As I'm in the process of having the interior of my Bambino re-upholstered, I thought I'd use the opportunity to replace the static seat belts. There was nothing wrong with the static belts, I just prefer the convenience of an inertia reel belt. I'm not sure if my Bambino is similar to anyone else's, but the static belts were anchored in three places: the floorpan, the B-pillar, and a stalk by the transmission tunnel:




The belts I've chosen are Securon 500/30: http://www.securon.co.uk/seatbelts_layouts.htm
As I live very close to a branch of Moss Europe, I purchased the belts there as I could easily return them if the belts weren't right. Moss stock them for Minis, so I figured the size and installation of the belts would be similar for a 500. In total both belts cost £82.

Installation was pretty straightforward, but as with working on any classic car project, nothing is quite as simple as you think it will be! After fitting the belts I re-fit the front seats, only to find that the reels prevented the seat from going fully back on the rail. As I'm 6'3", I need the seats to go as far back as possible. After a brew and a bit of head-scratching I managed to re-position the belts so they cleared the seats. As an added bonus, the belt also ran smoother.

The reels bolt to the floorpan using an L-shaped bracket. A bolt passes through the bracket, through the floorpan, and through a bracing plate (presumably fitted by the previous owner) into a nut. To fit the reel to the bracket, a bolt passes through: the reel, a spacer, the anchor at the end of the belt, the floor bracket, and then into a nut:



The anchor on the B-pillar again uses a nut and a spacer, and bolts into a captive nut in the B-pillar:



I've only driven the car a couple of times with the belts fitted, but they seem to be working well so far.

Matt

Nice write up and photos Matt. Thanks. I will be updating my car to inertia reel type also.
John

Good info. If anyone reading this has similar experience or photos of mounting static belts in the rear seat I'd be keen to hear from them. I might be crazy but I bought my car as something I could enjoy with my family, so need to be able to buckle the kids in the back. ...and yes, I know a 500cc micro car was a poor choice for a family vehicle, but I'm told it's illegal to ride a moto guzzi with wife and kids balanced on the tank and a 500 was all I had space for in the garage!
Cheers Roger

RogerNZ said:

I'm told it's illegal to ride a moto guzzi with wife and kids balanced on the tank

Click to expand...

I don't see the problem. Maybe you just need better balance like this chap.

All,

an observation from OZ and a slightly different aproach. (Take a deep breath and read on.)

I fitted inertia reels for the front seats of my 69F. There were a few limiting critera both externally and self imposed that I will run through.

I found out pretty early that using the anchor point on the floor that was already there for the static belt would not work.

There is a limit to the angle that the reel can be mounted at. Vertical feed of the belt out of the reel is the best. Too great an angle and the unit will not function properly.

Care needed to be taken because the belt had to be kept from rubbing against the back seat squab. (or anything else for that matter)

I wanted the reel to be out of the way.

Install had to pass a Queensland safety certificate before it could be registered so the install had to comply.

These things are sold as either drivers side or passenger side. To satisfy the install angle I had ended up installing the passenger belt on the drivers side and vice versa. (I ran this past the tech and it was OK)

The sales guy had to cut a length of the webbing from the belts. Under normal circumstance, when not in use, a lot of the belt is not on the reel. (The length running up and down the 'B' pillar.) With a 500 this length is short, and the excess won't fit on the reel. Makes sense when you think about it.

The stalk has to be positioned correctly so that it sits in the correct position. You don't want it coming around the front part of your hip.

I came up with the best solution I could. This was after talking to the shop I purchased them from and the technical guy from the manufacturer. Showed and sent them photo's as well. Took a little time but I think the result is OK. If I did not think the solution would work I would have stuck to std belts.

I have included some photos, I hope they make sense. You will note in the photos that:
I used an old static belt, some tape and a string line to make sure my angles etc would all work.
The reel is not vertical, but given all the parameters, it is as vertical as it can be.
I have tucked the unit as close to the corner of the floor that I can.
I have used the same (newly drilled (and didn't I enjoy that!)) mounting hole for both ends of the belt.
(There is a proper mounting plate under the floor at that point now.)
I have used the std top mounting 'B' pillar hole.
I have installed stalks on the trans tunnel.
(Again there is a proper mounting plate on the inside of the tunnel that needed some thought given all the cables that run through there.)
I made a little aluminium plate, covered it with vinyl to cover the back of the open reel to keep foreign matter out of the workings.

