Seat Belt Openings in Rear Cockpit Wall

[Broadwaydan]

I am in the process of fitting up the cockpit aluminum. When I put the rear cockpit wall in place, I noticed that the openings for the seat belts were partially "blocked" by one of the chassis 3/4" cross members.

Is there a need to shift the wall up to get these openings fully open? I am pretty sure the seat belts will fit through the available opening, and am concerned that raising the wall up will then interfere with the body fit.

Anyone else see this? I was not able to attach a photo to show this.

Dan

[Brian Z]

Dan,

The belts should rub on the 3/4" tube and not the aluminum panel. That is by design so the belts dont get cut or frayed on the aluminum.

Best regards,

[3kcarbon]

Dan,

The belts should rub on the 3/4" tube and not the aluminum panel. That is by design so the belts dont get cut or frayed on the aluminum.

Best regards,
I noticed the same on mine and it turned out just fine.

[CDXXVII]

Mine looks the same, approx. 1/2 of the opening covered. The only concern I have is with the seat belt bezels. If I leave it as is I do not think I can get my bezel screwed in properly.

[3kcarbon]

Mine looks the same, approx. 1/2 of the opening covered. The only concern I have is with the seat belt bezels. If I leave it as is I do not think I can get my bezel screwed in properly.

That was a isssue on mine. The thickness of the carpet and insulation was also more than anticipated. Standoffs may be a answer if it pulls in too much to suit you.

[Broadwaydan]

Thanks to all for responding to the question. Based on all the answers (including FFR!) this is exactly by design - time to drill!!

Dan

[SirAustin]

Glad this question was asked, I am finishing up in that area as well and was wondering why that didnt line up right now I know!

[CDXXVII]

I understand the reason for the partial opening for the seatbelt. My openings are cut off at right about half. The problem I am going to face is how to attach the seat belt bezels. The bezels have screws that line up on center. This will place the screw half way into the 3/4" frame member.

Thoughts?

[jlfernan]

I used longer screws with nuts through the tube and shorter ones through the aluminum panel. No one will ever see them.


http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2561/jorgec.jpg (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=111)

[Pierre B]

When I bought my MKII kit from FFR back in the spring of 2004, the factory was right on the cusp of transitioning from the Y-shaped shoulder belt design (which required only one belt slot per seat through the rear bulkhead) to the double shoulder belt arrangement so common today. When I reached that point in the building process, I modified my sheet aluminum bulkhead to accommodate two belt penetrations behind each seat. In so doing, I was able to locate those penetrations and decorative bezels in the locations that best suited my Street Performer seats.
Having done what I described above, I have the following thoughts that bear on this post's question. First, it is possible to easily make changes and accommodations in the rear bulkhead configuration if they are deemed useful. The bezels don't need to center on the sheet metal openings behind (and this may facilitate slight shifts in bezel locations to insure proper attachment via bolts and/or screws), but that must be done in a way that doesn't cause chafing of the belts at the penetrations. Finally, the carpeting of the rear bulkhead also helps disguise slight misalignments between the bezel slots and the possibly larger belt openings in the sheet metal bulkhead behind. In any case, the belt installation must result in a smooth passage of the webbing over the 3/4-inch square tubing behind the bulkhead.