re your seat belt question, the reinforcement plate in question is threaded
to accept the bolt that holds the sliding clip for the seat belt. It also
would reduce the chances of the bolt pulling through the sheet metal when a
heavy load is applied (ie a crash).
But if you get a steel plate with just a hole drilled through it (any
machine shop could do it), I don't think you'd have to weld it to the arch
-- if you're using a (nyloc) nut to hold the other end of the bolt, that
also will hold the reinforcing plate in place. In other words, just think of
the steel plate as an extra-strong, extra-big washer.
If it were me, I'd be tempted just to use a couple of ordinary oversize
washers behind the fender to reduce the chances of pull-through. I suppose
it's possible that it might still pull out in a very high-speed crash, but
the belt certainly would have slowed you down, which is the whole point of
the exercise. (And, of course, the superbly engineered Triumph
energy-absorbing steering wheel would have done the rest.)
I have a big Healey with lap belts, and the only reason I don't change them
to shoulder belts is because the Healey's steering column (non-collapsible)
ends in a steering box AHEAD of the front wheels. So in any kind of head-on
collision, the steering column is immediately forced backward straight
through the driver's chest, making the entire seat belt issue moot.
are you sure, though, that you don't have the plate? On my (former) 69 TR6,
which came with lap belts standard, the plate was there. I just had to kind
of poke around to figure out where it was under the vinyl trim.
--Graham
-----Original Message-----
From: Grant Kester [mailto:gkester@ucsd.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 4:36 PM
To: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: More Seat Questions
Another parts question: I want to install retractable belts in my TR6. The
Victoria British catalog says it's necessary to also install a
reinforcement plate underneath the rear wheel arch for cars that didn't
originally come with retractable belts. Moss doesn't sell this plate or
mention anything about it being necessary. If I skip the plate am I
endangering my life?
Thanks to everyone on the list for the generous feedback/info.
Grant Kester
gkester@ucsd.edu
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