shoulder belts for Daughters 65 Barracuda

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one mile

one mile

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I posted this when I first joined on the Welcome section, now I am posting it here. Anyone done Shoulder Belts in an A Body? How about Seats with intergrated Belts? ANY info would be helpful, Pics., Etc.........Thanks
 
Look for a Sebring convert seat from about 1995 for intergrated belts
 
Sebring convertible seats recovered.

DSC00093.jpg
 
How old a daughter? If 16 I,d say 10 point cage and 5 point harness. Belts bolt to cage. I wont let my daughter drive anything without air bags.Kids are too easily distracted.
 
Don't forget to consider floor reinforcement.....having a person bolted into a seat that pulls out of the floor is a false sense of security.

I installed the sebring convertible seats & reinforced the floor from underneath to carry the added loads during an accident to the rocker panel area & tunnel area.

Note that the original lap type seat belts bolts directly to the floor tunnel & rocker panels.....consequently the original seats & floor brackets are designed for almost no load from seat belts pulling during a sudden stop.
 
daredevil said:
5 point harness
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Only if you're trying to get her hurt! Spend money on seatbelts that are both new and good, then hope you never have to get your money's worth out of them.

I used to recommend retrofitting 4-point Wesco belts as I did on my '71, but not any more (the article is correct in its facts and physics, and everything said about 5-point harnesses is equally true of the 4-point variety, except the additional injuries that a 5-point can do to a male driver).

These up-to-date, reputable-brand ECE-approved 3-point seat belts are what I now favor. Linked vendor is reliable; I've been buying there for a decade. More info on mounting at the maker's website. If I needed mounting hardware, I'd buy it again from Wesco (and their page has good illustrated write-ups on how to install belts in pillarless cars like yours here ), but the Securon belts are a much better-designed product than anything Wesco carries.

There are also bench- and bucket-seat 3-point belt setups available from XV Motorsports, but I am hesitant to recommend or use them until I have more than a one-line say-so from the company that their belts actually meet the relevant safety standards; discussion on that matter is here.

Truth to tell, though, daredevil has it right. Kids really shouldn't be in old cars. They really aren't safe. It's one thing for an experienced, mature adult to use that experience and maturity to adjust his driving to account for the lower safety performance and capability of an old car. It's quite another to send an inexperienced, immature kid out into traffic in a car that provides zero margin for an "oops".
 
TAQuickness said:
So what did teenagers in the sixties drive?
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Y'mean back when the rate of traffic-related death, maiming and dismemberment was much higher than it is now? If you think about your question for just a moment or two, you might find it wasn't worth asking in the first place. Hint: We don't live in the sixties.
 
O.K. Guys I will put it bluntly. I am not pissed off or anything like that
,but here are the facts ,I can't afford to give my daughter the Car she deserves, times for me are tough right now, she is a very smart girl and gets to go to a "upscale" school because she applies herself (I did not) she is SO smart. I can only give her a DAMN good looking car that I can build WITH her. This is what she and I want. This is all I can give her right now is my ability to build a car that she will not be ashamed of ........Now, with all of your help if you all are still willing I would like to make the Car SAFE as I can with what I have to work with. I need the Car to be as Classy as it should rightfully be without a 6 point Cage and a 5 point harness (I would love it.). I can teach her about distractions while in traffic, but distractions from Pier pressure at school and life I cannot. So I try to ease them as much as a Father can. Helpful input will be welcome.
Thank you. Tim
 
Thanks RED66GT. Hopefully with this being a "Ground Up" build I can narrow down the problems she will have. Already has motor Completly built,Trans. built, Power Dics on the way and have talked her into a nice tucked up roll bar so she won't be looked at as a "Red Neck". (Even though most of them I know are not "full of themselves" and are quite nice and entertaining to be around.) I plan on sway bars front and rear, Gas Shocks and full poly. kit on all the suspension. I am looking into the Sebring seats that were suggested (great idea) and remote locks and such.......
 
One Mile I agree with you a good Education is important. If your daughter wants to build a classic car with you go for it.There is enough safety equipment out here in the aftermarket to make your build together a safe car. I look forward to seeing your build in the resto forums.
 
