Tag Archives: Seat Belts

Three Point Retractable Harnesses

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We had three point harnesses in the Bugeye before restoration; however, the belts were always getting caught in the doors and could cause paint damage. This time around, we decided to install three point retractable belts. We purchased these from Bugeyeguys. https://bugeyeguyparts.com/products/3-point-inertia-seat-belts They are a little on the burgundy side but we think this color will go better with the red in the car than a bright red would.

We fit them before paint because installation required drilling a number of holes in the chassis. The Bugeye Restoration Shoulder Harness Video shows the installation process. https://vimeo.com/985658212/a3227b71de?share=copy

Interior Removal

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This will be a gradual process, but we did begin the removal of the interior components. Most of the interior will be replaced with new parts, but we will save everything until the new pieces are installed near the end of this project.

The first action taken was to remove the shoulder harness mounting points for both seats. We will probably replace these with retractable belts when we are at that point in the rebuild.

Shoulder Harness Removal

Shoulder Harnesses

At :13 in the video Episode Twenty-Two summary the soft top frame stowage bracket is removed. Each bracket is held in place with three self-tapping sheet metal screws.

Soft Top Frame Stowage Bracket in Place

Soft Top Frame Stowage Bracket

Next was the removal of the rear shelf carpet and its securing snaps. The process begins at the 1:00 minute mark in the video.

Rear Shelf Carpet

At 1:25 minutes into the video, the rear upholstered quarter panels and hardura covered wheel wells are removed.

Quarter Panel and Wheel Cover removal

Because the hardura wheel covers are glued in place, they left quite a mess when removed. We will need to try some adhesive removal to clean the surfaces.

Hardura Residue at Wheel Wells

We discovered that the covers were originally red. A previous owner had dyed or painted them black.

Hardura Covers removed

Although not removed at this point, it was noted that the wiring harness to the rear of the car is routed through a hole in the frame that is covered by the rear quarter panel.

Wiring Harness Behind rear Quarter Panel

 

At 4:24 into the video, the RH side seat, seat rails and carpet are removed. Each seat rail is secured to the floor with two bolts into captive nuts.

RH seat, seat rail and carpet removal

There is a wooden packer piece between the carpet and the floor for each seat rail.

Wood Packing Pieces at the Seat Rails

The upholstered panel under the RH door was then removed. It was held in place with four self tapping oval head screws with cupped trim washers.

Upholstered Panel Under the RH Door

Episode Twenty-Two summarizes the removal of the interior components highlighted above. https://vimeo.com/770800213/f36ec43100

RH Side Front Kick Panel  and Carpet – On November 17, while working on the final installation of the fuel delivery system it became necessary to remove the RH side front kick panel and front carpet. The kick panel was held in place by three self-tapping oval head chrome screws with cup washers and the two slotted screws that hold the door check strap in place. Once the fasteners were removed the kick panel was lifted out of the car exposing the wiring harness that is routed to the rear of the car.

The carpet was held in place with two floor snaps at the top of the carpet.

Video Episode Twenty-four summarizes the removal of these components:https://vimeo.com/773034332/b4bf5c4504

RH front kick panel

RH Side Front Carpet

 

 

Chapter 55 Restoration Assembly, Week Twenty-Five 6/4/2007

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Installing the seat belts was fairly straight forward. I had drilled holes earlier for the mounting kits. I was going to go with the seatbelt/shoulder harness assembly sold by British Car Specialists, but ultimately decided to go with the “vintage look” racing belts sold by Moss Motors. These belts work beautifully with my interior color combination! The shoulder harness kit would have been the best call for safety, but the belt retracting mechanism to be mounted on the rear quarter panels just looked too contemporary. I am pleased with the result!

Seat belts

I had been dreading a job, that as things turned out, was not as challenging as expected. I needed to locate and install the #6 stainless screws with trim rings that secure the rear jump seats. I was scared to death that in doing so I would damage the beautiful leather trimming job done by Heritage Upholstery and Trim.

To prepare for installation, I first glued marine class rubber weather stripping around the rear seat tubs. I peeled back the leather on the underside of the seats, located the original screw holes, and carefully punched holes through the leather. A previous owner had used oversize screws to mount the seats and the holes in the superstructure were bigger than they should be for #6 screws so I had the holes filled by Jeremy Turner at Maple Hill Restorations while bodywork was being completed. Therefore, this job required locating new holes in the superstructure and drilling them.

I had Judith, my wife and able assistant, sit in each seat to press it down to the mounting platform and position them as well as possible. I then marked each hole location. I used a 1/8” hollow punch to remove carpet, dynamat and aluminum insulation from each hole location and drilled the holes in the superstructure. Everything turned out great and the installation appears as original. I really don’t care for the look of the stainless screws in the leather, preferring the BJ8 seats that have studs to secure the seats, rather than the screws, but I decided to remain original on this matter.

Rear seat fasteners

Rear seat fasteners

I had never finished the installation of the courtesy lighting in the boot, so it was time to return to that task. I used a rear license plate lamp to supply light and modified the chrome casing to permit more light to enter the compartment. The lamp was wired to the courtesy lights in the interior, so with a flip of the toggle switch or with a click of the remote control “clicker,” the boot lamp is activated.

Boot light

I can’t say why I have not installed the brake and clutch master cylinders and pipes before now? I secured two new master cylinders into the pedal box with the four 5/16” hex head bolts. Aluminum packing shims were used on both master cylinders.

Master Cylinders & Lines

The LH and RH bonnet opening support plates were attached to the frame upright and the brake reservoir was clamped into its bracket on the LH post. The two hydraulic pipes were fitted and the double clamp securing the pipes to the inner fender was screwed in place.

RH Bonnet Opening Support Plate

LH Bonnet Opening Support Plate

Brake Reservoir and lines