Fitting Seat Belts to the Austin A30/35

R H Johnston

I get a lot of enquiries about fitting seat belts. I have always been hestitant about giving information on seat belts because of the possibility that either the Club or I might be sued if someone follows the advice and sustains loss injury or death as a result. However, it is probable that even a badly fitted seatbelt will reduce the likelihood of injury in the event of an accident, so on balance I feel that it is better to give what guidance I can. However the author, the Austin A30/35 Owners Club and the Officers of the Club do not accept any liability at law for any loss, injury or death arising from the adoption of any of the advice given in this article.

The A30/35 saloon cars were never originally fitted with seatbelts, and the body was not designed and never modified to accommodate them. The vans that were fitted with belts had a bracing plate added between the door pillar and the van side, and possibly had other modifications. As I have not been able to test any mounting point designs, and on a particular car corrosion may have weakened the structure substantially, I cannot vouch for the adequacy of the strength or the suitability of the position of any of the proposed mounting points. But observation and experience suggests that those proposed are the most satisfactory of the options available.

I have personally only fitted static seat belts to the front and rear of 2-door saloons, so that I am less aware of any problems that may be encountered in dealing with 4-door cars and vans. My advice here supercedes that in the new spares booklet: having carefully examined 4-door cars, I have changed my mind on the feasibility of fitting seat belts to them.

Pre-1965 cars are not legally required to have seat-belts, but if fitted they must work and be in good condition, and be either 3 point or diagonal only. The main difficulty is providing adequate mounting points that are in positions which ensure the belt works correctly and which are also strong enough. Do not choose an attachment point which is likely to be weakened by corrosion. Anybody fitting seat belts must satisfy himself that his mounting point design will accommodate the very large forces (well over a ton on each mounting point) which occur in an accident, and that the belt will not slip off the shoulder of the user or strangle him by being too close to the neck. The buckle in particular should not be against any soft part of the body, and the lap belt should be arranged so that it lies across the pelvis and not the soft area above.

Static or Inertia-reel?
I personally prefer static belts: you know they will work (provided they are properly adjusted), and they hold you firmly in place in normal driving. Inertia reel belts do not require adjustment, but inevitably they take time to work if an accident occurs. There is not very much space in an A30/35 between the front seats and the windscreen, so if they operate slowly you may hit the steering wheel or windscreen before they take effect. They probably also put more strain on the mounting points, which is an important consideration when the strength of the mounting points is uncertain.

Most people will be fitting 3-point belts. These are regarded as the best for safety. Static diagonal belts are less trouble to people getting out of the back seats of a 2-door car, but they give less protection against being thrown out of the door in a side impact.

Inertia reel belts must be installed with the reel perfectly vertical, and directly below the upper mounting point, otherwise the belt will not unreel. For this reason they are probably unsuitable for A30 2-door saloons.

Front seat belts

Two door saloon A30 and A35
Static belts ONLY can be fitted as follows. The best place for the upper attachment being under the rear side window, preferably 11" back from the door opening. (This ensures that the belt does not slip off the shoulder and the user will not twist round the belt too much as he moves forward in an accident. Unfortunately many belts are not long enough to allow the attachment point to be so far back.) The other points are attached to the floor or transmission tunnel behind the line of the back of the seat. Before finalising the position, check the length and the alignment with the seat in every adjustment position. (The positions depends on the design of the stalk or belt). So that the load is taken properly, it is important that the belt should make a 30-45 degree angle with the floor. Do NOT attach the belt to the inner sill - this area is too prone to corrosion to provide a reliable attachment. All these mounting points MUST be reinforced - the upper one is particularly weak and requires a long bar under the length of the window. A30s with seats that fold forward cannot use belts with stalks, as there is no room for them between the seats. Inertia reel belts cannot be fitted in this configuration because there is no suitable place for the reel box below the upper mounting point.

