seat belts out of an 86 chev?

[69halfton]

my buddy just gave me a set of beautiful black shoulder & lap belts out of an 86 (or there abouts) chevy 3/4 ton,

anybody used this "genre" of seat belt before?

how'd the install go?

reason i am asking is that i just dont feel safe with me new 383, and having just lap belts.

pics would be greatly appreciated.

[El Jay]

I'm sorry, but I gotta ask; why is he giving the seat belts away?

If the truck they came out of was in a "hard" crash, they're used up and unsafe.
The damage may not be apparent, but they've been stretched and the integrity may have very well been compromised.
In my not so humble opinion, used seat belts are never a good choice.

Why take the chance with your life, or even worse, the lives of your loved ones.
Just my .02.

I'm climbing off my soap box now.

El Jay

[69halfton]

they came out of a truck that had been sitting for quite some time. they are still in great shape, and arent even faded. he was parting the truck out, so he just ave them to be as a cristmas present, and the truck is just coming out of storage now, so im starting to look into it. ideally id like to keep 67-72 seat belts becasue of the look, but the prices of new bealts for that era are astronomical. ESPECIALLY the shoulder & laps.

[El Jay]

Originally Posted by 69halfton

they came out of a truck that had been sitting for quite some time. they are still in great shape, and arent even faded. he was parting the truck out, so he just ave them to be as a cristmas present, and the truck is just coming out of storage now, so im starting to look into it. ideally id like to keep 67-72 seat belts becasue of the look, but the prices of new bealts for that era are astronomical. ESPECIALLY the shoulder & laps.

That's very different.
You know the history of the belts.
But on the other hand, they are 22 years old.

I'd just hate to see something bad happen to a board member, or anybody else for that matter, just to save a few $'s.

[70GMCer]

I installed ones from an 84 burb, which are the same as the trucks. The shoulder harness bracket will have to be bent slightly to alien up with the floor angle. I also trimmed some of the plastic case off the bottom edge. Other than that, they fit & work great. "Centless" on here also uses them and gave me the idea.

IMHO, if the vehicle has never been in a crash, and you know that for a fact, use them.....If the belts are not frayed or dry rotted, use them.

There are vehicles on the road that still have their original belts in them that are many years old and still going strong. I do not believe there is an expiration date stated by the feds, that say after so many years, replace the belts. Although I can understand where El Jay might be coming from.

It's all in how you feel about using things that are "used".