In use I have found out that it is easier to grab the tongue of the belt before you close the door and best not to release it and just let go when you are getting out.

Sorry about the long winded aproach, I hope this helps someone (sharing the love....) I have all the details of the manufacturer if someone in OZ needs them. (I think)

Regards

Joe R

this is an old thread... but i need to get belts installed into a recently imported 500.

did you put a large washer on the inside between the pillar and the captive nut? i'm trying to figure out if i have enough room to do this otherwise the captive nut could just pierce right through the metal if there was enough force on it.

it's a tight fit on the inside behind that panel...

Evening folks;
I have a 1971 500L which came with inertia belts already fitted. Like Joe's car, my reels are bolted to the vertical panel under the back seat, with the bottom mount for the inertia belt utilising the same mounting bolt as the reel box. The top mount for the belt bolts to a captive nut near the top of (and in) the pillar in front of the rear, side window---effectively the 'B' pillar. Using this top bolt eliminates the need to remove any length of belt. This mount may not exist in the older cars (both mounting points are fitted in the 500L) as inertia reels did not exist when the cars were built---if somebody is doing a really major rebuild it might be worthwhile fitting this top mount.

Hobbler do you have a captive nut on the vertical rear panel under the seat squab on the 500L. I think that's what you are saying but just wanted clarification.

I have a nice new set of inertia reels to fit on my 500F but haven't worked out a plan yet. Joe's solution looks really smart but my reels look way big than the ones he has fitted.

Slight change to the original question, but are belts even required for the 500 since they were never originally fitted with them?

Luxe said:

Slight change to the original question, but are belts even required for the 500 since they were never originally fitted with them?

Click to expand...

The 500 was certainly fitted with belts in later production; got them on a 1969 and had several 1972's with them.
I really don't fancy my chances with or without seatbelts in a moderate to serious crash in a 500; fuel tank above my knees and no part of my body more than a few centimetres from the hard world outside?
However I do admire the skill shown in these retrofits and it's got to help reduce injury if the unlikely event happens.

Luxe said:

Slight change to the original question, but are belts even required for the 500 since they were never originally fitted with them?

Click to expand...

Depends where you live I guess? In the UK a law was passed that 3 point seatbelt mounts had to fitted in cars sold in the UK in 1965. You didn't have to have seat belts fitted though. Strange decision but I think that was just passed to make the objectors to the seatbelt happy. Then in 1968 another law was passed that said all cars sold in the UK had to have seat belts fitted and all cars dating back to 1965 would have to have them installed. Again you didn't have to wear them.

You didn't have to wear them in the front by law until 1983. So any car pre 1965 that doesn't have belts fitted you can get away with it, if fitted they must be worn.

fiat500 said:

The 500 was certainly fitted with belts in later production; got them on a 1969 and had several 1972's with them.
I really don't fancy my chances with or without seatbelts in a moderate to serious crash in a 500; fuel tank above my knees and no part of my body more than a few centimetres from the hard world outside?
However I do admire the skill shown in these retrofits and it's got to help reduce injury if the unlikely event happens.

Click to expand...

But you have knee bolsters to save you Peter

fiat500 said:

The 500 was certainly fitted with belts in later production; got them on a 1969 and had several 1972's with them.
I really don't fancy my chances with or without seatbelts in a moderate to serious crash in a 500; fuel tank above my knees and no part of my body more than a few centimetres from the hard world outside?
However I do admire the skill shown in these retrofits and it's got to help reduce injury if the unlikely event happens.

Click to expand...

I am not buying the later fitting. The 500s did not come from the Italian factory fitted with belts, although they did later intentionally put mounting points on the bodies. Seat belts were not required on Italian cars until 15 June 1976 (past 500 era). The replacement for the 500 is the 126 and even that did not initially come with belts, but you can get kits for them too.

