[T3] notch seat belt anchor points

[Phil Hof]

I think those early cars with the low should belt mounting point did not use combination seat/shoulder belts.  They had a should belt only.    They typically lacked the outer seat belt mounting point form the factory.  The photo cited shows this kind of belt.

VW, like other European carmakers, soon found out this was actually quite unsafe; in an accident the occupant tended to be slid downward and caught by the neck.

So I suspect the change in height was when they went to actual 3-point belts, and not the shoulder-only belt.

-Phil

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> 
> 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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