seat belt question....

[elektrik]

Hey all. I've done some searching through the forums here and found some great aftermarket places to buy some 3-point seat belts so I can feel a little safer about driving my 69 stepside, however I have a question:

Does anyone know if the factory 1973 3-point seat belts will fit in my 69? They have some for sale on Ebay at a *much* cheaper price than buying new, and look like they're in pretty good shape....

[elektrik]

no one?

[ChevyC102007]

As far as I can tell, the belt adjuster (the little deal with the belt in it) SHOULD bolt back into the stock location. On my '71 theres a plug about where the top loop for the belt would go, IMHO you may be able to mount the top in there if that plug comes out, otherwise mount it with a self tapping sheetmetal bolt. But again its just my opinion so I could be wrong.

[463]

Originally Posted by ChevyC102007

As far as I can tell, the belt adjuster (the little deal with the belt in it) SHOULD bolt back into the stock location. On my '71 theres a plug about where the top loop for the belt would go, IMHO you may be able to mount the top in there if that plug comes out, otherwise mount it with a self tapping sheetmetal bolt. But again its just my opinion so I could be wrong.

do not mount the seat belt anchor ends to any point but to the factory mounts in the cab. this a big safety issue. think about it. it your life.

[El Jay]

Originally Posted by 463

do not mount the seat belt anchor ends to any point but to the factory mounts in the cab. this a big safety issue. think about it. it your life.

And, I'd be leery of buying a used seat belt/shoulder harness system.
Realistically, from the safety stand point, they're pretty well used up after a "hard" crash.
They've been strained & stretched. The damage may not be evident, but it's still there.

Since you don't know what they came out of, & why they're for sale; why risk it?

[hyarbour]

I used these guys when I upgraded mine, kinda expensive, but I think they're worth it.
http://www.buckle-up.net/id12.html

[ChevyC102007]

Originally Posted by ChevyC102007

its just my opinion so I could be wrong.

That says it all, Im not gonna get into a pissing match but that was my opinion. Every vehicle I have had up till now already had 3-point Shoulder harness belts. Ok so maybe a sheetmetal bolt aint exactly the BEST way to anchor a seat belt........... Anyways.....got yalls attention though

[463]

Originally Posted by ChevyC102007

That says it all, Im not gonna get into a pissing match but that was my opinion. Every vehicle I have had up till now already had 3-point Shoulder harness belts. Ok so maybe a sheetmetal bolt aint exactly the BEST way to anchor a seat belt........... Anyways.....got yalls attention though

Thank you ChevyC102007. It's a safety issue and iam pleased to see it did get your attention. hind sight is 20/20. i would like to see all are members around for a long time not a short time. thank again 436

[elektrik]

thanks for the responses all...

Upon further inspection, I agree that the "used" seat belts weren't exactly the best choice, so I've decided to move on....

I think I'm going with these guys

http://www.julianos.com/3_point_belt.html

I don't like the lap belts so much anymore-a little too unsafe (guess I'm getting too cautious in my old age)

[TimC63]

Hi Elektrik,

Not sure if you've purchased anything yet, but just thought I'd share what I did. I spent the extra buck to get some pretty cool looking retro belts from RetroBelt USA http://www.retrobeltusa.com/menu/retrobeltmenu.html .

I had a fab shop weld in the shoulder pt. which was included in the hardware. Very happy with the set-up although it feels weird to have a 3-pt. shoulder belt in an old classic.