So I got a jalopy...but now dad says it needs seatbelts...

well I finally got an old car after years of procrastination and excuses. It's a '54 ford 4dr sedan, its atrocious, slow as hell, and I freakin love it! I cant wait to pick it up friday, it even runs and drives. More details to come in a future thread after I pick the car up.

but anyways, my dad says I gotta put seatbelts in it before I can drive it. I looked at the mooneyes site and they had some for about $35 each. I searched the forum but couldnt really find much. Could someone maybe explain the installation process a little and maybe give like a general description of where everything goes? I just cant really picture where everything would go. I know some ppl say bolt to the frame and others to the floor. Ive decided Ill most likely bolt to the floor but I dont want to start an arguement so lets ***ume they're being bolted to the floor. anyone have pics of their installation or closeups of what both sides of the belt mount to? how hard is the installation?

 

you can bolt it to the floor but make sure you put a piece of 1/8 plate under the floor and then bolt it up.... if you just drill thru the floor, incase of an accident it will just tear off the sheet metal. theres no real strength on the floor without it.

just my $.02

 

Go to Julianso's Rod Shop website. they have a couple tech articles regarding installing lap belts and 3 pt shoulder harness type. Plus they sell belts, anchors and reinforcments.

http://www.julianos.com/

In a Frame and body car, you DO NOT want the belts attached to the frame. If the frame and body seperate in an accident, you wanna be with the body, not tied to the frame. The last thing you want is to be belted the frame while the force of the accident pulls the body off around you.......

 

Yes, pictures even: seat belts 40 ford

 

Only thing I can add is you can get them much cheaper than 35 Denero's, I got mine for a 20 spot from a local rod shop. Make sure you take the advice of LowSprings. The moounting kits I've seen has about a 3-4 inch, 1/8" plate with a hole drill in it and the nut welded to plate, but not necessity. Good Luck and enjoy

Big Tony
fiddy fo chebby

 

Juliano's belts 17.95 a set but get the attaching hardware as well 15.00 a set but they are heavy duty not washers.

 

Awwww hell go to the local Pick-a-part yard...or the junk yard...get 'em for next to nothing...you'll probably have to take them out, but that's a good learning experience.

NEW off the shelf belts in an old P.O.S is gonna look way outta place in that interior.

If you take them out at the junkyard, you'll know how to put them in...and you've got a choice of about a million colors...and latches...and shoulder belts...and even lap and shoulder belts!!!

Get to work, your Dad's correct!
R-

 

DON'T get belts from the junkyard!

Something like belts should always be bought new/unused. There's PLENTY of period-looking belts available to you US guys to warrant not risking some "pre-stretched" belts not working in an accident!

 

Junkyard Seatbelts Are Like Any Used Parts
Check Them Out Before Buying
Lotsa Rear Set Units Ar Barely Used ..ever

Be Prepared As The Bolts To Remove Belts Are Tedious To Remove Fine Theaded Long Sum*****es ..
Big Sockets Six Point Or Torx
Long Extensions And A Long Handled Ratchet

New Ones Made In ? By ?

I'll By Used American First

Paperdog

 

I've gotten quite a few sets from a junkyard in the last few years, check for rips or mouse nibbles, get them out of a newer (80's, 90's) vehicle and they are hardly worn. You can even find the correct Chevy, Ford or Dodge logo if you look long enough... kinda cool.

I've never used the steel plate thing, just drilled the correct hole in the floor, or used the rear mounting holes for the bucket seats which is reinforced already (bolt the seat right back on top), and use the biggest thickest washers, lock washers, and high quality nuts/bolts on the market torqued to high heaven. They ain't goin' nowhere.

 

You can get the aircraft style belts cheap enough not to need used ones.

Remember, they didn't make break away steering wheels until Mustangs became popular with the Yuppie crowd.......WHICH MEANS, the usual suspect in crashes was a CRUSHED face of drivers and p***engers.

Think your sweet lil face meets a brick wall *your dash* at more force then your local roller coaster can put you thru. ***y thought huh?

Do what Dante says and screw them thru the floor, but underneath that flooring, use a piece of plate. Bolt everything to that for stability.....otherwise you'll risk tearing your floors out. Old seatbelts will tear as well....just a thought! I picked up these for I think 20 skins each and they came with hardware. Just went to my local Mustang resto shop and viola.

 

seatbelts in a roadster? what if you flip?

 

I just got done putting belts in my Olds this weekend. Make sure you dont drill through anything, and put as bug a washer as possible on the bottom side of the floor, that way if you get hit all the force is spread evenly through the floor. Be creative too, dont just put the holes in the first place you look, the way i set mine up, if i dont want you to see them (like at a show) your not gonna see'em. Good luck though.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I'm SO glad you care enough to send flowers. Hahaha check out the steeringwheel babes. It's on the right hand side.....that RPU is Aussie.

I bought them and shipped them.

Flip it, won't mess my hair up. I won't ever run belts in an open car........I'd rather fly thru the air like WonderWoman and use the asphalt like a cheese grater across my body. Sure beats the alternative.

