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MG TD TF 1500 - TF Seat Belt Dilemma

When I began the restoration of my TF one of the first things I did was purchase a copy of the MG TD restoration manual by Horst Schach. I knew there were differences but it was helpful as a guide. I appreciated his approach to seat belt installation because he used frame anchor points. Therefore I dutifully incorporated his methods and patterns.
Now I am in the final assembly stage and find the Horst Schach seat belt method does not work in a TF. The TF seats are very wide, almost touching the drive shaft tunnel and the rear side panels. I will have to install the seats in their most forward position resulting in an uncomfortable driving position.
At this point my question to the Members of this forum is what can I do to make this work? Am I the only one that has made this mistake? Have any of you TF owners installed seat belts in a way that attaches to a frame component? Thanks, John

JR Mahone

Other side.

JR Mahone

John, I made the same mistake on my TF using the methods employed by Horst Schach. The two inner mounting points I found to work fine providing that the spacer thickness is minimised to keep the metal work as close to the tunnel as possible. You also need to keep everything compact on the inside of the tunnel to avoid fouling the prop shaft. I had to remake the outer brackets so that they would just fit in the narrow gap between the outside of the seats and inside of the car. I made a cardboard model of the brackets to check the fit first. I'll attach a photo of that and how ir fits with the seat.
Dave H

Dave Hill

Upside down, but I'm sure you got the idea.
This it installed.
Dave H

Dave Hill

Dave, why did you choose to bring the outside belt attaching point forward? I was thinking of a similar solution but thought I should bring the attaching point toward the back. Thank goodness I am not the only one to make this mistake. Thank you for your solution. Regards John
JR Mahone

By bringing it forwards, the seat can go fully back. If you leave it at the back the bulk of the bolt and nut, plus the belt attachment plate may be too much for the available space. The arrangement I have works very well.
Dave H
Dave Hill

This thread was discussed between 07/02/2017 and 08/02/2017

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