A member told me I should do this on my truck for safety reasons. I agree with him. What is the process for doing this and approximate cost?

Also, speaking of safety, I have no seat belts in my truck. In Georgia, there is a no seatbelt law for trucks because we are an agricultural state. However, I have two boys who love to ride in daddy's truck and I want them buckled up. Who sells a conversion kit for this?

Thanks in advance,

Dan

 

well the stock ones should be readily available at any parts yard. But hose are waste straps only. I grew up with these and think it's safe enough, however these are your kids. You could probably get a setup from a late model and put a hole (ewwhh) where needed to mount the chest strap bracket. But not something I would want to do to an old slick.

 

The bolt holes are already drilled and tapped in the floor to mount the factory lap belts, I have them in my pickup. The National Parts Depot catalog has kits available with all the mounting hardware and belts in several different colors to match your interior. My truck also did not have any seatbealts factory as it was not required back then. I put them in when I started driving the pickup.

As for the brakes. I put power disk brakes on mine, one of the best mod's I did to my old truck. The stopping power is a night and day difference. I picked up a parts truck for 400 dollars, any 1973 to 79 will work and took all the parts I needed. The master cylinder, booster, booster mounting bracket, whole I-beam Assembly with the spindles and calipers, and the proportioning valve. I then have been selling off pieces of the parts truck to get some if not all of my money back. I do not know if that is an option for you, but it is differently one to consider. In all it took a weekend to complete the swap, but at the time I did not have an air compressor to power my air tools, so I had to use the good ole hand power to get the job done.

You can install a master cylinder with two reservoirs (one for the front and one for the rear) those were installed on 67-72 pickups. The master cylinder will bolt right on and you will then need to change your brakes lines accordingly. Another easy swap and less expensive.

I vote disk brake swap if you are going to do anything to your brakes, but that is JMHO.

Jeff

 

Lap seat belts didn't become standard equipment on F100/350's till 9/1967.

Prior to that date lap seat belts were optional on F100/350's.

There are no provisions for installing lap seat belts in F100/350's prior to 1968, you'll have to do what I did..drill holes in the floor.

NAPA sells universal lap belts, the 1965/66 Mustang colored coded seat belts (and buckles) have been reproduced.

These same belts were also offered on all Ford vehicles.

Shoulder belts were first offered in 1968 on F100/350's, but here again, the belts were optional. The belts were a separate part, not all one assembly like they are today. The shoulder portion came with a new inner lap belt that had a second connector, to attach the shoulder belts to.

By the late 1970's, shoulder belts were finally made standard equipment.

I dunno what shoulder belts will work in 1966 and earlier trucks. mebbe someone else knows.

btw: We have seat belt laws in CA, and CA is an agriculteral state, but the laws don't apply to vehicles that never offered seat belts as standard equipment.

Cars didn't get standard lap belts til 1/1/1966, the date the new Fed Auto Safety Standards went into effect.

The laws didn't pertain to light trucks till 1967/1968.

Ford was the second automaker to offer optional seat belts (in 1956).

Very few ppl ordered them.

 

Bill, I must have a couple odd pickups, my 65 which I currently drive had holes drilled and tapped in the floor, 4 holes in all, one on each side of the seat and two in the middle. My 65 had rubber plugs in place of bolts that had a FOMOCO stamped in them, I tossed those years ago when I installed the seat belts as I did not think I would ever need them.

My 66 had the seat belts in the pickup, and had the same holes drilled and tapped as my 65 did, but had seatbealts bolted in place.

The holes were much like the seat mounting where they basicly have a nut welded to the bottom side of the hole and you just have to provide the bolt.

There have been a couple other itmes on my 65 that really did not fit the discription according to various books, mine had the old style throttle pedal but was clearly well above the the S/N cut off. There are a few other things but I can not think of them off the top of my head. My grandpa bought the truck new in 65 and he was the only owner until I got it from him 11 years ago.

Would those hole have been used for some other option and I just used them for seatbelts? I can take a picture of the area if you would like to see it.

Jeff

 

Some trucks had those plugs in the floor, mine didn't. Prolly has something to do with the assembly plants that built these trucks, or the VIN's serial number (last 6 digits).

My truck was built in San Jose and has a curious feature no one else's truck has (so far) on FTE.

The VIN is stamped on the crossmember, under the harmonic balancer.

It's not on the right frame rail. Prolly has something to do with the CA DMV.

1965 F100/250 2WD's have a suspended gas pedal after serial #696,001.

But...again, it all depends on what the various assembly plants did.

btw: Your truck was prolly built in San Jose, if the truck was sold new in Oregon.

The 5th digit in the VIN is an R.

Seat belts were an option, but could be ordered factory installed.

 

Bill, You are correct that my truck was a San Jose built with a VIN of F10JR700887.

When I get a chance I will have to look and see where the VIN is stamped on the frame of my pickup.

Thanks for the information!

Jeff

 

Apparently, prior to 09/67 safety was optional