55.2-59 Three point seatbelts

[8man]

Since I'm waiting on some bolts to come in to finish the frame, I started looking closely at the cab. I am making notes for all the holes I have to weld up.

I found a couple of small rust holes on the rear corners, just above where the two metal factory mud flaps were installed. The mud flaps are still in very good shape, no rust.

While making notes, I started trying to set up the 3-point seatbelt for installation. I was looking for a couple of things.

1. Does anyone have the measurements from the inside of the door frame to the first bracket on the floor?
2. A measurement for the second bracket?
3. Pictures of your installed so I can see where you put them.
4. Has anyone done a 3-point? I've seen 2 YouTubes on that subject, and I'm just not sure about the way it was done.

If you can help, thanks.

[leegreen]

I used 2005ish sierra seats with integral belts. Seats bolted to floor with 4x4 plates sandwiching floor (rounded corners, bent back edges Gr8 bolts)
I'm happy/comfortable but I know these seats are not everyone's cup of tea.

Locations; Do you have your seat and steering wheel installed?
I'd get comfortably located in the driving position and place the belt attachment locations relative to my body using some modern daily drivers as a reference and paying more attention to the angles than the distances.

I'm not familiar enough with the TF cab to give specifics, but for the 3rd point you are going to need to get a large plate with a nut for the belt attachment welded to the back of it up inside the inner skin of cab in the area of the pillar and plug welded into place.
-maybe- glued in place if you have a finished interior, the important thing is that it stays where you need it and has a large enough surface area to stay behind the sheet metal in a crash.

[8man]

Thanks Lee.

[Hcb3200]

A note on buckle type. I went with the all metal buckle. Think airline seats
And it being a three point it beats the crap out of the door. Lots of paint chips and dings. I would go with a plastic covered or softer covered one if doing it again.
This is mainly caused buy it being a three point instead of two and just getting in hurry to get out. And it slings the belt and hits metal to metal.

[leegreen]

2 point belts used to do that too. Driving trucks old enough to have metal inner door panels does not help.

Putting a 3 point retractor in will help with that, at the cost of a 4th mounting point for the retractor https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rtb-369-blk-12

[8man]

Thanks guys. I do like the 3-point seat belt.

[mr48chev]

I'm just not a fan of those seats with the belts built in, to my mind they are just too ugly and too modern looking to go in an AD or TF truck. They just look like they were stuck in as an afterthought or were the only thing with good upholstery the owner of the truck found at pick a part that day.

Julianos has a plate that the upper mount on three point belts mounts to but it isn't going to be easy to install in most trucks and near impossible in finished trucks. I'm thinking about installing them when I have the roof off when I chop mine but that is being able to cheat a bit unless I just go with lap belts. It may be lap belts because I have a battle with my wife trying to get her to wear the seat belt with shoulder strap in ot cars and trucks.

[8man]

Mr48, I agree with you, that's why I have the Juliano's in my 48 and I have the brackets to install in the 55, since I don't have the interior color yet, it's just the steel parts for mounting, and I want to install all of the parts prior to pant.

I am still looking for a measurement from the outside floor mounting bracket to the inside floor mounting bracket. I think it's 22", but maybe 20", I just don't know. A friend had a measurement from the door pillar to the outside floor mounting bracket, but not from that bracket to the inside one.

As I said, I've looked at 2 videos on installing these type of shoulder brackets, and one just cut the pillar, and then welded the bracket up inside, and the other drilled holes and used wire and then string to kind of pull it into place and then install with rivets.

So, I was looking for some help from anyone who has done it.

[unclebrad]

Here's what I did:

From what I have seen, it appears that the B-Pillar on the Big Back Window trucks, is different from that of the Small Back Window trucks and the Julianos instructions don't account for that.

The backing plate needs to be in a different location on the Big Back Window models.

My truck is already painted, and I did not want to mess up the paint by opening up the B-Pillar, as a couple people have done. I think opening it up would be a good way to go otherwise.

Here is my thinking about the problem and the solution:

First, so you know the difference, on the Small Back Window cabs, the B-Pillar has a hidden, overlapping sheet metal layer inside it, which is flat, allowing for easy drilling and easy placement of backing plate. See Illustration “A” below.

Illustration A
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...attach/jpg.gif


The Big Back Window truck cab has an important difference. The B-Pillar for the upper anchor can’t be drilled in the recommended location, and if you could, the plate still wouldn’t work there. The hidden sheet metal layer there, is bent, which, unless you can get in there and cut some metal out, prevents drilling and placement of backing plate. See Illustration “B” below.

Illustration B
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...attach/jpg.gif


On my BBW truck, I placed the plate “around the corner” from the location recommended by Julianos, as in Illustration C below.

Illustration C
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...1&d=1725918110


Drilling
I am probably 5’ – 8”, now that I am getting older and I like where I ended up drilling.
I put the hole slightly more than 6” down from the roof seam. See phot below.
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...1&d=1725918110

In post #26 of this thread (https://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vbo...d.php?t=799565)
Dan in Pasadena adds a note to would-be-installers:

“I'm too late to tell most of you a lesson I learned too late on my installation:
We centered the shoulder belt hole in the pillar logically assuming that would be best - it is not. The hole should be closer to the edge of the pillar toward door opening so the belt hangar will be "level". Otherwise; like mine is, it hangs canted because the window is in the way. This makes the shoulder belt retractor hang up while trying to buckle it. Since I'm final painted I just have to live with it.”


