Elan +2 rear seatbelt options - pics please

[Plus 2]

Salut

The sandwich plates were easy to fit in my case - they go as far back and as low in the seat well as they can. The interior plates should have welded nuts. There isn't any room for use loose nuts but if you're lucky the space between the chassis and GRP is just enough so the plate stays wedged in place, making it a one-man job.

@+

Vernon

Vernon,

Do you mean the 'inboard' exterior plates should have welded nuts as I am not sure there is enough room between the chassis and GRP to fit the length of a bolt through from outside into an interior plate with welded nuts on.

Regards

\Steve

[Iyarno]

Took a pic of the gap between the fibreglass and the chassis. There's not much space as my finger gets squashed - hopefully just enough room to push the backplate into place.

I took a pic of my front seatbelt plates too. Doesn't look like the nuts are welded on - locknuts? If they don't come with welded nuts, I guess I could try glue to secure them until I get the bolt through from the inside.

Ian

[Plus 2]

Ian,

I am a little bit confused here as it seems looking at the picture of the external plate supplied by SJ it only shows the belt nut boss welded on and no retention holding nuts for the plate. http://www.sjsportscars.co.uk/index.php ... mponent=38

Your second picture also looks like that it is nuts fitted from the outside, as does the pull test picture I have shown below because you can see the heads of the four bolts on the interior. I would give SJ a call or wait for Vernon or another forum member to give more information.

Unfortunately SJ do not show a picture of the internal they supply but if it comes with the nuts welded on then I just can't see how there will be enough room to fit a bolt from the exterior between the gap. There is enough room certainly to get a spanner up and if there are no nuts welded on either inner or outer then that would be fine but as you say to temp glue in place on the outside otherwise I definitely think it will be a two man job.

Technically I can't see any structural value in either way for the four retention fixings , nuts on inside or outside, so it would appear to me simply one of fitting/tool access.

To me the rear exterior plate would be more logical to have the belt bolt boss and four nuts 'weld spotted' in place as I don't think there is any restriction getting tool access from the inside.

Regards

Steve

[vernon.taylor]

Salut

For the rear seat inboard sandwich plate this is the part that sliddes/wedges between the chassis and GRP body:

... and this from inside the car:

(Obviously) the supplied bolts are only just long enough as they would foul the chassis otherwise.

The rear seat outboard plates I ordered were exactly the same, though loose nuts would be possible to fit here.

The front shoulder plates are different. This is the one that fits inside the wheel arch:

The plate that fits from the iside looks the same without the reinforcing ribs (or completely flat - can't remember). I've never fitted the hip plates.

@+

Vernon

P.S. for the rear inboard plates the only difficulty I had was lining everything up - I eneded up re-drilling all the holes a mm larger.

[Plus 2]

Ian,

Nothing better than Vernon's pictures to clear up any concerns.

The pictures shown above of the rear inboard outer plate clearly shows the nuts welded on the exterior plate and not the inner as previously appeared to be mentioned.

That certainly will make installation then at the rear very simple if you were just to go for lapbelts, but I understand Vernon's point about the accuracy of the hole alignment will be essential and maintaining short bolts.

I would have hoped these fittings would have been zinc plated, can't really tell from the photo's but if just base metal well worth some liberal painting obviously before fitting.

The price of the plates with the boss and nuts all welded on with the side stamping flares is quite reasonable IMHO, although I am struggling as an engineer to work out the value of the formed ends and why just flat plate would not have been sufficient.

I am sure CC would have never allowed any expense on a component design that had no benefit and he was well known for encouraging any part to have multi functions if possible, so there maybe something I am missing here.

All the best with your installation.

Regards

Steve

[vernon.taylor]

Salut Steve

CC probably came across some steel stock going cheap that was formed that way. I beleive his intention was also that his cars would eventually fall to bits so his customers would have to buy a new one so the originals were also non-plated - built-in obsolescence before its time !

The plates I fitted were zinc-plated - but the picture(s) shows non-plated as I used a set for my rear-seat mod and they needed to be welded.

@+

Vernon

[Iyarno]

This has been great thanks guys.

I gave Sue a call regarding the brackets. She's getting them zinc plated for me and hopefully I'll get them next week. (Cheaper than other sources too - bonus points for Sue).

I'll start by just installing these base plates and a lap belt. I think they're only a tenner or so.

Then I might move on to the front seatbelt and look at whether I feel the inertia is a good way to go. I will check my plates here too, because they look new but not galvanised. I might remove them and treat them to a coat of paint at least.

Then I might pop up to Quickfitsb who have fitted harnesses in the back before (case study is on their website - Clasic and Sports Car mag - Jan 2013). It sounds similar to the Spyder approach.

I want to take a look at their seatbelt styles because I think they are the only 'new' option for classic style belts at a reasonable price.

I'll report back when I start the installation.

Ian