Rear shoulder belt anchor point

[lansdownplace]

Greg, I would be very careful with this. There is no existing structure for the top anchor on the 411 capable of supporting the forces experienced in a full on crash. Rear belts weren't required or even dreamt of back then Bristol only provided a structure for them when it built the 603 series cars. You have to weld in a support from the chassis. Bristol themselves won't fit three points in the rear unless they are putting in the extra superstructure as they have liability if it goes wrong.

Many cars have the anchors fixed to the parcel shelf alone, which is OK provided you accept that a big shunt with an adult in the back risks failure big time. Whilst Bristol won't put one in, there are lots of owners and back-streeters who will so there is a risk that the rear belts on any 411 are dangerous. For any 411 owners out there who aren't sure of the provenance of your rear belts, I would check them out. They are the kind of item that is only stress checked on first and last use.

Lap belts are safer from the point of view that they can be anchored to the chassis and are a cheaper fix, if a bit messy and not so good in a crash

Paul

[bkz411]

My 411 Series 6 which is a nut and bolt restoration of a Series 4. It has,
what I would call, 'normal' seat belts in the back. I use them daily for my
kids, who both use child seats as well.

I am not technical when it comes to cars - but if you would like I can take
a picture of them if that would help shed more light on what is possible?
Let me know if this would help.

John

[Kevin H]

Greg,

Bristol introduced inertia reel seat belts for rear seats in the 411 S5, along with rear headrests.

However, they didn't mount the seatbelt reels on the parcel shelf, as my photos show.

Regards,
Kevin

[dezelsky]

I spoke to Bristol Cars Services recently and was quoted £700 to install rear inertia belts in my 411 S4. This seems reasonable to me and am planning to proceed. I believe they weld a strengthening bar under the parcel shelf, so I am not sure that the end result will be aesthetically pleasing. It would be better to mount in tandem with front belt anchor to the wheel arch so the belt mechanism can be hidden, but presumably this would require considerable load strengthening (I have also encountered serious corrosion problems here). There may also be a space space restriction for mounting 2 inertia mechanisms.

[Kevin H]

Greg,

I have searched high and low and can't find any decent photos of the seat belt reel mountings on my 411.

Given that you are in the USA and it is not economically viable to send your car to Bristol Cars to have them fitted properly, they might be prepared to send you some drawings of what needs to be done, or perhaps they could send you some better photos.

Failing that, I can remove my rear seat and parcel shelf and take some better photos and provide a detailed description of how they are mounted in my car - I am quite sure it is an original factory fitment from when the car was made.

Regards,
Kevin

[californiabristol]

Thanks to all for your advice and help.

Kevin, it is interesting to see that the factory placement for the rear(?) shoulder belt re-tractors are mounted on the longitudinal, rectangular-sectioned member out board of the fuel tank. This looks reinforced on your car. Your pictures are already very helpful. I have included some additional photos to show the current seat belt mountings on my car.
I am certain the rears are not original, and I believe I have receipts for their fitting. BCL would be the best source for advice. It won't hurt to ask.

Does the B-post mounting for the front shoulder belt guide look suspect to anyone?

Paul , I agree that the rear mounting is probably not safe, and the easiest solution would be to revert to simple lap belts as on John's Series 6
since the mounting points are already there. John, I am certain that the lower mounting points are original, but it would be good to get some
reliable, as-new images of the original seat belts for the forum(s). Pictures of your beautiful car would be nice in any case!

Paul D. good luck with your new seat belts from BCL. Please let me know how the new belts are mounted.

Thanks again,

Greg

[bkz411]

On my way out this morning I managed to take these pictures. Sorry for the dust, but I was in a rush and I have only noticed it now. The kids seats were in the back which must have hidden it from my view during my various cleans.
Not sure if these will be of any use, but hope they are of interest. I believe the back seat belts have three points, not two.