Installing the Backing Plate
The Julianos method for getting the backing plate into position, using a yardstick, worked well for me, but I didn’t want to drill the extra holes for the pop rivets that they recommend.

In the online installation video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKmY8leGOaA
BIGglass fished the backing plate up into the B-pillar from a hole drilled above the mounting location. I didn’t want to do that either.

So, what I did was put some epoxy on the plate before running it up the B-pillar to line it up with the drilled hole, and then pulled it tight with the bolt supplied with the belts, and let it set up before going to the next step.


I think pretty much everything else I did was according to Julianos instruction sheet.

Final Placement
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...1&d=1725926231


Note:
I originally thought that I would install a bracket to bring the belt hanger location around to the location where Julianos recommends the hole be drilled. Although the belt bracket could be mounted that way, I believe it would just be in the way when entering and exiting the vehicle.



Some reading/viewing:
https://www.julianos.com/Articles.asp?ID=278
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKmY8leGOaA
https://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vbo...d.php?t=799565 (see post #25 for backing plate solution)

[8man]

Unclebrad, thank you for that, it was very informative. I feel more confident installing that bracket in the piller.

[leegreen]

I have to say I am unimpressed by this backing plate for the 3rd point



It should have rounded corners and bent back edges like the backing plates for the lower mounting points in the same picture. I'd modify it or make my own.

[8man]

Lee, I have already started rounding the corners. I don't know if there is enough room in the channel to add the rounded edges, but I will look into that as well. Thanks.

[leegreen]

You could round the edges with file or grinder if nothing else.

it is one of those things you hope is never needed and if it is needed you hope you live to see if you did a good enough job

[mr48chev]

The main things are having enough thickness at where the bolt goes through to actually hold the bolt and have enough surface area so there is no chance it will pull though the sheet metal.

I've looked over a couple of wrecks where the seat belts pulled through the floor in a crash. One had small flat washers and lock washers and the other just had lock washers under the floor. True both were in very severe crashes but the bolts tore out of the floor.

As I said before my 4'10" wife hates shoulder belts and seat belts in general although she fell out of the 48 when the door popped open 46 years ago. Luckily we were only going about 5 mph. I may skip the 3 point belts just to keep her happy or put in the backing plates in case I decide to install them later.

[leegreen]

Put a 3rd point attachment at the right height for her to be comfortable. or get fancy and fit one of the adjustable sliders from a newer car when you chop the roof.

[mr48chev]

She just flat does not like the shoulder belts. I'm going to have to have my son and daughter to set her down and have a serious talk with her about it now. She won't listen to me but when they say "this is the way it is" she will listen. I know that is more info than anyone wants but that is what I get for marrying a spoiled rotten Daddy's little girl from McGregor Texas. 55 years ago though.

[nvrdone]

So put a 3 point belt on the right side for passengers and a special 2 point belt for the love of your life. Then every one is happy !!!

[Hcb3200]

MR 48. If you do all the driving and she does all the riding.
Put the passenger three point in that is comfortable to her and yours in for you.
Heck put in two mounting holes one up and one down. I'll bet you could come up with some nice looking cover for the one that is showing when other is in use.

[jwhotrod]

seatbeltplanet.com is a very good supplier of seatbelts and a certified rebuilber of original seat belts 60s and 70s cars and trucks. they have about 30 different colors to choose from and will build any length belt you need. Good people and American suppier with American materials.

[8man]

Got the back up support for the 3-Point seatbelts installed. I used the square channel in the picture, taped the end of the bracket that goes up inside the pillar and it slipped right in place. I had drilled the holes, so I put in the bolt, tightened it up, and it's ready to plug weld.

IMG_1873 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

Ready to weld.

IMG_1872 by Robert Moorman, on Flickr

It was easier than I expected. I tried to move the hole as far to the interior of the cab as I could to get the pivot mechanism off of the rear window. When I get that far, I'll see if it worked.

[leegreen]

That's a win!

[unclebrad]

Nice!

[JDarby]

8man that looks Great!

I'm taking notes because I am very close to the seatbelt install!
I'll be sporting a bench and would like 2-3 ways on both ends and a lap in the middle!

[8man]

Thanks guys. I was surprised how well it went. Yes, Lee it was a win!

JDarby, I am going with the same seatbelt set up. Let me know if you have any questions.

[vintovka]

Just a note. If you have a lifted vehicle and need grab rails you might want to consider using the rail as an anchor point for your seat belts. I put them on mine and both the 3 point belts and the rails work great. I may add for those of us with lifted vehicles (and pushing 80) grab rails are a godsend to prevent falls and also ease getting in and out of cabs. Having both rails inside also help to keep from using the steering wheel to pull yourself in. I believe misusing the wheel is the reason so many GM tilt column are damaged or loose.