Hello folks, the restoration on my '50 Pacemaker is almost complete. I'll start with a quick apology to those of you who have kept your vehicles entirely original, but I'm hoping somebody out there has experience retrofitting shoulder belts into a stepdown. I may have to just put lap belts put in, but I'd much prefer the safety of shoulder belts in the front seat given the death-trap dashboard waiting there for my noggin (or worse, my wife or daughter's) if ever I get in an accident.
I've had the guy spearheading the restoration going round and round about how to fit shoulder belts in. Since the car wasn't designed for them, it seems to be quite a challenge. He says the pillar isn't in the right place to have the belt fall across the shoulder/chest, and the seat doesn't have the internal structure to accommodate a belt. Further, he says he's not sure there's room between the seat and floor to place the seatbelt retractor.
Anyone come up with solutions? Perhaps dropping the belt from the ceiling (ugh), or running the belt up and over the back of the front seat? Or other ideas entirely? I certainly don't plan on running into anything, but I'd rather be prepared even if it means having a rather ugly retrofit in place. The car is otherwise gorgeous and I plan to have fun driving it. Thanks!
Hang tight -- someone will jump in here with a suggestion. My car is pre-StepDown but I have seen StepDowns with shoulder/lap belts so it IS do-able. Yesterday I even saw a 1934 coupe with shoulder/lap belts!
Have 3-pt in a '53; will get name and other photos later (car is on lift). But you can see pillar attachment in this photo. It is LAG-bolted about 2-3 inches up from the light switches. Attachment at this point is critical because of the thinness of pillar steel. The hole must be much smaller than the lag-bolt so the bolt 'bites' into it. Was in car when I got it.
http://www.seatbelts.net/products/index.php
More info: brand is Beam's Industries OKC; Ft seat 3-pt. is #WSCH324; rear seat lap belt #1300.
other photos below>>
first one shows retractor mounting and end attachment beside it{end attachment also shown in last photo)
the next one is taken from the back seat showing attachment at the floor area for pillar side belt
Thanks much Richard--photos and link to the company very helpful. I look forward to seeing what other solutions people have found! Yours look great.
There is a company who custom makes seats for hot-rodders that can make a front bench seat with 3 pt. belts or you can use any of the many bucket seats that come out of late model trucks that have seats with integrated belts. They are readily available at your local wrecking yards or on ebay.
http://www.wiseguys-seats.com/
They have a lot of information on the web that might provide you with a solution but be prepared for the cost as they are not cheap. Hopefully the pdf file is attached.
Regards,
Doug
I would recommend a blind nut be welded to the pillar rather than count on a lag bolt to stay in place- just a safety concern.
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