Nevermind on #2

I figured out how to remove the interior color insert from the handle. Here are some pictures of the part for others' reference. I'm pretty sure I didn't break it!

 

1) What's the purpose of the rectangular cutout in the side panel?

You are correct. The seatbelt slides through it and attaches to the rear bulkhead down low. There should be two threaded holes one on either side of the tunnel. May have plastic caps inserted into them. When I bought mine the seatbelts and rear seat were already installed.

 

I think your are describing the oval cutout with the four tabs. I have that one cut out and have managed to get the oval seatbelt bezels to fit into my oval cutouts. I snapped one, but managed to get the second in without breaking it. Fortunately the bezel/grommet fit is so tight that there's not much risk of it ever coming out now that I got it in there.

But I was wondering about the rectangular perforation. Do you see that in my first picture? It's just below the oval perforation?

I guess I don't need it. I didn't touch it.

 

Post more photos on this issue. I'll do same job in few weeks as well. I've ordered rear seat. I now thinking to order 3-pt or 2-pt safety belts. I'm thinking to make 3-pt belts some how retractable.

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I bought a used seat with colors that don't even match my car. The seat is gray and I have a red interior. There were two benefits:
1) It is the folding OEM style, and came with all hardware and seat belts.
2) I paid under $200 (less than half the cost of a new, non-folding seat)

The installation of the OEM seat was very easy. There were holes for everything:
- Four seat belt holes (my seat came with the belts and bolts)
- two inserts for the folding seat back bracket each with two holes (my seat came with the four screws)
- Two holes in the vertical sheet metal in front of the seat for the leather strap that holds the seat back down like a parcel shelf. (My seat came with the two sheet metal screws, leather strap and bracket.)

My seat bottom just snugs in, middle piece first, then the two side seats. The only things that I did not complete or figure out are:
A) The spring-loaded clip that holds the seat back up. It has four screw holes, and residual glue on the face. So I assume a little square the back carpet should be cut and the spring loaded clip can mount behind the carpet. Since the sheet metal up there is so flimsy, I assume it would require four tiny nuts and bolts. I don't want to cut my carpet, so it will sit in the small parts box in the trunk of the car.
B) There's a ~1 cm rubber bumper that came with the seat. I don't know where it goes. It is staying with the above clip in a small zip lock bag in the small parts box in my trunk.

I don't know if I will ever dye the seat, but if I do, taking it out is very simple. There are only six screws (two in each bracket for the seat back, and two for the brace that holds the leather strap). It will not be a project, but the dyeing will be a project.

My parcel shelf is in the attic of my garage. I'm sure it will be used again. If I die, someone please make sure it gets re-joined with my car. When I find a hard top-storage location, I'll be sure to keep the parcel shelf there. Hopefully that will be more obvious in the event of my demise.

 

Mercedes R107 SL Restoration

 

I know this page. But I'm looking for retractable solution for rear seat belts.

 

What if I buy these two products and install?

I'm thinking install retracter to be visible. Not hided somwere because there is no were to hide it. Any comments? Good idea bad idea?

Manual:
Mercedes R107 SL Restoration

 

What if I buy these two products and install?

View attachment 364995

View attachment 364994

I'm thinking install retracter to be visible. Not hided somwere because there is no were to hide it. Any comments? Good idea bad idea?

Manual:
Mercedes R107 SL Restoration

OH. I didn't see the seat belt extender up in that post. Maybe you could use that to hang the retractor out of the soft top well (still dumping the pulley).

 

There might be space to hide the retractor back there behind those side panels. Lots of folks put speakers back there. I'm just not sure if there's be enough space for all that stuff in the picture above. If installed in the config shown in the picture above, I assume that contraption would require:

1) The top bolt to get a custom bolt into the the wheel well as shown in the page on the red 280sl restoration. BUT NOTE: that you'd need to have a free-flowing strap going in-to and out-of the convertible top well, and running under your soft top boot. That just doesn't sound like it's going to work to me.

2) The two bottom pieces would be bolted together in the same spot probably, hopefully fitting behind the side panel. Maybe in this scenario you'd use both of the side panel cut-outs that I show in the early posts of this thread.

Maybe that configuration would work.

Here's another thought:
- Dump the top pulley hardware and put the contractor in the soft top well. The problem with this is the amount of space you'd take in the soft top well. You might not be able to close your soft top. I guess that would defeat the purpose of having a convertible. Well, you can probably forget that idea I guess.

OK Last place to put the retractor:
- If you put the retractor in the center, you probably would not be able to install the seat cushion because there's really NO room for anything back there.

IMO: Retracting 3-point seat belt in a r107? Impossible or impractical.

I don't even have retractable shoulder belts in the front of my r107. I'm not sure why you'd need them in the back.

NOW HERE'S PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT:
- Try sitting in the back of your SL. I don't care if you've got a seat or not. Just try it. You will quickly notice that you are in the cannonball position, and even if you were to get into a wreck, a 3-point seat belt would not be doing anything for a person my size (5'10" 165lbs). And that's before putting anyone in the front seat, where I might have the front seat less than an inch from my face... if someone could even fit in the front.

I have yet to put try fitting my kids in the back seat. I'm hoping to be able to fit some 5-point baby/booster seats back there and strap the bosters in with the lap belts. I might need to shop for the smallest booster seats in the world to make it work. I'm fine with removing the seat and parcel shelf to make this work too.

I'll take pictures of mine next time I have the hard top off.