Author Topic: How to fit rear inertia seatbelts to 126p  (Read 1656 times)

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welshdresser

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How to fit rear inertia seatbelts to 126p
« on: November 14, 2018, 01:09:33 AM »
H,

I want to fit rear inertia seatbelts to my polski fiat.
Can anyone suggest a good source to buy these? Ricambio have some, which appear to be dedicated but are quite pricey at £107. I've found these from a Fiat Panda on ebay as well and am wondering if they would also fit? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-Panda-1986-2003-Rear-Seat-Belt-Stalk-Kit-New-Genuine183575980/372437316884?hash=item56b6fe7514:g:0JUAAOSwYM9bnOHs

Any other ideas?

Here is a pic of the beautiful interior. Looks like there is some sort of sticking plaster over where the bolt holes for the anchors could go... The rear pillars seem to have holes for seatbelts already which looks promising, but I've not prised off the plastic covers yet.

Anyone got any tips for installation?

One last thing... has anyone tried to fit isofix anchors to one of these? Doesn't seem to be a very popular retrofit thing, but seems like it should be quite simple.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2018, 01:12:10 AM by welshdresser »

michaelodonnell500

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Re: How to fit rear inertia seatbelts to 126p
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2018, 11:12:54 AM »
Hi there,
I've fitted rear belts in my Fiat 500 to allow fitting of children's seats.  I have a forward facing infant seat and a high back booster seat.
I can post some pictures once I get home to the car. I used a set of front Fiat 126 inertia belts.

I presume you already have rear belt mounts? I didn't have any so I welded in a set of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Series-Defender-Seat-Belt-Mounting-Stress-Plate-7-16-Captive-Nut-x2/282747113478?hash=item41d50a9006:g:JPgAAOSwDEtaGEkx:rk:4:pf:0

This would be a good installation for the 126:

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=90867&country=uk (Image 4)
Fitting the belts in the door bin, moving up to a shoulder anchor on the rear parcel shelf. You have a bit more rear door bin space then I do in the 500 so I had to do something a bit different.

Those belts should be good. there will be a date of manufacture on the orange label on the setbelts. (Top tip!). If you're happy visiting a scrap yard, seicento/cinquecento seatbelts will also fit.

I'm not sure about isofix.
There are a number of aftermarket kits to adapt a normal seat to an isofix seat:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/323538116478?chn=ps
They use a strap attached to the top of the seat to hold the isofix bracket in place at the bottom. In a crash the weight of child seat is transferred to the rear upright seat, which in turn transfers to the seat mounts. These were never designed to carry an load in a crash.

The bracket could be welded in place to the rear bulkhead, but it will need a spreader plate to handle the load and it may clash with the seat fitting.

I've found a pair of rear child seats fit ok, but it works best with the rear bench seat removed to give some visibility through the rear window.
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welshdresser

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Re: How to fit rear inertia seatbelts to 126p
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2018, 12:43:35 PM »
Hi Michael,

Thanks for the reply!

Interesting thought re the seatbelts, as I assumed the reel part would bolt onto the pillar. The picture of the mini you linked has the reel inside the rear door card. Would I need to butcher those to mount the reel inside then?

Looking at the Ricambio ones http://www.ricambio.co.uk/69-fiat/72-classic-fiat-126-parts/534-seat-belts--safety/2259-rear-seat-belt-kit-automatic-inertia-black--classic-fiat-500-126-600-850-900 I think they would bolt onto the pillar as I can't see the loop bracket which would go on the pillar (although its not the clearest picture).

RE the isofix idea, these brackets look like they'd do the trick. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-MINI-COOPER-S-ONE-CONVERTIBLE-1-6-R52-SET-OF-4-ISOFIX-SEAT-BRACKETS-FIXING/392170589700?hash=item5b4f304e04:g:2hEAAOSwaepb5sTG:rk:12:pf:0
guess I'd want to be careful not to drill into the petrol tank while mounting those right.... ;-)

michaelodonnell500

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Re: How to fit rear inertia seatbelts to 126p
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2018, 01:44:54 PM »
Hi there,
My set-up is identical to Ricambio, but I didn't buy mine off the shelf. On Mine the reels are mounted on the rear shelf which negates the need for the shoulder anchor so I removed it.

Also 126 (and most) seatbelts have a little plastic device that stops the belt from being pulled out if it is at the wrong angle. This has to be removed to mount them on the rear shelf.

The only drawback is that having removed the shoulder anchor point, my belts are around 30cm longer than they should be. Fine when they are used, but they don't sit flush against the seat without a passenger.

If you want a plug and play item, the ricambio belts are good, the panda ones area bit different.

The isofix is an alternative to the seatbelt. How thick is the metal on the mini where those parts bolt in? They look like an m6 bolt, there won't be a lot holding them in place on the car. Can you pick up a non-isofix version of the car seat?

Thanks,

Michael
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welshdresser

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Re: How to fit rear inertia seatbelts to 126p
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2018, 11:56:07 PM »
Hi Michael,

Ok thanks for that. I think since my car has the holes already there in the rear pillar, I will just fork out the extra for the Ricambio ones and save myself some hassle.

I was thinking about isofix as I have a few child seats some with iso, some without. My daughter's seat has "isofit" meaning it uses the lower anchors as well as the regular seatbelt. I've just found this https://www.u-bolts-r-us.co.uk/1125-series-extended-leg-c-bolts-suit-rhs/8618-square-bolt-c-bolt-20-by-20-rhs-t316-stainless-steel-extended-leg-5055624410846.html which I think will do just as good a job as the mini fixing points and will be cheaper!

Cheers again for the help and suggestions!

Matt