Seat belts in 57 Chevy Pickup....

....So I have the inside all stripped out so I can sand and primar the interior, and my parents made me get seat belts. Shocking huh? I was wondering where the best place to put the mounts? Any advice greatly appreciated...

Thanks!

-Crawford

 

play with the seat belts and put them around the floor where you think they ought to be and inspect the length of them and placement in reference to your seat, etc. you want them to be in a natural spot but not end up being too far away and too short or too close and too long.

once you pick a nice spot, put a mark on it. crawl under and make sure there is nothing that will interfere with that spot. drill some holes, get some big heavy nuts and bolts and you will need something to keep the bolt from pulling through the floor if ever you need to use those belts i went to the local metal shop and got some square washers. they were about 3''x3'' with a predrilled hole in the center. i used grade 8, 3/4'' or maybe bigger bolts with nylock nuts.

heavy, strong and secure. ive put seatbelts in a few rides over the years. let me know if you want some pics

 

Seatbelts kill probably just as many as they save.

 

that is some old world philosophy that just doesnt have any bearing in the real world anymore but thanks for your opinion

 

Once you install them, then they will always have to be there. Just tuck them in the seat so they look installed, but don't anchor them.

 

Yeah just saying what my buddy see's (coroner). I've been on ride alongs. Seat belts KILL as well as SAVE if you read my post.

 

Only way I could see seatbelts not helping in an accident is if they were to get stuck and a person could not get out of a wreck in time. That being said, belts and door locks were the first things I put in my truck. I locates the center two about in the middle of the seat, the other two all the way out to the edge, just under neath the seat. Be sure to check where your drilling so you don't drill through something important like a fuel line or a something.

 

Where ever you mount them DO NOT BOLT THEM TO THE FRAME OR ANY CROSSMEMBERS!! Should you get in a wreck and the body shifts off the frame you'll be pinched or crushed.

 

Your buddy the coroner might not see many of the people the seat belts save.

 

Imho, it's a known FACT that more people get killed because they get thrown out of the vehicle and then the SOB roll's over on them, crushing them dead!

And I know of two times where p***engers got ejected OUT the rear window too!! Figure this one out!! A little help here... Car spins, goes in backwards, flips and out through the rear window you GO!!!!

I always picture the scene in "Bullet" where the driver of the Charger stops and buckle's up b/c he know's it's gonna be one hell of a ride!!!

pdq67

 

........

 

uh or you could use your brain and if you dont want to see them you tuck them into the seat once they are installed....i tuck in all my belts at car shows, looks cleaner that way

 

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Step by step instructions, and diagrams for retrofitting Wesco 3 point seat belts[/FONT]

http://www.wescoperformance.com/3-point-seat-belts-shoulder-mt-door.html


I did mine like this, but made my own plates.

Only idiots don't believe in using belts.

David

 

Completely NOT what I was going for.

 

My better half is an EMT. The stories I've heard convinced me to put seat belts in my truck. I installed a 4-point crash cage too. These trucks (55.5 Chevy, etc) are tin cans, zero "intrusion prevention" from the factory.

 

hmm i must be an idiot then. Haven't had belts in any of my cars. It's traditional right. hahaha if you like em put em in, if you don't then don't. Big ****in fuss over seatbelts.

 

You have my vote.

Cosmo

P.S. A 'Coroner", by definition, tends only to DEAD people. Which is why he has so many stories about dead people, because that's all he knows.

Now, if you were to ride along with an EMT, you'd see WHY you are an idiot. Or probably not, simply because you see only what supports your viewpoint

 

There are some great folks on the HAMB, and a buncha serious freakin' *****S ...!!!
Oh well, it's just the gene pool cleansing itself.
Survival of the fittest and all that ...!

 

Here's the deal. The buddy of mine has been to the scene of where the people evaluating the car crash said... "if this guu wasn't wearing his belt he would of survived." Do I car what they look like? NO... it was a joke. Me personally do not like being buckled in. With a fuel tank behind most my seats was probabally not there for a reason... Or not thought of at that point. Now for the kid I understand why you parents want you to get belts. Not saying they are a bad idea. I just don't use them. Now everyone else saying they are a must have.... Not for me. Call me whatever. But when you're belt keeps you in your car when it burns to the ground... You'll see why I do not like them. Thanks...

And cosmo before you start voting... I vote for you to get a hot rod first before you start making comments. Go drive the saturn or whatever it is you drive. I drive all my rods and have since I started driving, DAILY.

 

Hey! Knock it off! I wanted an answer, not an argument. If anyone has a picture of where they put theres it would be killer. Im pretty sure I know where its gonna go, but it would be nice to see exactly where it goes.

 

Try bobshotrods.com under how to's 1956 chevy truck seat belt installation

 

If you remove your bench seat, you'll see a raised channel (it's the cab crossmember) that the rear of the seat rails mount to. Attach to that channel. Use a large rectangular fish-plate on the underside to help spread the pull-out load.

 

all ******** aside, you can put the seat belts wherever you see fit. my '55 should have had clip in seat belts but it didnt so i put them through the floor. just make damn sure you have some heavy plate underneath cause you dont want those bolts to rip through sheet metal if you ever need them.

speedway sells them as a kit if you would prefer
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Seat-Belt-Installation-Kit,2480.html

and to all the others. we can argue this all day. its an old argument. seat belts do save lives but if you dont wanna wear em, no worries. just dont push the topic on others that do is all

 

I got good mounting plates. I figured that raised channel would be the best place to mount em too. Now I just gotta see how they fit with the seat and drill the holes etc. Thanks for the help!

 

no worries man, been there and done that, you know. good luck and let us know how it goes

 

Put the 3 point system in my 56, but I have bucket seats in it. Turned out fine and should be safer now. Sorry no pictures yet though.

 

LOL, my older brother is an EMT/Paramedic and says the same thing, they cause as much as they prevent. Mostly due to the non adjustability of them. He is really pissed about the commercial here where the State Trooper says he never unbuckled a dead person, he says that's correct, if they're dead the EMT/Paramedic gets to do it.

 

Well....I started drilling the holes for the mounting plates, and our old drill ****ped out and broke. So I had to borrow one and now I have to wait for it to charge. Guess it will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

my buddy had a mustang with a bench seat in the front.It had 1 belt that went from the p***enger side to the drivers side.It was good enough for him.

 

just make sure if you don't wear them, you sign an organ doner card to save someone else, that way when you fly out of the car, hit your head on the concrete, and end up brain dead, it won't be a total waste. I can't believe this argument is still going on, and I think most people simply overlook the fact they aren't traditional. Better to live and build another car then to die in a wreck. There are a lot of idiots on the road today who simply don't pay attention or simply don't care. I don't believe the argument that if they hadn't been wearing your belt, you would have lived, some wrecks aren't survivable no matter what. They are seeing more and more lower leg injuries in cars with airbags now, because people survive wrecks that would have otherwise killed them, belts or not. Be careful out there and wear your belts, I hate seeing posts about people who have died. I have personally survived a wreck that would have killed me had I not been wearing my belt. They will save you.