replacement seatbelts

What sort of seatbelts would people recommend to use in Henry's restoration? I have been told that the ones I have will no longer be fully effective as he has sat for so long but I am keen to keep him as original as I can. Does anyone supply a modern equivalent of the ones he would have had installed when he was new? I'd appreciate any thoughts or words of wisdom on this.

The original kangol belts come up on e-bay but are making fantastic prices ( the latest NOS pair presently at
£ 280 and a second hand set made £ 160 yesterday.

I have found belts on the Moss uk site which seen to be identical to the old Kangol belts with the flip over magnetic catch which may be worth investigating .

http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=270&SortOrder=12#top

item 28.

Has anyone any info of these seatbelts as I am toying with the idea of buying them.

might be easier trying some scrap yards for older cars, especially series land rovers as these had statics in as well, tho I have picked a few bargains of ebay before

I bought my Securon retracting style 3 point belts from Mini Mania in the US, but Mini Spares and Mini Sport both stock static belts, inertia types, 3 point retracting, etc. Shouldn't be a problem finding some new SAFE belts. I would personally NEVER buy belts from a scrapyard. That makes as much sense to me as buying a used safety helmet. Save a few pennies on something else. not safety.

Red Riley wrote: I would personally NEVER buy belts from a scrapyard. That makes as much sense to me as buying a used safety helmet. Save a few pennies on something else. not safety.

that's right. I even think it´s forbidden to sell used belts on scrap yards in Sweden. A little OT..

miniswede wrote:

Red Riley wrote: I would personally NEVER buy belts from a scrapyard. That makes as much sense to me as buying a used safety helmet. Save a few pennies on something else. not safety.

that's right. I even think it´s forbidden to sell used belts on scrap yards in Sweden. A little OT..

Quite agree, the chances are the car has been in a smash.

Only issue can be colour! I know those from MOSS only come in black. I have also been watching ebay for a pair! I do have some that are ok to use, but if a better set come up I am interested - but they are big money!

Ok, I have opened a bit of a can of worms with my slightly open comment, but just a bit more food for thought ( getting to be a good discussion this , if it is getting a bit off topic)

Hands up who has bought a send hand car (on the road that is) - when driving home did you think, "well the car is second hand, so I had better replace the seat belts with new as I do not know their history, after all the may have been replaced with those from a breakers yard at sometime?" - did you even look at the belts when you bought it ?

Yes I whole heartily agree that safety should not be compromised, but that statement is a contradiction in it's self as safety is based on a whole host of compromises, reliant on informed decisions that are subject to vast array of influencing factors (just think of those nightmare risk assessment forms) - if we didn't compromise we would be too scared to do anything. And unforntunately one of the major influencing factors in effecting a standard of safety is cost

In an ideal world where cost is not an object, buy new. If new is beyond budget, then you have to make an informed decision how to proceed best, weighing up the arguments. If you are not confident in making that informed decision, then save up for the new one !

The other thing to consider is quality - which is better, a good second hand part from a reputable/OEM manufacturer or a new cheap import that you cannot guarantee the long/short term viability of ? - not an easy one to answer with any clarity

I would also tend to question the use of some NOS items, as you do not know how they have been stored over the years that could have negatively affected the structural integrity ( and what was their initial design life span, fitted or not ?), and the fact that material technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last 40 years so newer OEM items tend to be of a better quality ( although I think we can all say that they don't make them like they used to)

I do not condone fitting second hand parts that are not up to scratch, but if the parts are carefully inspected are found to be up to the job they were intended for why not use them ? It is a decision that must be taken weighing up the arguments and risks, and unfortunately as time moves on and parts for our cars become harder to find it is a decision we are going to have to take more and more.

Not an issue that has a straight forward answer and really comes down to personal preference and ones confidence in your own abilities and knowledge

CAN OF WORMS!!!
Maybe but you have made some very interesting and very valid points which I agree entirely with you.

