Manky's Pop.

[Manky Monkey]

The photos are showing on the forum here. You can't see them?
I posted a snap of my Pop caliper plates in the Wanted section.

http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8074.0

[poprodder]

cheers,
that works. i'll have a look again in this thread see if they're showing now.

back on subject good work there but are your top seat belt mounts to high?
should they be shoulder height?

[Manky Monkey]

I just measured the ones in my Fiesta, but will check the cars in Loony's yard tomorrow & take the average.
I can always weld a new nut in lower if necessary.
Cut up an off-cut of box section to form a "foot" for the uprights. With a corresponding tab on the chassis, they can be bolted in place & eventually welded to the body down the side of the door. They'll form the rear body mounts.

[Manky Monkey]

Then we'll weld in a filler panel between the original door jamb & the new upright box section.

[twolanes]

The top mounts in my Yaris are above the shoulder/neck line & they cut into your neck when you wear a t-shirt.

[Clive]

The seat belts in Donna's Suzuki Swift are the same!!! What is it with the Japs (thought they were supposed to be smaller than us!?!?!

Clive

[panthershaun]

they are, that's why they moved the harness mounts higher except we ain't that much taller than them 

[BikerGran]

The ones in my Jap car are adjustable!  *smug*

[triker_Chewie]

my holden's are adjustable too

[twolanes]

they are, that's why they moved the harness mounts higher except we ain't that much taller than them 

im not, thats for sure,lol. i bought a couple of those "boy racer" foam pads for mine.

[Manky Monkey]

O.K chaps. Happy to take suggestions & advice when it's offered here. I've never built a car from scratch before & there's a lot to be thunk about.
Top seatbelt mounts now lowered by 8 inches to shoulder height. I didn't have any spare fine pitch nuts to make new captive nuts from, so cut an 8 inch strip out of the front of the upright, flipped it round & Loony welded it back in, (my welder's being repaired), to move the nut from the top of the box section to lower down.
I've angled the inertia reel forward to the angle necessary to pull the belt across you when you're sat in the car & it seems to work fine. The guy who upholstered the seat bases mentioned he could stitch seatbelt webbing, so I'll get him to move the orange tags to the bottom of the belts, out of the way.

[Manky Monkey]

Still not happy with the way the seatbelts reel in & out. With the reel at the bottom & a fixed mounting point at the top, when you jump in the car & pull on the belt, it doesn't reel out from the top like you expect it to. You have to use your other hand to pull out a length of belt from the bottom.
I tried putting them the other way up with the reel at the top, but it looks totally wrong. The reel sticks out into the window opening, (so you can see it from outside the car), & is right next to your ear. It does reel out easier though.
Most modern belts have the reel at the bottom, with the strap running up & through a hanging loop at shoulder height, then back down to the same fixing as the reel. I'll try that but need to find a couple of old hanging brackets.
The clip part of the belts are now in, bolted to a captive nut welded to a short length of 5mm steel strap, which is welded to the chassis & handbrake mount. Keeping it low to the floor minimises any leverage on the mounts, hopefully making them sturdier.

[Manky Monkey]

Moving on, I want to tie the 2 seatbelt pillars together, partly to give them some extra strength & partly to add some rigidity to the body shell. As I said, the uprights will be seam welded to the body down the back of the doors, but bolted to the chassis, so they'll form 2 of the body/chassis mounts.
The plan is to run the left-over length of 1 inch by 2 inch box section across the roof to form a loop from one upright to the other. It's not a proper roll cage, but with the box section welded to the body, it'll all be a lot sturdier.
To create a curved length of box, I cut it through 3 of the 4 sides, at 1 inch intervals. It could then be gently curved to suit the arc of the roof. I'll tack it to one upright, then pull it across the roof, tack welding it to shape at intervals. Hopefully I can then take it out, fully weld it to the desired curve, then refit it & weld it to the 2 pillars. Lots of work, (& welding), & no-one will see it as it'll be under the headlining, but at least we'll know we did it properly.
Looks like a Terminator's spine! 

[Manky Monkey]

Bendy box section cut to length & tacked together to follow the line of the roof. Next I need to pull it back out, fully weld it, then reinstall & weld to the seatbelt pillars.

[Manky Monkey]

With several other mate's projects besides mine underway in Loony's workshop, space is getting a bit tight. There's very often 2 welders & a couple of grinders on the go at the same time & power cables everywhere. When I'm working inside the Pop, everyone has to catch my attention if I'm welding or grinding, ask me to move so they can shut the Pop door, clamber past to reach the workbench & tool chest, then climb back again. A brainwave from Mr Loony today led to the door being unbolted from the cab -instantly more work space for me & everyone else.