i just got my 64 and it did`nt come with seatbelts.this is a big problem because my 4y.o. son wants to ride.have any of you guys ever installed shoulder belts?i would like shoulder belts on the sides and a retractable lap belt in the middle.i would settle for three retractable lap belts,but i don`t know where to get them.would salvaged belts work?what should i look for at the salvage yard
thanks

 

1) Never use salvaged belts. (Federal law against them selling to you, though you can get around it)

2) see the other post here "Seat Belts" for more info.

 

CD, you have perked my interest on salvaged belts. Care to expound on your statement.

I believe if you were riding in the truck you would use them. Trucks of that vintage do not require belts, but I believe it's better to have them than not.

John

 

Mine came with aftermarket shoulder belts installed. You can probably get them through JC Whitney or similiar. They are much better than lap belts. I wouldn't want my face to meet that big, plastic steering wheel.

 

The risk here is the mount point for the over the shoulder portion of the belt. The sheet metal panel is to thin (IMHO) to provide a secure mount point. I like an L bracket made up of 1/8th inch thick steel welded to the back side of the door piliar with a couple of button hole welds. We kicked this around a while back and a couple of the guys had similiar ideas. I'd sure as heck get that 4 year old tied down before you ride around to much. Julianos has really nice belts and hardware (pricey) but nice.

 

William,
Anyone with a lick of sense would have to agree with you on the sheet metal. What I am going to do is mount this shoulder belt

http://www.gemstreetrods.com/Seat%20Belts.htm

up there on the rear cab post with a contoured 1/2" backing plate with 4 mounting bolts holding it to the cab. Or maybe even a small I-beam in the opening to create rigidity between the inner post and the outer sheet metal.

And I would offer the following quote by cdherman in the 'Seat Belts' thread that he mentioned earlier that is the first cousin to this one:

“…Some smart boys will say " but the 65 cab wasn't designed for shoulder belts -- the upper anchor might pull out in an accident" To which I reply "If you are in a severe enough accident that your shoulder belt fails, do you think you would have been better off with JUST a lap belt?…”

True THAT! If your shoulder belt fails, you're in a world or hurt no matter what you do! ouch But a shoulder belt even mounted to the sheet metal with a 1/4" bolt (!) might be enough to make the difference between a sore left shoulder and a set of steering wheel braces.