Elan Sprint/S4 seatbelt position.

[Bahamayellow]

Hi I have put on a previous post on removing my roll cage which has been done and many thanks for the advice on getting the lower sill bars removed.

I have located the two bottom seatbelt mounting points but not the rear upper ones every search I do shows Plus 2 mounting positions. The logical place is the far rear corners where there are two holes and I’ve made up two safety brackets up as there looks nowhere enough strength in the shell around the holes.

I have added photos of where I have positioned these can someone confirm these are correct before I fibreglass the mounting point in. Sorry I can’t get the photo to sit vertically.

Many thanks

Mike

[oldelanman]

The upper attachment is via a special bolt through the fibreglass to an outrigger bracket on the top of the suspension tower, it does not bolt directly to the fibreglass. All the necessary parts are available from the usual suppliers in the UK.

[rgh0]

The top of the strut originally had a bracket sandwiched under the Lotocones and a special bolt that screwed into the bracket and ran forward through the holes you found. The special bolt had a square head with a threaded hole in it for the seatbelt bolt to go into.

I doubt your plate would hold in a significant accident.


cheers
Rohan

[Bahamayellow]

Rohan thanks for that I was worried that this was not sufficient.

Mike

[Bahamayellow]

The upper attachment is via a special bolt through the fibreglass to an outrigger bracket on the top of the suspension tower, it does not bolt directly to the fibreglass. All the necessary parts are available from the usual suppliers in the UK.

Seat belt top mount 005.jpg

Elan-Parts-AA.jpg

X036B0398Z.jpg

SJ036B0083.jpg

Thank you for the advice It is much appreciated.

Mike

[Bushwacker]

Hello Roger,
I am looking to retrofit this bracket arrangement to my S3 FHC. From your photo, it appears that the fiberglass in the area of the special square bolt takes a jog toward the outside of the car to make room for the bolt. There is then a rubber grommet to seal up around the bolt. Is this correct? I recently did a dry test fit of the mounting brackets to the rear chassis towers to locate where the hole should be and found that they go right at the corner where the wheel arch meets the rear bulkhead across the car. If the glass does indeed have relief space for the bolt arrangement, I will need to do some modifications to my body shell.

Thanks for posting the photos as I was just doing a search about this topic earlier today.

Eric

[Lotusian]

I listed a pair of mounting plates on eBay a few days ago https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303598047801

[oldelanman]

Hi Eric,
Sounds like you may have the mounting brackets for an S4 ... the S3 brackets are a little shorter. SJ Sportscars in the UK list both brackets and I expect the other suppliers have them too. I don't think the parts list shows the change !

https://www.sjsportscars.com/parts-and- ... rchresults

There are a couple of spacers on the shaft of the fixing bolt and the rubber grommet seals on those.

[oldelanman]

I listed a pair of mounting plates on eBay a few days ago https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303598047801

S3 or S4 ?

[Lotusian]

I listed a pair of mounting plates on eBay a few days ago https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303598047801

S3 or S4 ?

Hello oldelanman

Taken from the damaged LR galvanised chassis fitted to my S4, but, judging by your earlier post, they must be the slightly shorter S3 version. NOW I understand why there were two sets of holes in my rear bulkhead - original outer ones (covered up) to suit the S4 brackets/plates which must have rusted away, plus inner ones to suit the S3 plates fitted when the chassis was replaced.
I now have a Spyder “stressed skin” (ie Lotus replica, but better) chassis with the mounting brackets/plates welded as part of the structure.

[oldelanman]

I listed a pair of mounting plates on eBay a few days ago https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303598047801

S3 or S4 ?

Hello oldelanman

Taken from the damaged LR galvanised chassis fitted to my S4, but, judging by your earlier post, they must be the slightly shorter S3 version. NOW I understand why there were two sets of holes in my rear bulkhead - original outer ones (covered up) to suit the S4 brackets/plates which must have rusted away, plus inner ones to suit the S3 plates fitted when the chassis was replaced.
I now have a Spyder “stressed skin” (ie Lotus replica, but better) chassis with the mounting brackets/plates welded as part of the structure.

It might be helpful to others in future if we post up the dimensions of the two brackets. I believe the only difference between the two is the horizontal outer section after the bend. A spare S4 (longer) bracket I have measures 60 mm from bend to centre of threaded hole ..maybe you could measure your S3 bracket and post it here too?

[Lotusian]

Bend to threaded hole centre on the S3 version is 40mm

[pharriso]

Hello Roger,
From your photo, it appears that the fiberglass in the area of the special square bolt takes a jog toward the outside of the car to make room for the bolt. There is then a rubber grommet to seal up around the bolt. Is this correct?
Eric

Eric, you are correct. On my Federal Sprint with Inertia belts on one side the relief was not large enough for the Belt bracket to rotate freely so I had to re-glass the area:

RHS OK

Looks like a factory patch to enlarge the area?

LHS, after my re-glassing

UK cars with Static belts may not need as much space for the belts.

[MarkDa]

Given the inherent difficulty of operating the handbrake when wearing a firmly tightened static belt I have considered installing inertia belts.
How/ where are the reels fastened please?

[pharriso]

Given the inherent difficulty of operating the handbrake when wearing a firmly tightened static belt I have considered installing inertia belts.
How/ where are the reels fastened please?

.

You can see where Lotus mounted the inertia reel in my last picture, down low attached to to a reinforcement plate. There is also a reinforcement bar running between the reel mount & the top shoulder mount to stop it collapsing in an untoward event.

People talk well abount the Spyder inertia reel conversion (http://www.spydercars.co.uk/lotus-elan-2-rear-spring-conversion-kit/ but I am not sure if this fits all cars, or just cars with the Spyder chassis conversion.

Spyder fit the Securon 500-30 or 514-30 seat belts, which are a near match to the original Kangols.