18 replies to this topic

[kopi]

Hey guys, fitted a securon front seat belt today. However, the retracting mechanism doesn't seem to retract the belt all the way, leaving an annoying slack whenever I unbuckle. Does anyone else have this problem? Did i bolt the retracting mechanism too tightly to the rear shelf?

 

Appreciate any help out there :) 

[GraemeC]

I can't remember if mine were securon, but I needed to space the reels off from the panel they were bolted to as the roll of belt grew to slightly larger than the reel itself and fouled the panel.

[kopi]

Got it that makes sense. Will meddle with it thanks!

[xrocketengineer]

I can't remember if mine were securon, but I needed to space the reels off from the panel they were bolted to as the roll of belt grew to slightly larger than the reel itself and fouled the panel.

I had the same issue.

[kopi]

Thanks for the help! Works fine now. Just to put it out there, the bolts that came with the Securon seat belts were 11mm ones but were too short for me if I had to use spacers. Dropped by a hardware store and was told the standard bolt sizes were 10mm and 12mm instead, 11mm being quite rare. I opted for the 12mm which was a tight fit but worked fine anyway. As for the length, I needed a 55-60mm in order to fit the plastic spacers and leave enough room for the belt to retract/roll. 

 

Looks awesome now! 

[Tamworthbay]

Thanks for the help! Works fine now. Just to put it out there, the bolts that came with the Securon seat belts were 11mm ones but were too short for me if I had to use spacers. Dropped by a hardware store and was told the standard bolt sizes were 10mm and 12mm instead, 11mm being quite rare. I opted for the 12mm which was a tight fit but worked fine anyway. As for the length, I needed a 55-60mm in order to fit the plastic spacers and leave enough room for the belt to retract/roll. 
 
Looks awesome now! 

When you say hardware store do you mean B&Q type or a proper fasteners place? The reason I ask is because there are a lot of different strength grades for bolts and you need to make sure you use the right ones. B&Q type places tend to only stock rubbish mild steel ones. If metric you want at least 8.8 and ideally 10.9, for imperial I would use grade 8 (often the head is marked with six radial lines, three radial lines is grade 5).

[GraemeC]

I doubt the original bolts were M11 - almost all seatbelt hardware is UNF thread.
I wouldn't trust any hardware shop that measured the bolt and came to the conclusion it was M11.
The bolt grade is also very important as Tamworthbaby says. And where are the plastic spacers from - I would expect the kit to come with hardened steel spacers.

Please remember these are safety critical components - your life ( and your passenger's) depend these belts in a crash. Do NOT use substandard replacement parts from Joe Bloggs.

[Tamworthbay]

I doubt the original bolts were M11 - almost all seatbelt hardware is UNF thread.
I wouldn't trust any hardware shop that measured the bolt and came to the conclusion it was M11.
The bolt grade is also very important as Tamworthbaby says. And where are the plastic spacers from - I would expect the kit to come with hardened steel spacers.
Please remember these are safety critical components - your life ( and your passenger's) depend these belts in a crash. Do NOT use substandard replacement parts from Joe Bloggs.

Very good point (I have to admit I assumed the 10mm and 12mm were length but rereading it I think you are right Graeme and it is referring to M10 and M12. OP - if you have forced an M12 into the standard UNF seatbelt thread then that will be incredibly dangerous. It will also have damaged the thread (captive as fitted to the shell?) so even replacing with the right one now would leave a potential problem. If someone at a hardware shop gave two options of an m10 or M12 then it shows how little knowledge they have.

[kopi]

Thanks guys. Hmm, the rear shelf did not have threads so was quite easy to fit the bolt through. I have to admit I'm not up to speed on the bolt strength and ratings though. I retained the original steel spacer but after reading the posts perhaps I should make sure all bolts/spacers are quality ones. Thanks for the warning guys. Will get it sorted soon.

[kopi]

Which reminds me. The bolts that came with the securon were also unmarked. Does that mean it came with the lowest grade bolts?

[Tamworthbay]

Which reminds me. The bolts that came with the securon were also unmarked. Does that mean it came with the lowest grade bolts?

I doubt it, they just have them made to their spec by the thousand. Most bolts found on cars are unmarked, it's just when you buy them from fastener places that they are marked. And another quick point, you say you are using the rear shelf. That is an odd place to mount Seatbelts as it has very little strength. To mount there you would need strengtheners plates welded in and ideally cross braced. If you have just bolted through the existing panel they would pull straight out if you have a crash. Depending what year the mini is it might already have mounts in the C pillar under the trim - just feel around with your finger and you will find a hole. I am not sure what year they started but mine is an 82 and has them. If you need anymore help with this just ask, best to get it right.

[GraemeC]

I'm confused now, how are you fitting front seat belts to the rear shelf?

[kopi]

Might be my choice of terminology. Rear door bins? That's where the retracting unit is supposed to go right?

 

 

Attached Files

•  seat belt 1.jpg   23.48K   14 downloads
•  seat belt 2.jpg   27.87K   15 downloads

Edited by kopi, 01 January 2014 - 11:17 AM.

[Tamworthbay]

Is this a front seat belt then?

[kopi]

Yep front seatbelt. I've just attached some photos.