I have just acquired a 1938 Chevrolet pickup and am interested in installing seat belts (lap belts). Can anyone on the forum point me to any resources where someone has installed seat belts in a '38 Chevy pickup? Any tips or general 'rules of thumb' would be appreciated as well. Thanks
I gotta ask, if you're going to the trouble if installing belts, why not shoulder belts? They're way more safe than lab belts. I like my car, but I don't want to die in it.
First and formost, reinforce the floor. where you attach the belt brackets. you dont want the bolts pulling thru the floor!! I used a 1/8 plate under the floor of my 53 ford. They are only lap blets. Will be changing them to shoulder and lap belts.
Hi, Rule of thumb, anchor bolt them to a solid metal surface, use a backup plate so the bolt can't rip thru. A piece is sold for this purpose. Space them at hip width when sitting in the truck, so they pull straight.
My '36 has a f'glass body. So, I bought from Summit Racing the Competition Engineering seat belt harness tabs and welded them to 1/4" straps that go to the frame. Product # C3425. Made the job easier. Used grade 8 bolts.
attaching seatbelts to the chassis isnt a good idea, in a hard crash the chassis can and will shift under the body, either tightening or loosening the belts. Neither is good. your best bet is to reinforce the floor around where the belts mount and use that instead (even in a glass car).
DaTinman - You just sent shivers up my spine. Guess that's better than someone running into the car and separating my spine. What an exercise in futility I spent my time doing. Tomorrow, I cut the brackets off and use 2" x 2" square 1/8" thick washers instead. Thanks for the heads up.
Guys: thanks for the posts the feedback. I intend to show the truck, and drive it on a limited basis. If anyone has any photos of the best way to install a shoulder belt on a 30's era truck, I would appreicate any insights. Thank you!
I had to ask too when I put some belts in a 56 T bird for a customer. Some good info from other HAMBers on the thread I started, and some pics of my shitty fab skills. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=501957
Installing seatbelts in my sedan - did a google search on 'seatbelt backing plates' and 'installing 3-point safety belts'. Found several articles with pictures showing how to mount a backing plate for a shoulder belt, as well as plates under the floor for the other mounts. Here is a link to some instructions: http://www.wescoperformance.com/retrofit-seat-belts-shoulder-mt-door.html Hope this helps.
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