Seatbelt Installation

Here's the place to come to post when you have questions relating to technical issues or mechanical questions on the 1966 model year.

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jk_misiaszek
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Seatbelt Installation

Post by jk_misiaszek »

I have my columns covered with headliner, felt and carpet on the floor and now I cannot remember where on the columns, the bolt holes are for the seatbelts.

Do you have any pictures of this or " from top or bottom?
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

I moved this thread to the technical/mechanical forum. You can probably still feel where the holes are locted with your fingers if you push hard enough. I have done this before and it worked pretty well. Someone else may have a photo but I think it will still be hard to judge even with a photo.
BarneyBoy
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Seat Belts

Post by BarneyBoy »

I'm dealing with this same location issue. I can't find the original front seat belt installation holes on the lower part of the door posts. I have prodded around and they are extremely well hidden or just not there. It would be great for someone to give specific location information on the hole location on the '66 model bug. Thanks! Barney Boy. :x
JavaG66
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Seat belt installation

Post by JavaG66 »

I just put seatbelts in our bug this morning; I'll try to post the measurements tomorrow to help you find them. One hole was on the side of the tunnel, the other on the floorboard near the heater channel, and the one on the door post was about 6" below the attachment for the assist strap. I will get you some closer dimensions and then you should be able to poke holes through the carpet to find them. On our beetle, the bolt holes on the sides of the tunnel had very large plastic washers held in place with plastic bolts; I had to pull up the carpet to get those out of the way.
BarneyBoy
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Seat Belt Installation

Post by BarneyBoy »

Thanks JavaG66--My '66 bug seems to be a different critter. I replaced the floorpans about 6 months ago and I'm just now getting to the interior including reinstalling the seat belts. The 90 degree bracket on the recoil unit is a clue, so I'm sure they were originally mounted on a horizontial surface (i.e. the floor). This became an issue because the new pans had no installation point, adding to my confusion. It sure would have been nice if I would have taken pictures or at least made notes!

Thanks again for your info. If you could give me an idea where the floor location mounts are, that would be great! :D BarneyBoy.
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

I think with all the seat belt questions that come up - you guys will end up being the resident experts!
BarneyBoy
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Seat belt

Post by BarneyBoy »

jmartini wrote:I think with all the seat belt questions that come up - you guys will end up being the resident experts!
Ain't that the truth, John. It seems that 1966 was a transitional year regarding seat belts with the "bug" and that some variations in the mounting locations existed. (Man, that sounded good--more probably, I just don't know what I'm doing!) BarneyBoy
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jmartini
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Post by jmartini »

but you are right...1966 was indeed a transition year for the 66 and seatbelts. They were just an option that year so it would not surprise me if some came with mounting holes and some did not. Good luck with the install!
JavaG66
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Post by JavaG66 »

Hi folks,
Please forgive me for not getting back to you sooner with some measurements. :oops: Here are the locations on my bug: On the door post, the bolt is 6 1/2" down from the two smaller screws that hold on the coat hook/assist strap. The two bottom bolts are both 7 3/4' forward of the metal cross piece that holds the panel that hides the battery and has the two heat ports. The one near the door is just outside the heater channel, and like you said, is horizontal on the floor pan. The other one is vertical on the tunnel. The instructions that came with mine from Wolfsburg West show the location for the two floor bolts as being 5 1/2" rearward of the end of the seat track. A lot of words & no picture; I hope this helps make your bug safer! :P
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scruffy
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Post by scruffy »

My bug has the original lap belts,no recoil or shoulder strap and no seat back latch. oops maybe i better drive the wifes hyundai! :o
66vw,62vwtrike,71vw super project car and 73vw bus,and one sometimes understanding wife
BarneyBoy
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Seat belts

Post by BarneyBoy »

JavaG66 wrote:Hi folks,
Please forgive me for not getting back to you sooner with some measurements. :oops: Here are the locations on my bug: On the door post, the bolt is 6 1/2" down from the two smaller screws that hold on the coat hook/assist strap. The two bottom bolts are both 7 3/4' forward of the metal cross piece that holds the panel that hides the battery and has the two heat ports. The one near the door is just outside the heater channel, and like you said, is horizontal on the floor pan. The other one is vertical on the tunnel. The instructions that came with mine from Wolfsburg West show the location for the two floor bolts as being 5 1/2" rearward of the end of the seat track. A lot of words & no picture; I hope this helps make your bug safer! :P
Thanks for all the great information and the detailed follow up! BarneyBoy
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