Seatbelts
David Jenkins - 8/8/19 at 03:05 PM
Lately I've been thinking about changing my 4-point harnesses to conventional inertia lap-and-diagonal types. Various reasons for this,
including:
- I am continually having to adjust the 4-point belts, partly because I've lost a hell of a lot of weight, and partly due to changing weather
conditions (t-shirt in the current warm weather, thick fleece and waterproofs in the winter). I just want something I can grab and plug in,
regardless of what I'm wearing.
- The current belts are a pain for my passengers - every time a different person gets in they have to spend 5 minutes faffing about to get them
somewhere near right - and often fail.
- I don't do racing or even track days - just normal road use.
- I put the seatbelt fixing points in according to Ron Champion's instructions - and they're not much use for 4-point harnesses as they
were intended for lap-and-diagonal. This means that if I do everything up tight the lap strap is across my giblets instead of my pelvis - not good.
For 4-point harnesses the lower points need to be more forward than the lap-and-diagonal ones, and preferably at floor level.
- I have a very sturdy braced roll bar that can safely take the upper swivelling pivot for lap-and-diagonal belts, and I'm reasonably happy to
add fitments to take the top fixing.
So, my question is - has anyone else fitted inertia lap-and-diagonal belts to a Locost and, if so, how did you do it?
Note: I have a Westfield build manual that describes the building of a car amazingly similar to a Locost 
and it describes how to fit this kinds
of belt to their cars. I would probably follow their guidelines if nothing else looked better)
ianhurley20 - 8/8/19 at 09:17 PM
Last year I was involved in an accident when my Haynes Roadster was written off. I had 4 point seatbelts fitted. Because it was cold I was wearing
more clothing than usual and it was a real pain to get the belts closed so I was really tightly strapped in. 45mph on straight road in torrential
rain my car aquaplaned and I hit the hedge and ripped off the left hand corner of the car.
Two things.
I am so pleased I was wearing more clothing that effectively tightened my belts more than I would usually have. It saved me a lot of injury.
I am so glad I didn't have the lap and diagonal belts fitted to friends Westfields, I would have been seriously injured in my accident.
Your choice, I know what mine would be.
voucht - 9/8/19 at 08:27 AM
Hi,
I had to change back and forth from 4 point harnesses to regular seatbelts because of the different inspections and change of country.
I bought the inertia ones from CBS, the ones you can fit the rolling unit in any position (vertically or horizontally), with the long stalk. I first
had the short stalk ones, but the stalks were really too short and very hard to find when you wanted to buckle up.
https://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/securon-multi-angl
e-retractable-long-stalk-black
I used 3 of the 4 attach points of the harnesses. On the Haynes, upper attach points are on the roll bar, so the rolling unit of the seat belt is
installed on the inner points. Outer points were not possible because too much "behind" the seat. I blanked them with a bolt, and a bolt
head cap. So the diagonal strap is the other way around than on conventional cars.
A more aesthetic solution would have been to fit the rolling unit on one of the lower point, but there was not enough room there for achieving
that.
Here are a few picture of the set-up:
Description
Description
Description
Description
Description
It does nor look very good, but it does the job.
Hope that can help 
40inches - 9/8/19 at 11:33 AM
Some answers in this thread https://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/24/viewthread.php?tid=212907
David Jenkins - 9/8/19 at 02:52 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 40inches
Some answers in this thread https://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/24/viewthread.php?tid=212907
Hmm - I'd completely forgotten that thread! It was not much over a year ago too... must be old age!
Angel Acevedo - 13/8/19 at 01:33 AM
quote:
Originally posted by voucht
Hi,
I used 3 of the 4 attach points of the harnesses. On the Haynes, upper attach points are on the roll bar, so the rolling unit of the seat belt is
installed on the inner points. Outer points were not possible because too much "behind" the seat. I blanked them with a bolt, and a bolt
head cap. So the diagonal strap is the other way around than on conventional cars.
A more aesthetic solution would have been to fit the rolling unit on one of the lower point, but there was not enough room there for achieving
that.
Here are a few picture of the set-up:
Description
Description
Description
Description
Description
It does nor look very good, but it does the job.
Hope that can help
I donīt thik this arrangement would be of any help if you are rolling in the car...
As you may slip outward under the inner side shoulder belt.
This is only my point of view based on uneducated assumptions.
I will be using 4 point harnesses.
voucht - 16/8/19 at 12:27 PM
quote:
I donīt thik this arrangement would be of any help if you are rolling in the car...
As you may slip outward under the inner side shoulder belt.
This is only my point of view based on uneducated assumptions.
I will be using 4 point harnesses.
Most of the convertibles produced in the world have regular 3 points seat belts, sometimes not even with a roll bar or roll hoops.
In Sweden, you can't have your kit car road legal with a 4 points harness, and you must have regular 3 points seat belts (that is the reason why
I had to change my 4-point Sabelt harnesses to 3 points seat belts), and Sweden is far from being the most unsafe and sloppy regulated country in the
world
In a seven-like car, like in a convertible, and unless you have a full roll cage, if the car flips over, you are probably dead, even with a 4 points
harness in my humble opinion. And I hope it will never happen to any of us.
So, in our cars, the safest seat belt arrangement is to keep the 4 wheel on the road
[Edited on 16/8/19 by voucht]
