4-point safety harness

[68Stepbed]

Has anyone ever installed a 4 or 5-point safety harness in a 67-72 pickup with the stock bench? I love driving my truck, especially on curvy roads. The plain ol lap belt just doesn't do much for keeping me planted in the seat very well. Is this even feasible? Is it worth doing?

[Longhorn Man]

I'll get flamed for this (I always do) but technicly it is illegal to run them on the street.
You won't be bale to properly install them unless you have a roll bar in the cab with the correct height shoulder bar to mount the belts to.

[68Stepbed]

I kinda figured that would be the case, Andy. Technically, though, my aftermarket lap belts aren't exactly "legal" either, because they're not factory installed. I've thought about even installing some kind of rear hoop bar behind the seat just for mounting them. I think I may run into issues with the shoulder height though. I'm assuming that even safety harnesses are similar to the harnesses in child car seats. The shoulder belts need to be supported "above" the shoulders, not below. I would still want the harness to be concealable, or removable, when going to shows, and only use it when I know I may need it. I would still retain the lap belt for "legal" reasons.

I think I may need to talk to the harness companies to see what options I have.

[Longhorn Man]

This is a fuzzy memory, so DO NOT CONSIDER IT AS FACT...
I THINK the shoulder bar can be an inch or two below the top of your shoulders.
If you were to talk to the belt people, or look into the NHRA's rules for mounting them, you can find it there too.
Technicly, if the belts you have in there are considered a factory replacement, then they are OK. But, it sounds like you have a good idea of whats up.
With all this being said, you'd be hard pressed to have a cop give you flack for this. inspection station is more likely to do it though. If you install this stuff right, then you are better off. But, you need to make 100% sure it is done right, becouse a belt not installed properly is generally worse than an outdated one that is done right.

[68Stepbed]

OK I called Summit Racing Tech. He said the roll bar attachment should be below the shoulders. He said I would have to contact NHRA or SCCA to get tech specs. Since I'm not gonna race it, at least not in a competitive sanction, I'm not gonna worry about that.

Here's my two options.
1. Floor mount system. I could just mount the attachments through the floor. I would just need to make sure the attachment points are braced and very secure.

2. Roll bar mount. I'm not installing a complete roll cage, but I could get a bar mounted behind the seat. It could run through the floor and attach to the frame. This option would even add some rigidity to the chassis, but not really enough to be a real advantage. He said this idea would be better for mounting the safety harness.

I'm weighing out the options, but seriously leaning toward the simpler route which would be the floor mount system. I can brace the floor with some 1/8 or 1/4" steel plate at the mounting points.

[Longhorn Man]

if you do that, and you wreck, you'll compress the vertebres in your back and you'll be screwed untill they perfect the back replacement procedure.
I'm still waiting on that one myself.

[bigsnookmaster]

I had a set of Simpsons in my old 70. I fabbed a bar that mounted to the top gas tank mounts, while still using the inside tank, then just fastened the belts to the bar, and bolted the lap side into the original holes in the floor. I don't know if it was legal or not, but I guarantee it was better than a single lap belt could ever be.

[Longhorn Man]

it would keep you in place, but it would crush your spine in a head on accident.
This isn't opinion, it's fact, and it is why it is illegal for the average joe to do this sort of mod.

[bigsnookmaster]

Not trying to start a p...ing match here, but a head on collision, with the lap belt folding you into the steering column, wouldn't do much good for the ol back either.So,...maybe you should just put a cage in it!

[Longhorn Man]

good point.
However, I survived a nearly head on collision with nothing but the lap belt, and had nothing but a bruised belly. Had my spine been compressed from an improperly installed 4 or 5 point...



My body was thrown towards the center of the dash, however, if I had a 4 or 5 point that was anchored too low, then it would pull my shoulders down, and compressed my spine. The mazda that hit me was doing between 50 and 70 MPH, and I was hardly moving.
The cartilage that is between the vertebrae doesn't take much pressure to become damaged, as most of us already know.
In some accidents, even an improperly installed belt can be better than the crude lap belts. however, the lap belts can and do, a lot more than most people think.

[bigsnookmaster]

Point taken. No disrespect meant, and glad to see you came out ok.

[Longhorn Man]

i never looked at it as disrespect or in each others face or anything like that.
The whole reason these boards exist is to learn, or be learned, and we all get both sides of that coin on a regular basis.
this is a subject (improperly installed belts) that can really screw up someone's life, and as I said in the begining... look into it some more.

[68Stepbed]

Thanks for the info. I'll definitley do some more research before doing this. There's a race car shop just up the street from my work. I may go by and talk with them about it and see what they can recommend.

Andy, what you're saying makes sense, and that's my biggest worry about the whole deal. Even if I add a bar, I still have the issue that I'm 6'4". My shoulders are still pretty high over the seat back.



I may just look into a standard 3-point system, which our trucks were still designed for.

[jrcaprai]

Originally Posted by 68Stepbed

Thanks for the info. I'll definitley do some more research before doing this. There's a race car shop just up the street from my work. I may go by and talk with them about it and see what they can recommend.

Andy, what you're saying makes sense, and that's my biggest worry about the whole deal. Even if I add a bar, I still have the issue that I'm 6'4". My shoulders are still pretty high over the seat back.



I may just look into a standard 3-point system, which our trucks were still designed for.

Oh Lord, that is Beautiful....

[68Stepbed]

I'm sure you're talking about the truck and not me