Shoulder Belts

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Otateral

Otateral

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Likely going to be picking up a 69 Plymouth Valiant in a few days. However, it has only the lap belts. I would like to retrofit the car with the 3 point shoulder belts, front and back. I've got 2 school age boys that still need booster seats, by law.

Has anyone done this? Any links to the actual belts to order and/or guides to doing this would be great.

This is a 2 door with a post, fyi.
 
Didn't the 1969 cars have them as an option? The 7/16 nuts might already be welded in under the trim. If so, you could just buy a set and bolt them in. I think the one vendor I have seen is called SnakeOyl or something like that.
 
That would certainly help. Guess I will have to wait until the car's in my driveway so I can poke around. Right now, I'm just reading up on as much as I can about this car. I'm not a mechanic, but sort of a jack of all trades type of person.

This will be my first attempt at a basic restoration, and a learning experience for certain. I do have a brother and a friend who are both mechanics so I've got a good source of general knowledge.

This is all assuming the sale goes through, of course.
 
I thought we decided that 68 was the first year for factory installed anchors. They are listed as an option for 67, but if they were actually installed in A bodies, they ran the belt up over the seat, and anchored somewhere back in the rear seat, IE beside the rear seat back

Here:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=184851

33xdnv4.jpg
 
If that's the case, it would seem that I could install the rear shoulder belts directly to the rear anchor. Then I just have to check if they have the roof anchor for the front. Also did some searching and found Wesco has hardware to setup shoulder harnesses for the front.

My top priority will be the back seats, since they're necessary for my kids. I will get them for the front as well, but fiirst thing's first.
 
Roof anchors for the front shoulder belts will be there in a 69.
There were optional rear shoulder belts available for 70 model like e-body. I dont think they were available for 69 A-body but I've been wrong before.
Rear shoulder belts from a part yard donor ( Honda, etc. ) will be a challenge to install and not exactly D.O.T. approved/legal either.
Good luck
 
RedFish said:
Roof anchors for the front shoulder belts will be there in a 69....................
Click to expand...

Someone in the thread I posted claimed to have a '68 Barracuda with roof anchors

Who knows? Might be a "date" thing, or a plant by plant thing.

Someone claimed, and so does Wiki, that Jan 68 was the requirement date
 
67Dart273 said:
I thought we decided that 68 was the first year for factory installed anchors. They are listed as an option for 67, but if they were actually installed in A bodies, they ran the belt up over the seat, and anchored somewhere back in the rear seat, IE beside the rear seat back

Here:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=184851

33xdnv4.jpg
Click to expand...

The anchor for the sedan is over the rear side window for the front seat near the 'B' pillar.

Check out http://www.julianos.com for seat belts.
 
I have roof anchors in my 68 Barracuda you can feel them through the head liner just above the side window near the back of the front seats.
Not sure about the Valiant.
 
I purchased aftermarket belts from Andover Restraints (Seat belts for less):
http://andoverrestraints.com/
I'm pretty happy with them. Not sure how you would put a 3 point harness in the back though.
C
 
FYI, got the shoulder belts today and was able to install them. As I predicted, the headliner got torn all to hell installing them but needed to change the headliner at some point anyway. The belts themselves worked out pretty good, and was able to get the extra backing plate installed properly so they're safe.

Hardest part of the whole thing was getting the back seat removed in the first place. Think I need to work out more, LOL.
 
Otateral said:
FYI, got the shoulder belts today and was able to install them. As I predicted, the headliner got torn all to hell installing them but needed to change the headliner at some point anyway. The belts themselves worked out pretty good, and was able to get the extra backing plate installed properly so they're safe.

Hardest part of the whole thing was getting the back seat removed in the first place. Think I need to work out more, LOL.
Click to expand...

Cool. Keep those babies safe :)
The rear seat bottom can be difficult. To begin with moving the seat back upward just a little allows the bottom more room to move, but you know that now. Find any old silver coins under there ?
For what its worth... It was the safety bar on a forward facing car seat that busted the headliner stitching in our first 67 notch back.
 
I had hopes of finding something cool. But just pennies, a pencil and a shopping list. Eventually we're going to reupholster the seats, so they will have to come out again. Not looking forward to that.
 
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