Just picked it up yesterday! I'll post pictures in a separate thread when I get the chance, but I wanted to ask a few questions from the experienced. Seatbelts. With a two week old infant, I need to install some seatbelts in the back seat so we can all go cruising. Are there factory holes to bolt them in, or do I need to make my own? Furthermore, I can't seem to find any to put back there. Is there a good belt that works, say out of a '68 belair/impala? Thanks in advance all!
Not sure if the '68 belts would work, but probably..... '68 would be the first year for 3-point shoulder belts, but that would be in the front only. If you pick up some belts from a used vehicle, examine them very carefully for any evidence of deterioration and/or stretching. You're also gonna want to place your child in the second seat, in the middle.
IMO, it's your child....don't mess with used, bite the bullet and get new belts. I also would take your car to a reputable body shop and ask for quotes ti install....not saying pay them to do it, but by asking questions you'll have the best idea how to install them your self and it will all be legal etc. Congrats on the Baby!
I agree with the idea of putting new belts in. For the kid, it's going to be easy. You should have the bolt holes (and likely the belts) under the seat. Unscrew those and put in your new lap belt. You'll only need the lap belt for now, with the kid in the rear facing seat. But you should also look at getting a replacement lap/shoulder belt for you and the wife in the front. Those should also have the mounting spots for the lap portion, but may take some fabrication for the shoulder mount.
a company that I deal with called www.autoloc.com sells a lap belt and a 3 point retractable that have the old school 'aircraft' latch...so they look like the old style...but are new resonably priced too !
Thanks for the info guys, For the price of the belts from autoloc, I'll buy new. The more I looked at used belts, the more nervous I got. Most of them don't look pretty. I'm not sure if there's some under the seat, the previous owner wasn't sure if there were any there at all. I'll find out today when I remove the bottom half of the seat. Since it's really close to the end of the season for the car, I think I'll just install three in the rear for now, and install some shoulder belts over the winter. The last thing I want for me or the wife is to bust our skulls on the steel dash
did this on my 59 front 3 point and rears lap belt . one thing to keep in mind is that if there are no holes existing for the belts and you drill new holes there are special washers recommended for seat belts . i believe autoloc sells them also
I was able to get out to the shed for a moment and pull the seat out, and guess what? No holes. I was looking a little more, and yes autoloc sells the hardware kits as well. I'll have to get them as well...
This is the plate(s) I fab'd for under the rear floor of the wagon. On the front I also put one side onto the seat base. The retracter is mounted on a plate between the doors, and the upper pivot is on a plate welded onto the door frame between doors. The 3rd and 4th pics are of the upper post support. I cut out the post and welded in the fab'd plate.
seat belts i put front 3 point belts in my 68 plymouth sport suburban and was able to match the color perfectlly to the color of the interior. i bought them from andoverrestraints.com also got thier retro fit kit with the floor reinforcement plates and brackets for the b-pillar mount wored great and look great. feel much safer in the car now.
hey Toby...you can order off the net....or just call them and find out if theres a dealer in your area ...or i can check for ya and let ya know
I did a little shopping, and Jegs sells a seatbelt that is almost the same as what autoloc sells, but about $10 cheaper. I was able to get three non retractable latch style lap belts for around $120 (with hardware kits) shipped. If the push button is your choice then those are even cheaper. The interior is like a greenish blue.. and I couldn't find belts to match. The ones in the front are black, so that's what I went with, and probably stay with. They don't look too bad, there's a chunk of black carpet laid over the front hump anyways to cover up the hole where the four speed was.
Looking a little closer, there's some flat spots and indents in the floor where the belts and holes would be installed from the factory. So.. those are the spots I used. The Jegs belts fit good, and seem to be built decent. I'd recommend them..
