Date: August 24, 2006
My husband and I just bought a beautiful 1962 Volvo P1800. Unfortunately, the driver's side seatbelt is missing. We are looking to retrofit with new retractable seatbelts but are having difficulty finding much information on installation. Any tips?
Thanks!
Mandi Carroll
Hi, Mandi - I bought a set of retractable seat belts recently for my MG that would just about fit the 1800, but being 2-point belts, they don't have enough attachment points. My current belts are from a late-70's Honda Civic that I found in a junkyard about fifteen years ago. I went looking for retractable belts that could be removed as a unit, and the Honda had a nice set. They are becoming frayed now, so I may have to find a new set soon.
The Honda belts, and the MG belts too, have a reel that contains the windup spring and locking mechanism. The exposed end of the belt has an anchor attached. The Honda belt also has a sliding anchor in the middle (why it's called a 3-point belt), which the MG belt does not have. Installation of the MG-style belt presents a problem in the Volvo, as the bulky reel end would have to be attached either to the c-post or to the sill. It might look ugly on the c-post and probably wouldn't fit on the sill. A 3-point belt is better, because you can attach the reel to the rear bulkhead near the floor, attach the sliding anchor to the mounting point on the c-post, and attach the end to the mounting point on the sill.
This is the arrangement I used with the Honda belts. I had to drill through the rear bulkhead, which is composed of two layers of sheet metal about three inches apart. I used big washers under the bolt heads to prevent the bolts from being pulled through the bulkhead in the event of a crash. Fortunately, they have never been tested. The only other modification I made was to drill holes near the rear of the drive shaft tunnel to anchor the belt latches. Again, I used big washers to brace the bolts holding the belt latches to the tunnel. You also need to be careful that the bolts don't come near the drive shaft.
I just made a quick Internet search, and it looks like Securon makes a set of belts for the Volvo, but you'd have to find a local dealer if you want to buy less than 100 of them. My MG belts are made by Securon, and they seem to have good quality. Part no. 500/30 fits the Volvo. http://www.securon.co.uk.
I also found 3-point belts at J.C. Whitney, http://www.jcwhitney.com. Search for "seat belt".
A good set of belts will include mounting hardware and instructions, although the instructions may not be specific to the Volvo.
Good luck. -Glenn.