Modern 3 pt seat belts

Have a 73 Country Squire with Ford's attempt at 3 point belts. Will modern 3 pt be a bolt on swap ? If not can someone share their experience ? Thanks

 

LTD or Torino base car? I know the Torino's can be retrofit with the (I think) '77-'79 units only and they'll attach to the floor and roof anchors to work. You won't need to change the seat ends if the buckles have square unlatch buttons, which are made by TRW.

 

Swapped my factory belts ( 1972 Chevelle) with a modern 3 point set from seatbelt solutions out of Florida. Nice people and good product! Easy install...

 

On my '73 Galaxie 500 Country Sedan,for the driver's position,I utilized two baby seat clips (the metal ones) to hold the the lap belt from being sucked into the retractor. One baby seat clip won't work--you need to wrap the belt through two of them at the retractor,and get the length right for whoever is doing the driving. I keep the shoulder harness clipped in. The only disadvantage is I have to put the belt assembly behind the seat into the the rear seat footwell when I take it off, so it won't get smashed when I close the door. The advantage is: it's inexpensive. Anyway, pre-1975 seat belt buckles are totally incompatible with '75 and up versions, so you would be replacing EVERYTHING. The seat belt extensions that any Ford dealer will order for you and provide for free (to adapt to a larger person) will also only work post-'75. There are also extensions that are different for later Fords, but none for the the early ones.
When I have passengers,they generally just use the lap belts. Four people figuring out the seat belts in the '73 takes less time than figuring out how to access the egress handles at night!

 

Here's an update! One of my passengers in the right rear 2nd seat was trying to get the seat belt on. The reel was squeaking,he couldn't find the button end,and then the thing fell apart. Upon inspection,I realized that the button end has a plastic(!) cover which retains the spring and the two parts inside that provide the snap. Once the plastic cover cracks and then breaks,it is all over! I swapped out the center belt as a temporary fix,so now just the outboard 2nd seat positions have belts. What I need to do is to get a set of the later model seat belts,as discussed above. I also found a crack in one of the front seat belt covers,so let that be the center position,no one ever sits there anyway. I just need a 1978 Ford wagon parts car.

 

It is really just the tiniest crack in the plastic,not like the one that broke,which was across the whole button. I wrapped the crack in the front center belt plastic by the button with Gorilla tape so it won't come apart,then swapped the front center belts to the 2nd seat center position. No one sits front center anyway. I'd still upgrade to more modern belts,just need that parts car for that and many other things.

 

I don't know how is the front belt arrangement on a '73 but on my '70 it's awful with the two belts !!!! The lap belt retracts but the shoulder belt is fixed (on a hole in the lap belt buckle) so you must adjust it for every person who drives the car and when you use it you can't move your body to grab something on the dash, the passenger seat, etc...

 

See my description above about the two baby seat clips...and I don't have any other drivers. The pin in slot arrangement is still in use on restraint systems in handicap vans,surprisingly.

 

Do you have a pic of the arrangement ?
I think i understand what you have done but then you've a "manual" belt, you can't move your body to take something which is a little far ?
How you "keep the shoulder harness clipped in" ? My pin doesn't lock in the hole of the buckle so when i unlock the lap belt the pin goes out the hole.
About the Torino 77-79 retrofit it works on LTD ? On my car the retractor isn't on the pillar but near the side of the seat, so ahead of the pillar.

 

You'd have to look at a '78 LTD or Grand Marquis. I had a friend years ago who had a '78 Grand Marquis, but I'll be damned if I can remember the arrangement.

 

AFAIK,the '75-'78 Ford seat belts are the same (new style,and you can still get the extension adapters for these for free at any Ford dealer). The '73-'74s are the clip it together style. As to your questions,Phil,I don't have a pic to show you, but the retractor is on the floor next to the driver's seat. I pulled it out to the length I wanted,and then dogged it with two steel baby seat clips. Otherwise,it always retracts vigorously. I can't imagine why your pin pops out. Is there a hairpin spring on the lap belt end? Sometimes the spring moves around. There are detailed instructions in the owner's manual...the pin should snap in,and if it's not snapped in,the lap belt won't attach to the buckle (short end on the seat). I can't understand what the Torino has to do with all this...although the parts might interchange.

 

The Torino/Ranchero/Thunderbird/Cougar belt design has two retractors, one for the shoulder and one for the lap, in a single installable unit. I've been working an idea in my empty head like a BB in a boxcar, about using a 2000's Crown Vic or Windstar adjustable anchor belt in my Ranchero, but I have not progressed beyond the idea stage.

 

It has one end attached to the floor, and one large retractor, usually attached to the B-pillar, but I have to figure out if I can attach the retractor to a bracket attached to the floor anchor point and still hold my 450 pounds in a head-on collision. The adjuster might simply use the upper attachment point in the roof corner, or a short extension strap may also need to be fabbed.

 

On my '70 the retractor of the lap belt is on the floor along the side of the seat. The shoulder belt is anchored near the roof and above rear window. Too high, so it rubs on my neck !!!!! I've seen that i can use a "long sash" (or drop link) to "move" the anchor lower and nearer me in case of a 3 pt belts but it'll be a lot of work to have the right retractor , the right angle, etc...

Shoulder anchor



retractor (w/o cover). The pin hole of the shoulder belt can't be seen on the pic.



Drop link ? Mine must be at last 30 to 35 cm long !!!

A freind of mine has a '75 Lincoln and ther're two retractors, one like mine and another at bottom of the pillar

 

Yeah, my Rancher has a similar drop link, which I believe to be a factory install. I have to shoot some pics of it later; I'll shoot a few of the belt setup.