I want to install 3 sets of lap belts in the back of my 59 Chevy. 1 for each of the twins' car seats and one for an adult to sit in between them and keep an eye on them (wife's request). Does each strap need to have it's own bolt/anchor, or can the right belt strap for the middle seat share an anchor with the left belt strap of the right seat?
When I last did a set for the center I shared the mounting points with the outside belts. I'm not sure what the manufacturers would recommend, but I know in my other cars they share them from the factory. Bill
I mounted a belt in the rear of my '59 poncho last year for the son and have to install a new one this year for the new daughter (she's due within the next 3 weeks!) and I planned on sharing the mounts. Figured with a huge fender washer on both sides and a 3/8" grade 8 bolt it would be well more than enough. Can't be too safe, especially with the little ones.
Sharing the bolts in the middle is the normal way to do it. As Starchief 1959 said use large washers or steel plates on the back side. I think I'd use a larger bolt than the 3/8 though. Go with a bolt that is closer to the size of the hole in the mount end of the belt.
It's encouraging to know how many others aren't allowing their kids to keep them from the car lifestyle, but making it work and promoting their interest.
Those '59-'60 rear floor pans are ALL at least partially rusted out so reinforce them. I just welded patches in my '60 Elky and when I put the belts in where I had just torn them out of the old rust easily by hand I think I'm going to run a 1/8" thick steel strap under the floor the width of the belt mount bolts on each side to tie them together under a wider expanse of steel and not just a 2" flatwasher.
I shared bolts on rears for my Buick Convertible and my 28 Pontiac Tub for my girls. One question, and I don't want to Hi-jack (but I guess I am..)... Last year my kids were in full car seats with 5 pt. harnesses- no problem.... I kept the car seats in place with lap belts. I felt that they were very safe like that. This year they are in booster seats, which isn't a problem in modern cars because they have shoulder straps. I haven't thought of a way to put shoulder straps in the back seats that would be rigid enough and still be aesthetically pleasing in the '28 or Buick. I really, really don't want to risk the safety of my girls.... Is it safe for them to ride in their booster seats with only lap belts? Does any one know of the law(s), particularly in Ohio? Thanks, Andy
I've got the same concern about the booster seats. Does anybody know of a booster seat with shoulder straps?
I shared bolts in mine also. Got 3 kiddos that love to go for rides in the "noisy car" I got mine from cl***ic industries and the mounting kit came with big plates for the bottom.
Good idea DrJ. Not sure about boosters. Maybe check with the manufacturer. I don't think there's anyway to make shoulder belts aesthetically pleasing.
In my cirlce of friends it would be the lil ones that have to supervise the adult! Youv'e seen my crew
Maybe I can get a picture later but my daughters booster seat has a piece that goes in front of her. With the lap belt around it she isn't going anywhere.
I tried a 1/2" but it was too big and I'll be damned if I'm going to install someting metric on that car!
Here in Oz, seat belt bolts are all 7/16 UNF or M11 on Jap cars. ( 7/16 is pretty much 11mm ). Also, seat belt bolts are reeeaaaly soft. Don't know why, but they are. If you're putting lap/sash belts in, be sure to have the mount higher than your shoulder, or a big stack could easily result in a ruptred disk or 2.
Our Aussie laws also require lap/sash belts on the outside seats, and on the new cars even the centre seat position now has a shoulder harness. With my kids booster seats the shoulder harness used to go over the back of the booster top and down onto the rear parcel shelf. With the baby's centre seat, the booster came with a 'racing style' shoulder harness that attached to a clip bolted into the rear parcel shelf. In a head on impact, either with an oncoming car or an immovable object, even a small child's body m*** becomes enormous. A solid safety belt or harness is essential. My kids, (and now grandkids) kick up a real stink if anyone even starts the engine before they're properly belted in. Cheers, Glen.
Timely thread, since I'm just about to install lap belts in my 49 Chevy this weekend. I bought an "Evenflo Generations" booster seat for my daughter. It has the 5-point harness and is supposed to work for up to 10 years old.
