bodywork and outside mounting bracket. Why didn't Lotus just use a
shorter bolt thus eliminating the need for spacers?
Neither the manual or the parts list is clear on these points.
Thanks.
Graham.