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MG MGF Technical - Seat belt eschutcheon's

How do you remove the surround's where the seat belts retract into? i know they pop out but how do you get them over the seat belt. Do you have to unbolt the belt from the side of the drivers seat?

Gary
Gazza

Gary,

On my F MkII they are held on by two screws, and have a slot for removal.

(see chrome replacement items on Mike Satur's site - http://www.mikesatur.co.uk/fx01.html )

Sam
Sam Murray

Thanks sam but i have a Mk1 F and there are no screws or slots, does this mean i cant change them?

Gary
Gazza

>Thanks sam but i have a Mk1 F and there are no screws or slots, does this mean i cant change them?

??
May be your car missed the recall due to escutcheon security problems in 1997. The old recalled parts had very small gaps.

Anyway, have a close look there is a gap.

I know of two kinds of escutcheon mount options.
One is bolts direct into threads molded in the T-Bar and the other more common is by use of a small bar with the threads hidden behind the T-Bar. It will fall down if you unbolt both bolts together. So do in sequence and you will be abler to pull the bar through the hole.
Not sure, but a third escutcheon fixture option could be just pop in.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter K.

I did wonder, i had read something about the recall but looks like my car missed it.

Had another look and your right there are small gaps, i thought they had just broke....doh! But if i buy new ones such as mike saturs will i have to drill holes in the t-bar to fit them?
Gazza

No holes to be drilled.
Not sure whether Mike supplies 'shining' bolts and a thread bar to be mounted behind the T-Bar. I think it's easier you call em.

Anyway, at first you should check whether your T-Bar has got the mold-in thread. Just loosen both bolts and remove one. Then pull the escutcheon outwards and have a look.

Luck up at Rob's how it looks with thread bar.
http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/MGF_recalls.htm
Dieter K.

Aaah thanks Dieter it all becomes clear now, i see what you mean.

You can see how machanically minded i am....not.
Gazza

>You can see how machanically minded i am....not

;) YOU see how my english skills are ... Err, I always need 60 words cause I miss one ... and at last the other are mis-spelled.
Anyway, pix and drawings are the enineers language.

Good luck
Dieter K.

Well no my t-bar does not have the mold in thread as there are no bolts.......so when i get new one's i need to get the bit that goes behind that they screw into.

Dont know if M.S or anyone else can supply this part when buying the eschutcheon's or not.
Gazza

So the early push in version.

The bar is originally a piece of U-shape steel with holes only for 'self cut' screws. I think MS will supply a substitute aluminum bar with metric thread (M5).
A similar design is availiable in DE at Chrom-Design, but much more expensive.
Dieter K.

Ok, thanks for the help. Guess i need to do a bit of phoning around, after easter though now.

Gary
Gazza

I bought the Chrom-Design escutcheons recently. They look great but come without any screws and you can't use the existing black ones because they wouldn't look good (black on chrome... yuck). Moreover, the new screwheads need to be tapered.

The fit is not perfect "out of the box". You need to carve the T-bar a bit for the escutcheons to sit nice and flush.

Still, once you have found some nice screws and adapted the T-bar, they look really great!

Per
Per

Where did u get them from Per?
Gazza

http://www.chromdesign.de/

Cheers,

Per
Per

I've got the MS ones but they too don't fit properly. Somehow the fixing bar behind the escutcheons doesn't quit clamp the escutcheons to the T-bar - result is they are loose. However they should fit snugly into the surround on the T-bar unlike it appears the ChromDesign ones.

Gaz
Gaz R

*g ... that's fun. I ordered them for a fellow F'er in the UK recently. Picked up at Cologne myself and just saw the problem about missing screws and thread bar... LOL...

Big smile to Mr Paffrath (C-D MD) .
Eyhh, what about shining bolts ? and how to bolt on ?
He looked mad and I showed him the location where to put at my car.