Im wanting to add a set of lap belts in the rear of my 65 Rivi, for my little boy. Where can you buy new belts? Thanks
I don't think a lap belt alone would p*** even our hillbilly laws, more importantly, I don't think it would be wise. Don't know if it helps, but I did see a backseat setup for a child with a set of Jr Dragster belts. There are mounting options with the belts. I would imagine the booster seat is designed to get the shoulders of the bratilator up near the top of the seat, so maybe either mount the top straps on the package tray or slide them between and mount in the trunk? Hope it helps, don't tell my girl I was talking about kids.
Actually, our brand new baby seats (I think they're EvenFlo) have instructions for securing them with lap belts. The baby will be securely attached to its seat (5 point harness!). the seat itself doesn't need multiple attachment points. Even the shoulder belts in the back of my PT Cruiser do nothing to attach the baby seat (or base) to the car seat. King Ch***is... you can get standard and chrome belts at Julianos, but only the standard ones come in 3 point style. Retractable or non-retractable. These places have the chrome in 3-points as well as 2 points http://www.gotbelts.com/chlilelapshb.html http://www.andoauto.com/retrofit1.htm Julianos has more color choices though
I just installed 3 rear lap belts in my 59 wagon for 3 car seats. (Bought the belts from Speedway). The manufacturer specifically instructs you to NOT share the anchor bolts. Therefore I (actually) followed the instructions and installed all independent bolts and plates. It's just 2 more holes to drill and in the end it made me feel the process is "safer". SK
I ebayed a set of late model Suburban belts for our '50 Suburban. Whole set was maybe $50 bucks. That way I get retractors and all the stuff we need. Rear 2 rows of seats have to be lap belts only, but they're set really far back from the front seat.
You can get the belts everywhere online, like mooneyes.com, summitracing.com, or jegs.com. You can also go to most large national auto stores and buy some not-so-vintage looking ones. They generally cost 20 bucks each, so they can add up pretty fast. But really, it is worth it. these ones are sweet, but cost a lot https://www.mooneyesusa.com/Store/p...d=763&osCsid=760d0a058dcaa124e43677d68022b66a oh, and they sell some big ol anchors also, but they are like 15 buck extra, so you're looking at 50 for the whole setup.
Sharing bolts is normal on most cars. Use some huge heavy washers with rounded over edges on the back side so that the bolt won't just rip a hole through the floor in the event of a crash. I make the backing washers out of pieces of 1/8" steel plate with the edges all ground over smooth so there's no sharp edges to start a tear through the sheet metal. The standard bolt for seatbelts is usually 7/16" grade 8 with fine threads. I know some guys use 3/8", but 7/16" is what they usually use on factory seat belt installations on just about every American car I've ever worked on. Using fine threads makes it stronger too. I like to use aviation or "nylock" type nuts because you won't have to worry about the nuts falling off someday.
I put rear shoulder belts in my 62 caddy for my son. I got the non-retractable chrome buckle type. mounted the top through outer most corner of the package tray, reinforced it with huge washers and use a 3/8 or 1/2 bolt. Works great and is mostly out of the way. Worked great with his car seat, booster and now nothing as he is 7. Getting ready to put a center lap belt in for the soon be to addition to the family...any day now!
The problem is that both cars are open... The 28 is a tub (sedan minus the top) and the Buick is a 66 Skylark Convertible. No, we don't go across the country in them with the girls in the back, just side-streets 35MPH etc. to the local cruise, DQ, parts store etc. -Not that distance matters in safety... I've got 2 c****ats with the 5 pt harness, but they're usually in Mama's (gasp!) van.... We use them with the shoulder straps as a booster in the modern cars. Last year I used them in the fun cars by strapping the seat in with the lap belt and tieing the kids in with the 5 pt. harness, but my oldest daughter is too big for the 5 pt. harness to fit, but isn't big enough to go without a booster... She loves riding in the cars, but I gotta make it safe for her.... I'm still considering how to do safely and tastefully.
How about buying her an early Xmas present; and get a Junior Drag Racing 5 point safety harness. They make some sizes for bigger kids. (plus they are adjustable for size) It might take a little jury rigging to fit it in place. Tell her she is a VERY special "lady" and you want her to be safe when riding with dad.
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