And since I'm the lighting geek and we're talking about upgrading safety for compatibility with modern traffic: put in better headlamps (Cibie H4s if you want good but costly, GE Night Hawk H6024NH if you want decent and cheap, pick one of these two and ignore all other options unless you have a large pile of money to spend on super-premium headlamps) fed by relays, put in a good quality central 3rd brake light, maybe add DRLs, and upgrade the car's other exterior lights (see here for how, and here, especially post #20, for how not).
 
Teach her to drive safely and defensibly! Me also being a selfish parent, put my kid in a classic vehicle that we built together. I survived the 80 in an e-body without seat belts, I'm sure my kid will do just fine with her classic, Granted it's a 3/4 ton truck with 1 ton springs that dwarfs most 4X4's.
 
I had the same shoulder belt need. No way to attach to the upper frame, so look for convertible seats. Sebring is easy since integrated belts, as are many recent cars (even sedans and SUV's). I found seats from a 90's Cobra Mustang convertible for $50. Still haven't installed with seat belts. They have a loop at the top to hold the shoulder belt.

Re safety, amazing comments from A-body owners. I don't see 60's cars as so dangerous and unreliable as you guys imagine. Twice the stopping distance? Unbelievable. I am a mechanical engineer. The limit is when the tires break contact with the road. Can't drum brakes skid tires? You don't have anti-lock braking, but you can pump the pedal, and studies have shown anti-lock hardly helps since many people feel the auto-pulsing, get scared and lift up on the pedal. I recall stopping distances like 140 ft from 60 mph for a Dart and that may have been with older bias tires. New cars are usually 110-140 ft. The mega disk brakes you see are really only an advantage for repeated braking from high-speeds like in zig-zag road racing. Unless you plan to drive like that and get 5 mpg from the wasted energy, they are just a "looks cool" fad.

A pre-67 car has some drawbacks like no collapsible steering column, no dual reservoir master cylinder, and fewer marker lights, though some can be upgraded. Of course no air bags, but those mainly help in frontal collisions and were not a federal mandate if seat belt use is forced (automatic belts). In 35 years of driving (~half 60's cars), I have never run into anything. I have been hit in the rear and side about 4 times by idiots. I would rather be in a 4 door or 2-dr post Dart than any smaller 90's car in a side collision. I was in my 65 4-dr Newport when a driver ran into my driver's door. Just keep plenty of distance from cars in front, which I do in any car I drive. Studies show that cars don't cause accidents, idiot drivers do, which is why most states dropped vehicle inspections.

Re reliability, our 2002 T&C minivan wouldn't start this morning (battery low). Not the first time. It has many unneeded electrical features like automatic doors, etc. (wife likes). Airport parking routinely jump customers today since new cars often deplete even a new battery in a few weeks sitting from all the parasitic loads. Install a Battery Brain on your daughter's A-body to protect from that most common problem.
 
Thanks slantsixdan on the Lighting. I honestly had not thought of those upgrades! That is the VERY next thing I will adress after the Seats. Thanks Billgrissom, breakstuff and everyone for your positive input. I hope to get pics. so valiant Rebel and all interested can watch and give suggestions as we (slowly) move forward. Donpal do you have pics. of your seat mods? I have looked around and I think pishta has the right idea for us on the seats. Anybody up to speed on rear leafsprings and swaybar "Do's and Don'ts" ? Well, working 3rd and have to get back to work ......Thanks
 
slantsixdan said:
And since I'm the lighting geek and we're talking about upgrading safety for compatibility with modern traffic: put in better headlamps (Cibie H4s if you want good but costly, GE Night Hawk H6024NH if you want decent and cheap, pick one of these two and ignore all other options unless you have a large pile of money to spend on super-premium headlamps) fed by relays, put in a good quality central 3rd brake light, maybe add DRLs, and upgrade the car's other exterior lights (see here for how, and here, especially post #20, for how not).
Click to expand...

I wired in a six-inch wide low profile LED 3rd brake light on my '64 Barracuda. I used a piece of aluminum, bent into a crushed "S" shape, with some adhesive to affix it into/around the rear window seal. It was mounted on the inside, facing back--essentially where I think a "stock" light would have been. I ran the wiring up to the brake light switch itself (to make sure it it always went on with the brakes, since the original brake lights would sometimes not both illuminate if the turn signal switch was slightly off center).

It worked great and I really think it increased the rear visibility and safety during braking.
 
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