Another question: Seatbelts?

[Russell Ashley]

Don't mean to ask too many questions all at once, but what have most of you done for seatbelts? Is there any particular vehicle that seems to be the most common donor for belts for 55-59 trucks?

[PDW HOTRODS]

Aftermarket new seatbelts are the way to go. They are cheap, and look better than wrecking yard stuff. At the big swap meets there are vendors that sell new, or find them in the magazines.

[mr48chev]

I used belts out of something I junked out in the 48 but next time will use aftermarket belts in the rebuild. The main reason is that I want to use new belts rather than some that are twenty or thirty years old and that I have no idea of their history.

[Russell Ashley]

I agree that none of us want to use junk where our safety is concerned. I was just wondering if maybe there was a set of shoulder belts from some late model vehicle that lent themselves well to being installed in a 55-59 truck. I want to keep the original seat in my truck so don't want to use the late model seats with integrated belts.

[sgtusmc]

I used julianos seat belts for my '53. I'm very happy with them. I plan on using them on my '59. When it comes to safety, I feel better using new. The last thing you want to do in an accident is bite a hole in your steel dash.

[renegade6]

I used custom ones. They really weren't all that expensive and they are brand new.

[Thinkblue4 Evr]

We got cadillac bucket seats with the seat belts already built into the seat.

[entourageguy]

I used these guys. 25 colours and 2 or 3 point belts.
3 point was $65 each and 2 point was $16. Your choice of colour and clasp.
I'm going to a bench seat so I can take a couple of the kids with me.
They were very helpful when I called to place my order.

www.seatbeltplanet.com

[Steve@OldSub.com]

The seat belts in Suburban are from the middle row of seats in a later Suburban. I bought them off eBay maybe eight years ago.

As I've learned more about seat belts and how accidents affect them I'd make a different choice today. I would buy something new, probably aftermarket.

[dewey777]

What about 3 point in big window cabs? PO welded in the top mounting point up in the corner of the cab which puts the shoulder way to high and uncomfortable, not to mention safety and legality. How do 3 point kits mount in these cabs? I would like to use late model chevy seats with the seat belts integrated but I would like a bench, not buckets.

[entourageguy]

I'm going to weld a nut to a piece of plate and feed it up into the corner and bolt it to that.

[Rude Dude]

Here is a site that did a juliano'd install

http://www.bobshotrods.com/howto/3-p...chevy-pick-up/

[waybad]

man thanks for the link,, I saw it and forgot where it was....cool!

[Russell Ashley]

OK, you guys convinced me. After reading these comments and watching the link to the Juliano's installation I decided that that was the way to go, so I ordered two sets of shoulder belts and a lap belt for the center. I hope they ship quick as I'm avoiding driving the truck intill I get seat belts installed.
I am planning on converting to a big back window at some point so I am curious as to what I'll run into when I do that.

[dewey777]

Originally Posted by entourageguy

I'm going to weld a nut to a piece of plate and feed it up into the corner and bolt it to that.

I am going to try that this weekend. In the Juliano link they mount close to the door so it looks there should be no problem with the big window.

[dewey777]

OK, not as easy as it looks. The pillar is not hollow like you would think. Where the two layers of sheet metal come together the inside one is bent back, dividing the pillar in two if that makes sense. Anyone else tried 3 points in a big window cab?

[Dan Bowles]

Parr Automotive is where I got mine. Cheaper than Julianos and virtually the same parts. The belts are TRW and Autoliv and pass the FMVSS. I know one of the manufacturers that sells to most of the aftermarket guys and trust them. I've seen their testing and wouldn't go back to junk yard set ups ever again. $212 for 2 3 points and a lap belt and all the hardware.

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Dan Bowles

Parr Automotive is where I got mine. Cheaper than Julianos and virtually the same parts. The belts are TRW and Autoliv and pass the FMVSS. I know one of the manufacturers that sells to most of the aftermarket guys and trust them. I've seen their testing and wouldn't go back to junk yard set ups ever again. $212 for 2 3 points and a lap belt and all the hardware.

I paid $219 at Juliano's for a similar set with retractors and hardware, so there's not much difference, and they were nice to deal with. I don't know who made the belts as they only have Juliano's label on them.

[Dan Bowles]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

I paid $219 at Juliano's for a similar set with retractors and hardware, so there's not much difference, and they were nice to deal with. I don't know who made the belts as they only have Juliano's label on them.

Interesting. When I was looking, they were much higher. Did you get all of the mount plates and everything with your's? I've got another truck to do so I don't mind comparison shopping or changing vendors if they are the right price. I did use the directions from Juliano's for my AD cab.

[CAL 58 GMC]

I used Autoloc's three point belts. They work well, other then if the windows down somtimes they will start "flapping" in the wind.
http://www.thehoffmangroup.com/autol...dinc=seatbelts

[Atomsplitter]

I installed Autoloc's 3-point retractables via Luliano's instructions.
Safety first when I comes to my kids!