Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I'd like to replace the aged, aftermarket belts in my S3 coupe, so I'd like to know how the car was outfitted
from the factory. It's a pre airflow S3 coupe, #5727. Would it be three point type? Any pictures of the
buckles, male and female would be appreciated.
Thanks guys.

Kangol LD3 surely?

Like these?
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=45481

My '66 dhc is a similar serial number and I brought it with these belts. Not sure if they are original, but they are very ancient.

Hi Greg,

Mine are original and all metal, the flapper handle is chromed. I'll take pics of them when I arrive in Florida, at best, probably a couple of weeks now. Oh, and they were just lap belts, but I have a pair of shoulder add-ons, vintage that I'm going to try to fit, but w/o the later extender mounted to the top of the strut as the later cars had.

Roger

DavidJ,

I went back to look at your response and realized your photo looks like the belts in my Super Safety. They are forged aluminum alloy and there is no active latch. They simply interlock together and actually work pretty well.

Roger

My S3 has the same as DavidJ, and they looked much like his till I tried polishing them the metal came up much better than I expected.
They do come up on ebay very occasionally and at amazingly high prices.
David

Thanks guys. Looking forward to some pictures, also including the mount area. i.e, are they bolted in or
is there an eyehook of which the end of the belt 'hooks' around?

Oh and Greg, I just yesterday found the photo-copy of the SS manual. I'll run you a copy of course. One thing I noticed is that it says the center lock wheels were attached w/ octagonal nuts, not the reversed ear knock offs.
Sorry to change the subject!

Roger

I appreciate that Roger, but I don't have an SS. I am still looking for an S3 owners manual, or copy of..
Thanks!.

gjz30075 wrote:Thanks guys. Looking forward to some pictures, also including the mount area. i.e, are they bolted in or
is there an eyehook of which the end of the belt 'hooks' around?

Not so easy to show as well hidden in the carpet. I have 4 bolts with square heads, with a D shackle holding the end of the belt to them. SJ are listing the bolts SJ036B0083. Two of these are bolted into the extension plates on the rear suspension turrets, to take the top end of the diagonal belt. The other two are bolted to the a threaded tube in the chassis just behind the seat.
The outer end bolts to the bottom of the door pillar with the adjustable plate in the photo.
Hope this helps.

That helps, David. Thanks!

davidj wrote:My '66 dhc is a similar serial number and I brought it with these belts. Not sure if they are original, but they are very ancient.

I have a set in my S3 DHC, with Super Safety equipment. The polish up well with aluminum polish, The belts clean up well with laundry detergent and a scrub brush. I believe someone posted here a source for rewebbing in the UK.

Regards,
Dan

Hi Greg,
I have pre-airflow coupe #5357 in St. Louis. My dad purchased the car in 1977. The previous owner had modified the car for autocross racing so I have no idea if these are the original belts or not. These are what was on the car when we bought it.
The belts were attached with a "cotter" pin securing the two part units to the "eyebolts" that are screwed into the body frame as shown in the attached images.

The buckles are stamped "Cummings & Sander" 6000
The belts have a tag that says "American Safety" 67-2

Let me know if you have any questions or info regarding originality.

As a side note, I plan to replace these with some kind of 3-point belt for safety reasons. I plan on using my car on the American roadways when finished.

Cheers,
Eric Johnson

Hi Eric, I'm pretty sure those are competition belts, from the day. I appreciate you reaching out,though,
Thanks!