Shoulder belts

[midlifecuda]

I have searched this topic but couldn’t find a post on how I wanted to do a shoulder belt install so here is how I addressed the shoulder belt issue in my early A body (Barracuda). I wanted to do the early 3 point system that I once had in my 68 Barracuda. The belts are PG Classics reproduction 68-69 A body and they will sell just the fronts if you don’t need the rears. After determining where I wanted the belt

I welded up a series of washers and a 7/16 20 nut.
I then drilled out a hole large enough to accept the welded nut inverted(recessed) and used a ball peen hammer to provide additional clearance. Then I welded the nut/washer to the body of the car.

 

[midlifecuda]

View attachment 1715639310 View attachment 1715639312 View attachment 1715639313 View attachment 1715639314 View attachment 1715639315 View attachment 1715639317 View attachment 1715639321 View attachment 1715639326View attachment 1715639327View attachment 1715639328 View attachment 1715639310 View attachment 1715639312 View attachment 1715639313 View attachment 1715639314 View attachment 1715639315 View attachment 1715639317 View attachment 1715639310 View attachment 1715639312 View attachment 1715639313 I have searched this topic but couldn’t find a post on how I wanted to do a shoulder belt install so here is how I addressed the shoulder belt issue in my early A body (Barracuda). I wanted to do the early 3 point system that I once had in my 68 Barracuda. The belts are PG Classics reproduction 68-69 A body and they will sell just the fronts if you don’t need the rears. After determining where I wanted the belt View attachment 1715639310 View attachment 1715639312 View attachment 1715639313 View attachment 1715639314 View attachment 1715639315 View attachment 1715639317 View attachment 1715639321 I welded up a series of washers and a 7/16 20 nut.
I then drilled out a hole large enough to accept the welded nut inverted(recessed) and used a ball peen hammer to provide additional clearance. Then I welded the nut/washer to the body of the car.

Sorry about the multiple doubles of pictures, clearly a boomer trying to use his phone!

 

[67Dart273]

So you are trusting your life to a washer welded into sheet metal? No thanks. The original mounts were heavily reinforced.

Review Don Renfrow:



And an almost repeat in more modern times:

That's RIGHT!!! Those are LEGS out that windshield

 

[midlifecuda]

So you are trusting your live to a washer welded into sheet metal? No thanks. The original mounts were heavily reinforced.

Review Don Renfrow:



And an almost repeat in more modern times:

That's RIGHT!!! Those are LEGS out that windshield

Compared to just lap belts , yes,yes I am

 

[67Dart273]

You are missing the point completely. That lightweight fastener is completely inadequate.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yup. That's light duty for sure. Do you have a significant other? Maybe not much longer? That's just not trustworthy, IMO. I guess with the headliner installed, it's "too late" now.

What "I" would have done was get a piece of 1" square stock, about 6" long. Drilled a hole through it. Welded the nut over the hole. Then fed the "whole thing" through the hole you drilled with the nut on the outside. Then drilled several holes the length of the stock and made heavy spot welds and also "completely around" the hole. THEN you wouldda had something. What you have now has no reinforcement whatsoever.

 

[moparmat2000]

The nut should be welded to at minimum 1/8" steel plate. I would say 2" x 3" . Small hole drilled in the inner structure for the anchor bolt, and minimum 4 spot weld holes. 2 on each side of the small anchor hole. The steel plate with welded nut needs tp fit in behind the roof structure and then rosette weld the 4 holes to tie the anchor plate to the inner structure. I will post pix in a minute. Midlifecuda , what you have there will rip right out of the roof in the event of a collision. Your anchor needs to be thicker and mounted on the other side of the web.

 

[moparmat2000]

midlifecuda , Heres what I am going to do on my 67 notchback. I am showing these pix as I suggest you do the same. The light grey primered interior web shown is my sons 69 notch to show how the anchors are mounted. I am using old seat lap belt anchor plates from the old floor I drilled out of my sons 69 to replace due to rust and butchery. Note the size of the plate on the tape measure. The plates are 1/8" thick. This is a factory chrysler anchor plate

Note how I will slip them through an access hole in the roof structure. Pic there is only shown to give you an idea what to do. My 67 barracuda coupe, I will drill out the coat hook mounting hole and put the anchor at that point. This is about where the 69 coupe has its shoulder anchor point. Also note the 4 grind spots on the anchor plate. This is where it was originally spot welded to the floor pan from underneath. It has to be installed this way because in a violent crash the anchor plate will not pull through the floor pan or roof framework if welded from behind. The steel might distort from pulling force, but that's about it.

Also note the floor anchor points for rear lap belts in my sons 69. I made these as copies of what is in my 67 notch using it as a chinese blueprint because all this had been chopped out of the 69 when it was made into a drag car in the 80s and I had to put it all back in. Note that theres a small hole big enough for the seat belt bolt. The anchor is attached from the underside with 4 spot welds.

You need to remember in a violent impact your body weight doubles in force against the seatbelts. So if your weight is 250 lbs, that force yanking hard against those belt anchors makes it effectively 500 lbs or more. Think about that for a minute. If you trust that tack weld job on a thin assed washer scabbed to the top side of the thin structural web instead of a decent sized 1/8" steel plate with a welded nut thats tucked in behind the web then go right ahead. I hear those steel dashboards hurt heads pretty bad when your noggin hits them.

I have a bunch of spare anchor plates from a dodge dakota truck I cut up. Same thread pitch as the older belt bolts. LMK if you want a pair of them, just cover me on the shipping.

 

[midlifecuda]

So.....Well I appreciate the input for sure and I actually just installed the belts today so I can't say they will be getting much use till the spring. In my opinion, anything was better then just lap belts. I'm sure that at a reasonable speed crash they would help but I get the point. I don't race it nor speed with a 56 yr. old car. That being said, in the spring I will weld an 1/8th" plate over the washer leaving just a hole over the nut. I'll flatten the coat hook bump (don't use them) and notch for the bow and extend the plate a couple of inches either side of the nut. I will drill holes in the plate and "heavy spot weld it in place.

 

[moparmat2000]

The 1/8" plate and nut should be slipped in from behind the web, not over the top. I'd cut out what you got in there now, not scab over the top. I think your missing the point about the 1/8" plate. Scabbing it over the top wont be as strong as the whole thing being tucked up behind the web. Keep in mind the anchor points I am showing you are "stock" factory mounting points, not drag racer stuff. I think the engineers might have known a bit about stress and strain to design them that way. Best of luck to you.