23 replies to this topic

[Cooperconversion89]

I want to add a set of 4 point harnesses can anyone tell what size thread i need? I will be using the original seat belt mounting points. Where is the best place to buy them from? Also am I right in thinking that the original belts need to be kept in place up front and in the back if the rear seat is still in place for mot reasons?

[turbominij]

I want to add a set of 4 point harnesses can anyone tell what size thread i need? I will be using the original seat belt mounting points. Where is the best place to buy them from? Also am I right in thinking that the original belts need to be kept in place up front and in the back if the rear seat is still in place for mot reasons?

I got my eyes from eBay just generic ones from what I remember as they are the same as my mates in his Toyota starlet. I have never had front belts in mine for Mot just the harnesses I don't have my back seatbelts atall. And never use them.

[haggz]

have 4 x eye bolts which i removed from a mini. pm your address and i will send them to you

[Sprocket]

Hernesses need to be E approved for you to remove the original seat belts. Any MOT tester worth his salt will check the type of approval on a harness fitted to a road car.

[ibrooks]

The legal minimum thread size for seatbelt bolts is 7/16" UNF and 8.8 grade or better.

They should be a fine thread for the self locking properties a fine thread gives (same reason your wheel bolts are a fine thread). The bolts pictured look about right as far as can be seen from a picture so are probably fine but check if you are using them.

Iain

[haggz]

sorry i did forget to say that the bolts were used to secure 4 point harnesses which they were removed and sold with the bucket seats

[ibrooks]

What is the fixation with E-Marks? There is NO requirement in the UK for anything to be E-Marked.

Numerous things on a car have to meet a standard and the E-Mark means that an item has been tested and meets that standard. So long as the belts are the correct width of webbing with the correct stitching and the fittings are correct then they are fine. An MOT tester cannot fail an item just because it does not have an E-Mark.

If it's got an E-Mark you know it's right but just because it hasn't doesn't mean you can't use it.

Iain

[Dan]

Many parts of a car built after the early '80s are required to bear an approval mark. Either an E mark or a Kite mark or similar. If parts are fitted that are required to be marked but don't have one, they are not legal. It should be remembered however that while these are legal requirements they are not always MOT requirments. The only reference that the MOT makes to E marking of seatbelts is that an E or Kitemark means the belt is automatically suitable for use in any position in any car. It doesn't say that belts should be checked for a mark. The MOT does not check that your car complies with the law, that's what the Police are for.

Clip in harnesses tend to be made to FIA spec rather than road spec. Be aware the FIA spec belts are not the same as road belts. There is a legal requirement for belts to be to a certain standard and bear a mark for most of our cars, these standards include that road seatbelts should allow a certain degree of stretch in an accident to absorb the energy that would otherwise be transferred to your internal organs. FIA belts DO NOT STRETCH. They are 3", thick webbing rather than 2" thinner webbing. You should think about this before using them. Also, for road use clip in belts must have the clips wired closed so that you can't release them easily. Where are you mounting the harnesses? Having a harness for a front seat fixed to the bottom of the rear seat makes the rear seat un-useable.

[Cater_Racer]

No need to keep originals mine passes it's MOT every year(at different MOT stations for the last four years) with 4 points in.

[Cooperconversion89]

I've checked the harness i had from an old car and its 2 inch thick and is e-marked. The only problem is i only have one so I will be checking ebay for a matching 2nd one. Then all I have to do is order the seats

[Dan]

Also to be properly road legal they must have push button buckles, twist release aircraft latches aren't permitted. That should be part of the E marking though.

[samsfern]

their 7/16 unf, id advise getting them from a reputable company, such as demon tweeks, etc

[Cater_Racer]

Also to be properly road legal they must have push button buckles, twist release aircraft latches aren't permitted. That should be part of the E marking though.

I think strictly speaking you're right Dan, but my mini has passed the MOT for the last five years, with twist release aircraft latches.

And I've used 4 different MOT stations during that period.....

So it seems to be tolerated.

[Bungle]

your not reading what Dan is typing

It should be remembered however that while these are legal requirements they are not always MOT requirments.

being road legal and passing a MOT is not the same thing

[Cater_Racer]

your not reading what Dan is typing

It should be remembered however that while these are legal requirements they are not always MOT requirments.

being road legal and passing a MOT is not the same thing

I don't think you're reading what I wrote.

I diddn't say it was road legal, "it seems to be tolerated".