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MG MG Y Type - Front seat belts

I know this is an old topic but can I just ask something and I am sure there is someone qualified enough out there to answer me. OK if I were to fit front seat belts as follows...welded nut to the roof area at a suitable distance behind the door pillar..another to the metal support on the sills on which the floorboard sits (assuming its in good condition) and the third.....to the area on the transmission tunnel behind the hand brake with a suitable spreading plate underneath. Now before I am shot down in flames over this I currently have my floorboards out and looking at the metal in the transmission tunnel I can see that it is bolted to the chassis at each end (and supports the hand brake with strengthening underneath) is then held down by the wooden floor by 8 bolts and the gearbox cover etc I don't see any way in a reasonable crash that any seat belt mounting here would be ineffective or at least partially effective ...at least at lowish speeds ....at a high speed even if you had a mounting direct to the chassis by one method or another it would not save you as the seat frame would probably give or pull out of the runners. I know given the age of the Y there is not a lot you can do to improve safety but surely for lowish speed impacts mounting to the tunnel should be OK (particularly if the rails each side of the prop shaft were joined together by a metal bracket) and if anyone with access to the load figures can explain why this should not be so I would be grateful. I am not saying I intend doing this but I do intend fitting front seat belts one way or another but surely the current suggested methods are well over engineered. I would point out that as well as having new bolts securing the seats to the runners on the half inch marine ply floor I also have U brackets above the lower seat frame itself with spreading plates under the floor in case a seat was to come out of the runner in an impact. The idea is low speed impacts as in a really bad accident it would probably be curtains anyway even if you were bolted to the chassis in one way or another. Also there is zero chance of the body moving much on the chassis in a normal impact in my opinion but I welcome comments.
D MULLEN

David

Have you read the article in the Technical Centre on Fitting Seat Belts? A direct link to that page is http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/seatbelts.shtml

Paul
Paul Barrow

Yes but was wondering about the tunnel andnwhether thats a definite no no and why ..the options on the website appear over engineered and would like to know what sort of forces involved as per my comment above but no worries if no replies.
D MULLEN

I think that any advice given by the Technical Centre has to be of such a nature that it would pass MOT requirements. I agree with you that any accident of a nature that would exceed what you propose would probably be serious or fatal because of how close you are to the (none collapsible)steering column, solid dashboard and pedals etc. As you say, what you propose gives you and your passenger a little sense of security,

John
J Foster

Yes its just for low speed impact as a really bad smash would likely be fatal but other cars apart I drive carefully and can see no reason not to fit them. I might do a mounting to the chassis rather than the tunnel but I still reckon if you strengthened the tunnel area and the mounting of the tunnel support where it bolts to the chassis you would be ok..I have checked with my insurance company who say as long as the MOT people are happy they are..I still get my car MOTd by the way.
Also here is a company who have fitted front belts to a Y...they say for drivers who sit parallel with the door post its ok...or if you sit further back a welded bracket to the roof further back for a 3 point system.

http://www.quickfitsbs.com/gallery_mg.php

Any ideas whose car it is?

D MULLEN

David
My only concern here is that IF you fit seat belts regardless of your intent, I suspect that the UK legal and Insurance standards would expect them to be capable of the highest standard possible and would not accept that you only intended them to be for 'low speed' impacts. I would caution against doing anything at the level you are suggesting as I would expect that it may completely invalidate your insurance. I would advise caution personally.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Just seen the link too that you posted :)!

Maybe you can persuade them to change their website to drop the T. We are not Ts, or TYs!!

Good luck with that challenge.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Hi David,
I fitted seat belts to my MGYA when I carried out a full body off rebuild. I used Roy Claphams very informative instructions as outlined in the technical section.

Personnally I believe any seat belt is better than non at all, even if it fails you cannot possibly be hurt more than not having one on at all.

I also fitted them to my MGTD and I can say that on one occasion when someone pulled out in front of us it saved my wife headbutting the dashboard and windowscreen !!!! So my advice would be to fit them . My insurance are fully aware of my seatbelts and brake servo and consider them sensible modifications.

Regards Chris Pick
C A Pick

Thanks for all your comments. I did ring the insurance company and they are ok with what I proposed and the ones fitted by the company I linked too are considered fine although the B post is notva good place for me. I think my only decision is where to fit the inboard one...I still reckon the tunnel with a strengthening plate is safe enough if I strengthened or replacemed the angle pieces it sits on which are bolted to the chassis...I might take advice on it...as there is likely to be a little movement of the body in an accident I am not sure being linked to a chassis part is a good thing but maybe it is..hard to know.
D MULLEN

This thread was discussed between 11/05/2016 and 14/05/2016

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