S4 Inertia Reel Seat Belts

PostPost by: Rob P » Mon May 01, 2023 6:05 pm

I recently swapped out an old four belt harness type seat belt for Securon inertia reel belts. having been out for a drive a few times I find the belt over my shoulder is a little bit too near the side of my neck for comfort.
Has anyone else come across this issue and if so any ideas on how to ensure the belt stays on the shoulder. It feels like the lap belt portion is riding up slightly and hence causing the belt to become misaligned.

Potentially thinking of changing these for 3 point fixed belts but thought I would see whether there were any good ideas on the reel inertia issue before heading down that route

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PostPost by: pharriso » Wed May 03, 2023 4:44 pm

Rob P wrote:Potentially thinking of changing these for 3 point fixed belts but thought I would see whether there were any good ideas on the reel inertia issue before heading down that route

Rob P


The 2 side attachment points will be the same, so not sure how a fixed belt would help...
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PostPost by: gjz30075 » Wed May 03, 2023 5:18 pm

On my Sprint (Federal car) there is a small, short length 'belt' stitched to the 'shoulder' of the seat (one end
having a snap) to hold the seat belt in position. Do the non Federal S4 seats have this attachment?

Picture is taken from behind the seat, looking forward.
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PostPost by: Rob P » Thu May 04, 2023 7:58 am

pharriso wrote:
Rob P wrote:Potentially thinking of changing these for 3 point fixed belts but thought I would see whether there were any good ideas on the reel inertia issue before heading down that route

Rob P


The 2 side attachment points will be the same, so not sure how a fixed belt would help...


Hmmm Good Point, may have to have a complete rethink :|
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PostPost by: Rob P » Thu May 04, 2023 8:00 am

gjz30075 wrote:On my Sprint (Federal car) there is a small, short length 'belt' stitched to the 'shoulder' of the seat (one end
having a snap) to hold the seat belt in position. Do the non Federal S4 seats have this attachment?

Picture is taken from behind the seat, looking forward.


Interesting, never seen this little strap before on any of the cars in our local group, thanks for posting, this might be an option to follow
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PostPost by: pharriso » Thu May 04, 2023 2:51 pm

gjz30075 wrote:On my Sprint (Federal car) there is a small, short length 'belt' stitched to the 'shoulder' of the seat (one end
having a snap) to hold the seat belt in position. Do the non Federal S4 seats have this attachment?

Picture is taken from behind the seat, looking forward.


Greg, not seen this before & I have 3 sets of Federal Seats (!) Greg, could you send me some more pictures please (by e-mail) - I'm having an issue seeing where exactly this is attached.
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PostPost by: gjz30075 » Thu May 04, 2023 3:25 pm

Phil, good catch. When I had the seats reupholstered (with your very fine seat covers) I had
them detach this little belt from my original covers and reattach to the new ones.

Car is somewhat inaccessible now but I'll try to get some better shots later for you (and the forum).
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PostPost by: h20hamelan » Thu May 04, 2023 3:49 pm

I am guessing here Greg, but is yours a fixed belt?

What would the traveling of a reel belt do to the fabric with the snap, presumably merely for comfort. In the event of needing the belt (accident), does the shoulder strap get close to ones neck?
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PostPost by: gjz30075 » Thu May 04, 2023 5:58 pm

No, not fixed. It had a Kangol retractable system, since changed over to a more modern retractable
system but using the same mounting points behind the masonite rear bulkhead. The 'belt' did
wear the belts to a certain extent and I really no longer use the little belt for that reason.
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