Went back to the workshop, cut two pieces of ally, marked threads, drilled holes and threads. Searched for some tapered stainless steel bolts. Walked to machine polish them and off I went.

http://www.mgfcar.de/chromdesign/DCP_1158.JPG
At last Andy G. only had bolt works.
:o)
This was 6 month ago. Dunno whether they learned now what to deliver ;)

Cheers
Dieter

Dieter K.

Dieter,

On your last question: Clearly not! I ordered mine about two months ago, and no screws were included, let alone any other fancy fixings... :-(

Per
Per

German Service desert :(
Recommend to send a complaint. But please don't mention my name. I've a kind of split relation to them. Ask Doc Rob how long they did to supply two ally door pins (anodised). It was 8 month IMO.

At last the bolts should be possible due to their silly prices.
May be you can use Andy's pic to underline the complaint ;)
http://www.ajgweb74.plus.com/temp/de3.jpg
(reffers to X-Power Forum)

Regards
Dieter
Dieter K.

Gaz R, does that mean you dont reccomend the MS ones? I emailed MS 2day and he said he could supply a fixing bar for me.

As i dont have any fixing bar at all the one MS might supply might be ok, i hope.

Im worried now......:(
Gazza

>he said he could supply a fixing bar for me.

Looks like different service :)

>Im worried now......:(

LOL, worried about some easy knife cut ???

However, it is no wonder (4me) that some cut at the rear is required to get the parts flush due to the already mentioned three versions of the T-Bar mold.

Keep in mind it's only foam to be cut away.
@ Gaz, is it ?

I think the very early T-Bar seat belt hole had no tapered section for the thread bracket at the rear. *to be cut with a knife ??*
- Then they must introduce the newer Escutcheon *with* thread bar and changed the design to tapered section. *fiddle in the bar together with the escutcheon*
-The last version has a mold in sheet metal flange with threads. *just bolt on*

See this pic of works from three years ago. The slate sections had to be cut to get the ARTRA roll hoops in.
http://www.mgfcar.de/roll_windstop/dk_ready_1671.jpg

Dead easy, don't worry :)
Dieter K.

Gazza,

IMPORTANT!

Is your F a VVC? I ask because at the same time as the seatbelt escutcheons, VVC models had a cam bolt tightened. If your F has the Mk1 escutcheons and is a VVC then it is likely that the cam bolt also wasn't done. This is a major worry - take it to a dealership and get it done (should be free, it's part of the recall).

SF
Scarlet Fever

Gazza, Dieter,

Think the problem is there are two grooves running parallel in the back of the plastic escutcheon which the clamping bar fits into thus allowing the clamping bar to press against the T-bar when screwed to the escutcheon. On the metal versions these grooves don't exist. I'm also using the original black screws which may not help either. I've picked up some bolts which I'm going to try soon. I left the metal escutcheons on as they look pretty darn good.

Gaz
Gaz R

>there are two grooves running parallel in the back of the plastic escutcheon which the clamping bar fits into thus allowing the clamping bar to press against the T-bar when screwed to the escutcheon.

Yep, that's what I tried to say. Thank you for the definition.

From the beginning:
First T-Bar Version:
MK1 I assume this grooves don't exist at all cars and may be need to cut. I.e. at Gazza's *Oldie*.

Second T-Bar version:
MK2 is WITH this grooves.

Next T-Bar version is
MK3 including holes. Metal molded into the T-Bar.

Last of course
MK4 including thread holes. Metal molded into the T-Bar, MY 2000 onwards speaker holes /grills

However it is not a big problem to install the MS or Chromdesign Escutcheons to all of this versions, as long as the holes are flush to each other. IMO they are.

Version one and two need the additional thread bar.
Version three need no bar but cut thread (M5 or what) to the existing holes and of course nice screws will be required for all.

Gazza, woun't you get the parts from MS ?
In case you don't get them in, I take them over for a decent price ;)

Cheers
Dieter

Dieter K.

This thread was discussed between 18/04/2003 and 21/04/2003

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