76 Spider 2000 Veloce - rear seat seatbelt
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Yes, there are Spiders that have a rear seat... These Spiders did not come to the U.S.A., but the "rear seat" does exist. For those who are familiar with a FIAT 124 Sport Spider, the Alfa rear seat looks like the FIAT seat. That is to say that it is a molded cushion that fits over the back area, and it has the stitch pattern that the front seats have. It is not bolted or screwed to the back. It is just held in place by pressure.
Now, as far as this "rear seat" being adequate for a passenger, well, I don't really know. I do know that the FIAT Spider manual clearly states that the car is designed for 2 passengers only. I would think that it is the same for the Alfa Spider. This would be supported by the fact that there aren't any rear seat belts, and not to mention the very limited space... Of course, people do drive with passengers in the "back seat", so this is not surprising. (What's the maximum number of people you have driven with in your Alfa Spider? Mine is 6! Yes, I thought they were all gorgeous and worth the tight squeeze!
) To fit a real seat belt however, would be difficult. The only area in the back that is built to anchor a seat belt is what is already in the car. You could install other anchor points, but I think this would require reinforcing whatever area you chose. (When a roll bar is installed in the rear deck, every anchor point requires reinforcement, because the sheet metal is just too thin.) I would suggest that you try visiting with someone who has experience installing a race harness, and see what they think.
Best regards,
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wife is probably right on this one. additional seat belt or not...
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Thanks for posting a picture so quickly... I took the liberty of making it a little lighter to show the rear seat better...
BTW, welcome to the BB!
Best regards,
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Most of the Australian imports had back seat up to 1976 which was the end of the imports. My brother's 1976 had a back but no seat belts, it's not actually a back seat it is more like a cushion and it was comfortable to seat on, as for the back rest it definitely wasn't.
Rich
Rich
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Sometime I installed 2 point seat belts in the rear, hoping that I could fit my kid in the back. When we bought an infant seat I made sure that this seat was suited for 2-point seat belts. However, the bad news is that these seats (<4 years) are so big, that they do not fit in the back.
However, I have seen a spider with a nice seat in the back, which was hand made. The idea is to place the seat in the middle so that the child can place his legs between the two front seats. I no not know how safe it is.
About fitting seat belts in the rear: have a look at the attachment point for rear seat belts in GTVs. you can copy those.
However, I have seen a spider with a nice seat in the back, which was hand made. The idea is to place the seat in the middle so that the child can place his legs between the two front seats. I no not know how safe it is.
About fitting seat belts in the rear: have a look at the attachment point for rear seat belts in GTVs. you can copy those.
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Spider seatbelts
My last spider was an '89 that I bought w/ 17k in '98 from the second owner. It had 2 seat belts that looked very original in the rear area, There were no cushions, just the carpeted parcel shelf and belts. Probably dealer installed. I never used them, but they were there. unfortunately I have no pix of that area.
Good Luck
My last spider was an '89 that I bought w/ 17k in '98 from the second owner. It had 2 seat belts that looked very original in the rear area, There were no cushions, just the carpeted parcel shelf and belts. Probably dealer installed. I never used them, but they were there. unfortunately I have no pix of that area.
Good Luck
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For the record I bounced around in the back of both of these models as a small child. The Alfa without any sort of cushions. This was of course before child seats, regular use of seatbelts (just 'cause they had 'em doesn't mean people actually used 'em!), etc. I'll save y'all the trouble and make the crack myself - "oh, so THAT'S what happened!"
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Here's a picture of my spider with my kid ( and his friend ) sitting at the back. The back seats, unlike the pre-75 or US version as some suggested, are real seats with proper cushion on the bottom and the back. My 4 yr old fit perfectly in it as if the seats were designed for a toddler. There is no way an adult, or anyone above 5 ft can fit in it. The car is at the shop right now and I will post some photos after I get it back.
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Great picture!
Between the back cushion and the seat cushion, you should be able to fit "eye bolts". These spread the load, and you can also mount a backing plate on the other side of the sheet metal, which you can reach from underneath the car. This should allow you to fit a lap style seat belt.
Here's a link to for "Restraint System Mounting Hardware" form the Pit Stop USA web site: Auto Racing Safety Equipment : Racing shoes : racing suits : racing seat belts : racing helmets : racing gloves : Hans Device : Hutchens Device : SFI. This is all racing hardware, but as you can see, it's not expensive, and is very much up to the task.
Best regards,
Between the back cushion and the seat cushion, you should be able to fit "eye bolts". These spread the load, and you can also mount a backing plate on the other side of the sheet metal, which you can reach from underneath the car. This should allow you to fit a lap style seat belt.
Here's a link to for "Restraint System Mounting Hardware" form the Pit Stop USA web site: Auto Racing Safety Equipment : Racing shoes : racing suits : racing seat belts : racing helmets : racing gloves : Hans Device : Hutchens Device : SFI. This is all racing hardware, but as you can see, it's not expensive, and is very much up to the task.
Best regards,
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I fitted a single lap belt to my '89 Series 3 a few years ago for our son who was about 9 at the time. I mounted onto the same point as the passenger belt location for the outer fixing, and drilled through the propshaft tunnel at a point at the bottom of the 'backrest' area for the mounting near to the centre of the car. I added a 3" square of thicker steel plate to the underneath to give more support. I believe this to be a good fixing, but did have some concern about having no roof if the car rolled over.
Incidently, my car had no 'seat', but the base and rear area were not really any less comfortable that the very thin 'seat look' material used on the European spec models of the seventies. The base did, however, have extra strength than standard, and this was done by replacing the thin hardboard with thicker plywood and with additional steel support. Even at the age of nine though, my son had little room for his feet, and it did mean that the passenger seat had to be virtually all the way forward. There was little point in adding another belt to the driver's side since I have to have that all the way back due to my height. Besides, we only have one child!
Why not just put off doing those necessary engine repairs for long enough for your offspring to become a teenager. Then it won't be seen as being cool to go out in Dad's old sports car........
Have you thought about just removing the spare wheel and, er, putting the toddler in the boot........?
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