 

Hey Brandy, who's RPU is that??

 

ahh ok... i noticed the wheel i was i had something smart to say about that too

 

Don't forget to thank your father for giving enough of a **** about you to get you to do the smart thing.
Have fun with the Ford !!!!!!!

 

+1 on the no seatbelts from the boneyard. Sunlight/etc... will get them over the years . . . I'd rather pony up the bucks for new rather than wonder if my family or the next guy to own my car will end up testing the webbing on something I got cheap on. As for seatbelts in a roadster, what % of accidents are going to involve flip-overs? I'd say you have a higher chance that some bonehead pulls out in front of you than pulling an SUV moment. That same argument could apply to a lot of cars, because let's face it, a lot of our rides weren't made to p*** government crash standards.

If I were in a situation that called for that, I think I'd grab a seat/gear shifter/or something and duck . . . or just put a hoop in the car for peace of mind.

 

Don't run used belts-for all the reason's above-even at $35.00 each-you really want to risk your safety-even on a really hard stop-to saving $20. That won't even get you a doctor's appointment.

Try Andover Restraints-they have some really good belts,I got stainless aircfraft type buckles, for way less thatn $35 with good installation instructions.

 

Brandy , Well put : " I won't ever run belts in an open car........I'd rather fly thru the air like WonderWoman and use the asphalt like a cheese grater across my body. Sure beats the alternative."
Me , I will fly like Batman ...
Klaz

 

That RPU looks like Losquires.....where are ya man ??

Rat

 

You duck!

 

$14.95 for aircraft style belts. I bought a set for my Falcon. Good quality stuff. I'll likely buy another set for my Model A.
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=100BELTBLK+01

 

You don't have a collapsable steering wheel. Lap belts can let the steering column hit you in the chest. (Experience talking here) Do a search, there was a thread on installing shoulder restraints on here some time ago. Worth a look.

PS, your pop is right. Put them in the car and remember to thank him for his input. Fathers dig that sort of thing. (More experience talking here)

 

If your an adult you can't blame seatbelts on your dad. Well maybe I sould say you shouldn't blame seatbelts on your dad. What's the issue here.

Look at it this way if you don't have 'em you can put dough on your dash and use you face to make gorilla cookies without 'em.

OK enough foolishness. If you're installing lap belts they just bolt trhough the floor, as has been said a piece of 1/8" plate is the norm say 2"x2". You can also use a very large washer, they make 'em just for that purpose and new belts for a retro-fit normally come with them.

I would probably tac weld the plates or washers to the floor if it were me and I was shooting for not makeing gorilla cookies.

That said in the Pusher I have an old set of Catapillar belts to satisfy the law. They wouldn't keep me off the dash at anything above 70 or 80 MPH but they will slow me down enough to position the dough before I hit. I plan on tacking some plate in this summer while I'm makeing some floor board repairs.

 

Another bit of advice. Get the brakes looked at pronto. I don't know the condition of your car, but if the brakes **** you'll need those belts sooner than you'd think!

Have fun with your project and post some pics.

 

You really ought to consider a three point belt like all modern cars have. Here's a link to a tech post I did when I pu tthem in my '50...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=74885

 

Hahahahaha- " pre-stretched belts"...good one, Peddro! I like that one. There's absolutely nothing wrong with seat belts out of a junked late model...if you watch what you are getting...no cuts, no mouse nibbles...and definitely no "pre-stretched" belts...Hmmmmmm, I'd like to know how to identify those in particular.

Please don't forget that a '54 Ford 4-door has a steel frame, a huge engine(compared to today's little things) and more sheet metal than is in any new car...and no plastic!

Here's the bottom line...guys on this board are actually cutting the blak off tire sidewalls to get cheap whitewalls...now explain to me where there is not danger in that...much more so than "pre-stretched" belts...!!! I'd trust my life to junk yard belts any day of the week (and have on a few occasions) than I would on tires that are weakened by cutting a whitewall in them.

The best thing is to install a lap/shoulder belt combo...do it how you want and purchase what you want...just do it safely!!!

R-

 

That might be an even better incentive to do it right . . . seatbelts in new cars are also part of the crash protection, they even have some give built into them. New cars have crumple zones, energy absorbing this and that . . . which explains why a 35 mph wreck in a new car looks like a 100 mph wreck in an old car. Bottom line is newer used belts in an old car means you are asking more of them than they were designed for. Where's some auto engineers when you need them? We've got HVAC guys on the garagejournal.com . . . we need some good experts here.

 

The "pre-stretched belts" are VERY easily identified. They are the ones in the cars with serious impact damage. Duh!

As far as the sidewall thing...the outer two layers of the sidewall on a tire are purely asthetic and offer no structural integrity AT ALL. Would you be concerned that your house would collapse because you removed the siding? Same damn thing.

Not pulling you out specifically, because we're all guilty of it in some way or another, myself included...but I'm sometimes amazed at some of the rediculous notions that otherwise intelligent car guys hold on to. Proof positive that p***ion often outweighs common sense!

Olson