Upper mounting point alternative for A35 2-door saloons only
On A35 2-door saloons the upper point can be attached to the door pillar about 4-5" below the top of the door opening, but the bolt must go through both sides of the pillar, which means the attachment shows on the outside.of the car. (Note: on A30s the pillar is not strong enough because of the holes for the trafficators.) Inertia reel belts can have the reel box fitted by attachment through the floor directly below the door pillar.

4-door saloon A30 and A35
The difficulty with 4-door saloons is the upper mounting. The door pillar is rather too far forward which makes it difficult to get the belt to lie across the shoulder properly. This makes me cautious about recommending this mounting point, but it may be possible to improve the use of an inertia belt in this position by using a child adapter belt of the type which consists of a secondary belt which goes behind the child and ensures that the belt sits on the shoulder correctly. Belts which take the upper strap back down to the floor at the rear of the car, as used some open sports cars may be preferable, but will be a nuisance to rear seat passengers. If the pillar is used as a mounting point, the attachment is made above where the trafficator either is or would be. Remove the outer cover or trafficator, and put a long load spreading plate along the line of the pillar to provide additional strength and bolt only through the inner surface of the pillar and the load spreading plate. The other mounting points are as for the 2-door saloon.

Van and Countryman
Very late vans were fitted with front seatbelts. If you are fitting belts to an earlier van, try to see a late van to get the positioning, and the design of the mounting points. The upper mount was braced with a small plate onto the van side. This can be copied. Alternatively spread the load with a vertical bar along the line of the pillar. The position of the lower mounting points are as for the cars.

Rear seat belts

Rear seat belts are compulsory on present day cars, but as with the earlier legislation, this is not retrospective. However, there is something to be said for avoiding the back seat passengers being thrown into the back of the ones in the front seat. These belts can also be used to hold the modern type of detachable child seat in place, and this avoids doing too much damage to the car upholstery when fitting child seats.

Saloons
Inertia belts and 3 point belts are unsuitable. Static lap belts can be fitted by having one end down the side of the seat and bolted through the wheel arch. Reinforce the area on the outside, and put the bolt as far into the corner between the back and seat as possible. The other end should be fastened through the seat pan (again reinforced) under the opposite side seat, as far to the rear of the pan as possible, just where the bulge starts above the differential.

Vans
Fitting inertia rear seat belts to a van or countryman would require the use of the kind of inertia belts which are fitted to the rear of the Metro or other hatchbacks. The van side would need to be substantially strengthened. The lower mounting belt positions are similar to those for the saloons, and static lap belts can be fitted in much the same way as for saloons. It is not satisfactory to attach any seat belt, or child seat to the seat back of the back seat. This will give way in an accident.

Child Seats

Fitting normal child seats can do a lot of damage to the upholstery and is now unnecessary, because it is now possible to get seats which will work with normal seat belts. These new seat belts can be taken out of the car quickly when not needed and used as a seat for the child.

I have found that the Britax child seat for 1-4 years can be used very satisfactorily with a 3 point front static belt in the front seat, though as the seats are narrow naughty children might attempt to play with the gear lever. Some children prove to be less trouble in the front seat as they can see out, and feel more involved in the driving process. (It is legal to carry a child in a safety seat in the front of a car.)

This same type of seat can be used in the back of a saloon, held down by a static lap belt, but is less easy to secure firmly. It will be found necessary to have a large piece of thick felt under and behind the seat to stop the rear frame going down the gap between the squab and the back. Because the rear seat squab is very narrow from front to rear, a further strap is often needed to go round the ALREADY TIGHTENED belt and the front rail of the seat to prevent the seat slipping off the front of the seat in normal use. (It does not matter if this occurs in an accident as the seat will be restrained by the main seat belt.)

Whilst great care is taken to ensure that the technical information and advice offered is of the highest standard, neither the author, nor The Austin A30/A35 Owners Club, or the Officers of the Austin A30/A35 Club accept any liability at law for any death, injury or loss whatsoever arising from the use of advice contained in this article.