Which seat belts are everybody going with? On my next trip to the salvage yard I would like to find a set to go with bucket seats. Pictures would be great.

 

If you dont already have bucket seats try a pair out of a silverado,those bucket seats
have the seat belts in them & they are real comfortable to--that is if they fit
good luck

 

You might try finding a 92-96 F150 with Buckets. You can get the belts out of them. What vehicle did your buckets come out of?

 

I'm going with Chrysler Intrepid power buckets and I would like the same info.

 

I have a set of 01 Silverado seats in my 54. The built-in seatbelts are the biggest reason I went with them. Couple of things though: the center "jump" seat will not fit with both the buckets installed so you will have a space in between the seats. I fabbed up a wooden console for mine so not a big deal. Also, if are a big guy (like me), it can make it a little tight with the stock steering wheel and no tilt steering. I fixed that by going with a smaller (15") Grant aftermarket steering wheel. Beyond that they mount with very little fab work and they work great. Also, the head rests are removable if you don't like them showing in the back window. I left mine in to add some protection in case of an accident. One point of consideration with any seat, if you are not running air conditioning and driving in very humid/hot conditions, cloth maybe a better option than leather. My buddy put leather seats in his and hates the sticky leather in July. Enjoy!

Mid-Fifty sells a good set of aftermarket 3 point seat belts. The issue I had was that I didn't want to weld or bolt in mounting plates for the upper mount. You can put in just about any set of lap belts. Regardless make sure you use GRADE 8 bolts/nut and use reinforcement plates under the floor pans.

P.S. I don't have any photos of the final install but I will get some soon and add them.

 

I used 97 Taurus seats and the seat belts. I don't have pictures of the belts but do have pictures of the seats.





_________________________________
46 Ford Tudor - Street Rod
48 Ford F1 - "Darkside"

"Happiness: 3 pedals and a 5 speed"

 

I took all 3 belts from the rear seat of an Aerostar van. They have a single inertial ratchet that is mounted low and seemed to fit easily into my 54. I was afraid a typical car belt would be too short (these came out of an extended van and are plenty long). Also, rear seat belts out of a used van might need a good cleaning but usually are not very worn. There are a few more photos of the mounting brackets in my album.

 

I do have a set of buckets seats already. ( a set of black leather seats out of a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee) I hope to find some seat belts which will work with them. Any of the belt setups from MidFifty or any other venders look worth dealing with? Or any thing out of the salvage route work well?

 

Another thing about salvage yard seat belts. You won't find black. Tan, gray, blue, red, but no black. I looked through over a 100 cars and trucks and the the only black ones I found found were in an ancient Volvo 240. So now I have gray belts with a black seat.

 

You would think black would be the most common color. Thinks for the tip.

 

Did the upper bracket come with your belts. Did you have to do some trimming make them fit?

 

I have an upper bracket like the one in the picture that can be bolted or welded into place (welded mine in) in my '54. I got it and my seat belts from Mid-Fifty and I am pleased with the quality of all. I am running a bench seat out of an Astro van that I custom built to adjust front to rear and these seat belts fit to my seats very good. I also got the center lap belt. I got mine in Gray, but Black (and lots of colors) are available. Hope this helps, Steve

 

I would definitely be interested in seeing these seats installed. My daily driver is an 04 GMC that I bought specifically because of the seats (2 back surgeries, so comfort took priority over sticking with Ford trucks). I'd decided I wanted to put the same seats in my 53, but I keep wondering what they'd look like and how they'd fit. I've been tempted to pull the passenger sat out of my gmc, and mocking it up in my 53, but seeing pics of a set installed would save me the temporary headache until I'm ready to actually mount a set in for good, not to mention saving me tearing apart my daily driver as a temporary donor vehicle.

Thanks
Ralph

 

I made the bracket out of 16 ga. plate (an old computer box I got out of the scrap metal bin at work). Welded a washer and a grade 8 nut to the back side and welded it to the door and window flange. I think 18 gas would be ok. The Aeorstar my belts came out of had a similar size 18 ga. plate spot welded to the c pillar. Maybe a dozen spot welds along each edge. I've read about guys making these out of 1/4 inch plate but I think they need to give. Too stout and the belt will slice you in half in a head on.

 

Nice work Dan. Love seeing metal fab work!

Ralph here are a few photos of the seats Silverado seats installed. Trying not to hijack the thread so forgive me. Couple of things to keep in mind with these seats. The steering wheel is set kind of inboard on these old tucks so make sure your seat is lined up the way you want it. My driver seat is a bit to the left of the steering wheel but I am ok with it and doesn't really make a difference. Just something to be aware of. Also, you will have to put a spacer inbetween the seat and the floor. I built a rectangular base out of 3" tubing and mounted the seats. Make sure the base and the seats are bolted through the floor pan with grade 8 bolts. 3/8" bolts at a minimum. I used 7/16" and 1/2". The last thing you want is to have the bolts shear off in an accident. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.