Frame rails seatbelts and driving Miss Daisy

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Hello All,
Just to update everyone, a few weeks ago I posted a question about steering mount bolt problems on my 114 body / 250 sedan. I'm happy to report that I have installed a 6"X10"by 1/4"thick steel plate with six 10MM
bolts, 3 in the steering box and 3 into anchor plates inside the frame rail. So far no steering box movement and the steering seems much more precise now. Lets see it try to bend that 1/4" plate!
Last month, while the steering repairs were in progress, I acquired another Mercedes. An elderly friend, whom I had helped out in the past with her car problems, passed away and left me her car, a 1960 220S Finback. She purchased this car new in Italy, was 81 and still driving this car regularly (With stickshift and manual steering!). The bad news is that the car was parked outside for the last 20 - 25 years so the body and chrome suffered. The good news is that she spent a small fortune on mechanical repairs (But not with me!) so the car is an excellent driver.
I've started patching rustholes, replaced a brake hose and fitted a vintage Becker-Wonder Bar tube radio. After replacing the motor mounts it's uncanny how, at traffic lights I can't even tell the engine is running - it's so smooth!
This months question is; Has anyone ever fitted seatbelts to one of these early cars? Specifically, I want to fit shoulder belts to the front seats and there are no anchor points in the door pillars. The cavity inside the upper pillar is only 7/8" wide and the belts require a 7/16" fine thread anchor bolt
which leaves about 3/16" on either side of the anchor bolt for a reinforcing plate. Or I can try to fabricate an anchor from a solid 7/8" square steel bar, with a 7/16" fine thread tapped into it.
Thanks in advance and Happy Motoring,
Mark DiSilvestro

[bachlauter]

Mark!!

Your new finback sound so COOL!!!!!!!!!!!

(another example of how the "little old lady" story CAN be TRUE!)

Right on Mark!

btw..do you mean that there ARE no seatbelts in the car?? (Or no shoulder strap?)

~Christy

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Yes, Christy
Here in USA, cars weren't required to have seatbelts in 1960. (Although some Swedish cars had them and they were availible here on other makes as a dealer installed option.) By Federal law, cars were only required to have the lap belt anchor points factory installed after 1962 and shoulder belt anchors after 1968. 'Miss Daisy' never had seatbelts or anchor points and since I plan to fix her up as a driver instead of a show car, I feel a little naked without them. J C Whitney sells new, USA made, lap or shoulder belt kits with the 60s style, chrome buckles but I'll need to custom-make anchors for them in this car.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[toms]

Mark,

Congrats on the fine new (old) addition to your garage! Not only is it a great car, but a nice way to come by the car. Are you doing the body work yourself?

Hope you take lots of before and after pictures!

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Tom,
Despite the 12 year age difference from my well-worn 250 and lack of power steering and disc brakes, I've really enjoyed driving 'Miss Daisy'. She feels more responsive with the manual trans. (A friend once told me "these cars feel 500 pounds lighter with a stickshift!") I'm planning to repair as much of the rockers and underbody as possible myself and try to treat the inner fenders and doors with heavy oil to slow, if not stop, the dreaded tinworm. 12 years ago I poured 90 wt. gear oil into the inner cavities of my 1972 250 rear fenders. The fender seams over the back tires were just starting to swell with rust and, while the floors and trunk have since rusted badly, the rear wheel openings have remained intact.
I'll have to borrow my brothers' computer as my Web-Tv precludes posting photos.

Happy Motoring, Mark