Seatbelt conversion

[yumastepside]

Its been some time since I've been on this forum but I still have my '81 2 door, I suppose this question has been asked and answered several times but has anyone done, or know of a conversion to a pillar mounted seatbelt for the early Rangies?

Roger

[Meccles]

None available off the shelf. You can do it but requires an engineering cert to get car registered ( or keep it roadworthy)

[Vern]

I bought one from Ritters years ago. It was basically a metal bar 10 or so mm thick, 20mm wide and about 250mm long. It had the thread for a seat belt bolt about half way, and a smaller hole either side.
Drill a hole in the pillar where the seatbelt bolt should go, and the smaller holes either side.
You could slide the bar up inside the pillar and fit the bolt, then put a pop rivet in the 2 small holes to hold it in place for whenever you have to remove the seatbelt bolt.
Can't remember how the bottom (reel) bolted down though.

[Meccles]

Ritters stopped selling them years ago - I called about this. But today any mod involving seat belts must have Engineers cert. to e legal.

[Mercguy]

Have a very close look at the NCOP and your states legislation regarding seat and belt modifications.

VSB section 5 is currently under federal review. This means you may not get approval in your state for any modification which is under scrutiny of review. (attached)

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There are some very (sensibly) strict regulations regarding the installation of the mounting plates (angles, distance, plate sizes, bolt types) as well as a number of detailed points about the location of the mounting points for inertia reel belts and fixed belts.

There are secondary issues which you *may* believe do not matter, but will directly impact the use of a folding/reclining seat. Pillar mounting of seatbelts is one area which will likely net you some trouble.

You WILL need this engineered. So find an engineer first before you buy seats or belts or anything of the kind, you may find yourself wasting money.

The regulations are for safety and should not be ignored or flirted with. If you sell the vehicle and it fails, you are in a lot of deep ****

So just follow the NCOP instructions and references, contact your state transport authority and get them to send you (yes in writing) the sections of the NCOP VBS's that apply in your state relative to the installation of pillar mounted intertia reel belts. (and don't forget you're going to have to find a way to allow rear passenger egress without the belt fouling or restricting ingress/egress from the vehicle.

This is why you will likely be rejected.

purchasing a seat with the belt integral to the seat is a more favourable solution.

[yumastepside]

Thanks for all the replies, I have an automotive engineer who's looking at it, there is no back seat anymore and its registered as a two seater, so we'll see how we go.....try and find a seat with inbuilt belts, Range Rover ( not available ) or Mercedes convertible ( can't afford another mortgage )

Roger

[Mercguy]

used merc seats from an SL or SLK or CL, CLK, C63(coupe) will likely be found at wreckers for not a lot. Noone wants old MB seats other than MB owners trying to fix something they stuffed up.

if they cost more than $200 a pair I'll be surprised.

[workingonit]

Its been some time since I've been on this forum but I still have my '81 2 door, I suppose this question has been asked and answered several times but has anyone done, or know of a conversion to a pillar mounted seatbelt for the early Rangies?

Roger

I've stripped a D1 and an 84 RRC. It is interesting to see how identical the pillars are in shape and basic engineering. Both are u-shaped channels, converted to a box section by spot welding on a sheet metal backing.

Apart from getting a certified welder to do it (and finding a donor D1), I don't see why the plate holding the adjustable unit from the D1 could not be shifted over to the RRC pillar. You would also have to take the mount at the bottom of the D1 over as well, and again little difference in the support bracketing around the foot of either pillar.

Sorry about the photo orientations, the black are the RRC and the off-white D1.

[Meccles]

I rebuilt my original 2 door seats new belts new bits and pieces all available from Famous Four. And they have the very important ADR compliance sticker on them.
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[yumastepside]

Who and where are Famous Four?

Roger

[Meccles]

They’re in UK but typically you get parts from them in about 5 working days.
Land Rover and Range Rover Parts from Famous Four in Linconlnshire, UK (https://www.famousfour.co.uk/new_parts)

[yumastepside]

Those are fantastic looking seats! .....if I had known about this Famous Four, I wouldn't have needed this post.
They sell the rubber slings for repairing the early seats and that's all I really need, my seats are in great condition but the rubber bit had disintegrated.
I could not find anyone who sold them here in Oz ( if there is a supplier here, let me know ) Thanks again for the info[bigsmile]:thumbsup:

Roger

[aussiebushman]

Dead easy - just fabricate a "roll bar" out of 25mm heavy-wall square section tube. Make it in two pieces with a sliding central tube to fit over the two sections so they can be fitted together. Picture shows the one I made. The seats were from a Honda Prelude. Never had a problem getting the vehicle passed for rego