I am not an avid supporter of seat belts having had about 12 cars without (pre selt belt law) I can draw up some memorys of accidents that were caused by them when then first came into operation.

The first concerned a friend of mine came up to a T junction with bad visibilty sight lines in both directions, could not lean forward to get a better view. (The belts were the static type) He released the belt, leaned forward and when the road was clear drove off at a pretty fast speed as the gaps in the traffic were few and far between (don't you just hate those circumstances especially on roundabouts?!!!) anyway, my friend just drove over the carriageway and almost straight into the ditch on opposite side!

The reason? Yes, you guessed right. The seat belt caught up in the spokes of the steering wheel and prevented the wheel turning fully (he was trying to turn left) fortunately the traffic saw what was happening and managed to slow down otherwise it would have been a nasty head on smash.
I am pleased to say he was ok and the car suffered very little damage and he was able to continue his journey somewhat very shaken.

Seat belt today in todays modern cars are essential, the above incident is highly unlikely to happen today with being the s/belts being the inertia type and the steering wheel spokes being few but coming back to classic minis we need all the protection we can get!

The Elf is exempt from belts but it has some static ones fitted so I use them so as not to give the police an excuse to stop me (although they don't need excuses these days or do they?)

Good points Gordon and Tony. I guess it all depends on the circumstances. I suppose if I was looking for a seat belt for a 2005 Dodge Magnum, I wouldn't pass up a decent one from a salvage yard. It would certainly be cheaper than buying a new one from the dealer. But belts for my 1968 Riley Elf? Or any other part for that matter? An Elf (or any kind of Mini) in a scrap yard? In the USA? Yeah, right. I haven't seen any pigs flying lately. Also, at least in these here parts, the words "Budget" and "Parts" for a classic British car have no bearing on each other. Although with the pound at it's lowest against the dollar (in my memory anyway) I can get parts for only about 3 times what they're worth by the time international shipping is figured in. Now that's a bargain, wouldn't you say?

I was thinking I would probably get some new ones as I had been thinking about the safety issue - Henry's belts look fine but have probably weakened over the years. Thanks for all the comments - certainly some food for thought in there! While i want to keep Henry as original as possible I would never compromise on safety so am making just a couple of minor modifications including disc brakes and clips on the back of the seats so they dont tip forward if you brake suddenly! I wouldn't totally rule out 2nd hand belts but I would need to be very very sure of their history so I know they are up to the job. Thanks for the advice and tips though! Much appreciated.

Disc brakes on the seats LOL
I don't intend to carry passengers in the back as I don't have s/belts in the back.

TONYELF wrote:Disc brakes on the seats LOL
I don't intend to carry passengers in the back as I don't have s/belts in the back.

Rear seat belts is the one modification I could really do with when I get the Hornet home. any advice on that would be much appreciated.

Jerry&Naomi wrote:

TONYELF wrote:Disc brakes on the seats LOL
I don't intend to carry passengers in the back as I don't have s/belts in the back.

Rear seat belts is the one modification I could really do with when I get the Hornet home. any advice on that would be much appreciated.

Somerford has a kit that could probably be made to fit. Rear Seat Belt Mounting Kit

Thanks very much for that - I think that is going to be exactlywhat I am looking for - But obviously I'll check with them first. Certainly looks like it will do the job though.

Tony said:::

The Elf is exempt from belts but it has some static ones fitted so I use them so as not to give the police an excuse to stop me

The way I understand it is that even though Seat Belts aren't required by law to be fitted to our Elves/Hornets, if they are fitted, they MUST be worn!

Cheers

This weeks classic car weekly details a company that sell period style belts - chrome buckles and correct belts

http://www.quickfitsbs.com/index.asp

Hi Gents
If you go to www.quickfitsbs.com they can rebuild your original belts with new webbing and chrome /steel fixings.I have just had mine rebuilt with new mountings, original buckells/belt tidy/hooks and all new bolts/shims including the chrome ones for £92.They did a great job and they are like new.Highly recomended.
Mark.