[T3] notch seat belt anchor points

[Jim Adney]

Those are some really interesting observations, Soren. I don't think VW was 
alone in putting shoulder belt anchors too low, but we still see them in 
convertables. I can't help wondering how THOSE are supposed to work. At 
least today they come together with lap belts.

Jim

On 4 Aug 2018 at 2:00, Soren Jacobsen wrote:

> Ehh, I don't feel like my chances of surviving a bad accident in a 50+
> year old VW would be too great even if that mount point were stronger.
> They did at least use a thick reinforcement plate ;)
> 
> I'm doing the pans on my 1965 Variant, which doesn't have mount points
> in the heater channel.  I'll be adding some threaded reinforcement
> plates to the floor pan, just like that horrible Beetle, only I'll put
> them on the upright section of the pan.  Beats cutting open the heater
> channel by the B pillar and trying to weld something to the inside.
> 
> What really kills me with both type 1 and 3s prior to 1965 is the
> location of the shoulder belt mount.  When VW introduced the shoulder
> belt mount (1962 Bugs -- type 3s had them from the beginning), it was
> super low, approximately level with the bottom of the side glass.  If
> you're of average height or greater, the shoulder belt pivot point is
> _below_ your shoulder, so the belt goes up and over your shoulder, then
> back down to meet your hip by the tunnel of the car.  It's a real
> ergonomic disaster, with the belt always falling off when you're driving
> unless you keep it cinched down super tight.  You end up driving with a
> jacked up left shoulder in an attempt to keep the belt in place.  A
> retractable belt could help by providing slight tension at all times,
> but those look bogus in an early car and the design is still lousy.
> 
> In 1965, they moved the mount point a few inches higher, which was a
> _huge_ improvement.  That previous seat mount point is so bad that if I
> ever end up with another pre-1965 car, I'm going to stick with lap
> belts only.  My left shoulder has had enough.
> 
> Here's a picture of the horrible early mount location:
> 
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/62t3ownersgerman/page12.jpg
> 
> Soren
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-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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