Interesting information Luxe. This would mean that Fiat UK or the dealer who supplied my car might have fitted them, because as Tony pointed out, in the UK at that time they had to be fitted although they didn't have to be worn.

I agree with that fiat500!

Hi folks;
On my car, the reel retaining bolt comes through from the FRONT of the rear wheel-arch area FORWARD into the rear foot-well, I assume through a reinforcing plate. My inertia reels have long lower mounting straps and they are bolted on with the reels facing forward.

Matt, I've just realised I've bought the exact same inertia reels for my 1971 Lusso. How have the belts been now you've used them for a long period of time?

Hi Pete,

I'm still really happy I fitted them. Thankfully I've never had to test them in anger, but I've had them checked over and everything is fine. The only thing to check for is the belt either rubbing the side of your chair, or the paint on the B pillar. Not a major issue, but just something to look out for so your paint doesn't get worn.

Cheers,
Matt

Great, thanks Matt.

I was going to fit them this afternoon, but broke down this morning and the car was taken on a trailer to Weenie Fiats in Swindon. Hopefully nothing too serious and I'll get it back early next week.

It's a shame I didn't leave the belts in the car, otherwise I might have asked the guys to fit them while they were fixing it!

MattGibson said:

As I'm in the process of having the interior of my Bambino re-upholstered, I thought I'd use the opportunity to replace the static seat belts. There was nothing wrong with the static belts, I just prefer the convenience of an inertia reel belt. I'm not sure if my Bambino is similar to anyone else's, but the static belts were anchored in three places: the floorpan, the B-pillar, and a stalk by the transmission tunnel:

The belts I've chosen are Securon 500/30:
As I live very close to a branch of Moss Europe, I purchased the belts there as I could easily return them if the belts weren't right. Moss stock them for Minis, so I figured the size and installation of the belts would be similar for a 500. In total both belts cost £82.

Installation was pretty straightforward, but as with working on any classic car project, nothing is quite as simple as you think it will be! After fitting the belts I re-fit the front seats, only to find that the reels prevented the seat from going fully back on the rail. As I'm 6'3", I need the seats to go as far back as possible. After a brew and a bit of head-scratching I managed to re-position the belts so they cleared the seats. As an added bonus, the belt also ran smoother.

The reels bolt to the floorpan using an L-shaped bracket. A bolt passes through the bracket, through the floorpan, and through a bracing plate (presumably fitted by the previous owner) into a nut. To fit the reel to the bracket, a bolt passes through: the reel, a spacer, the anchor at the end of the belt, the floor bracket, and then into a nut:

The anchor on the B-pillar again uses a nut and a spacer, and bolts into a captive nut in the B-pillar:

I've only driven the car a couple of times with the belts fitted, but they seem to be working well so far.

Matt

Click to expand...

Matt, I've just followed your post's step-by-step guide to fit the exact same seat-belts in exactly the same way, so your post was helpful indeed!

So far so good, but for the purposes of updating other forum members here are my observations:

1 - The position of the stalk is very, very tricky and the stalk on the drivers side is a particularly tight fit (it's hard to get the seat back down 'over' it, and when you do it's a tight squeeze between the transmission tunnel/handbrake and the seat itself). However, once the seat is down and the stalk is manoeuvred into the best position (which is an art form), it's fine. I guess if people want to get in the back they have to get in via the passenger door!

2 - Talking of getting in the back, the actual reel itself does end up being positioned on the floorpan anchor point (via an L-shaped bracket) right in the middle of the small gap that the rear passenger has to climb through to get into the back of the car. I'm OK with that, as I'm not expecting to have rear passengers too often (if ever), but if you do be mindful of this.

3 - The anchor point near to the B-pillar is also interesting. As it's positioned behind a raise in body work, when you pull the seat-belt on it cannot pivot to the correct angle, pointing forward, as it is obstructed by the raised B-pillar. To counter this I used the longer bolt (in the array of bolts that came with the kit) and used the spacer provided and the original spacer from the static B-pillar anchor to create a larger gap and give it room to swing past the B-pillar and point forwards. Matt, not sure you experience the same problem, hard to tell by your photos.

All-in-all, though, I feel much more comfortable in inertia belts.