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Author Topic: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts  (Read 4287 times)

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Offline dianne

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3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« on: February 28, 2014, 12:59:27 PM »
On the Maverick forum someone ordered some customer 3 Point retractable lap and shoulder straps. On my cars, yeah all with these pain in the 70s Ford seat and shoulder belts, I would love to do a 3 Point installation - the Galaxy is by far the worse setup of the 3.

https://www.seatbeltplanet.com/seatbelts-and-accessories/3-pt-retractable-lap-shoulder/



Has anyone used one of these from another vehicle in their Pintos? If so, what car did you pull them from?
Vehicles:

- 1972 Plymouth Duster (To be a Pro Street)
- 1973 Ford Pinto wagon (registered ride 195)
- 1976 Mustang II mini-stock
- 1978 Mustang King Cobra II
- 1979 Ford Pinto Runabout
- 1986 Chevy K5 Blazer
- 1997 Suzuki Marauder

FORD: Federal Ownership Respectfully Denied

Offline Wittsend

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2014, 03:48:24 PM »
In another recent post I talked about the difficulty of finding a seat belt/shoulder harness for another car I have.  I too had considered they type you are referring to.  The problem I came across was that almost all the retractors are embedded into the body cavity under a side panel.  So, there is no external cover for them.  And with some exceptions most likely have some kind of electric/electronic circuit that activated them to grab.

I found that the Chevy Suburbans did have a mechanical/inertia system.  But it was housed in a rather large rectangular box.  This is an Ebay link (All I could find of the belt) that shows the box.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Seat-Belt-Retractor-Recoil-Left-Driver-Side-Bucket-Seat-Suburban-/400408492054

That was all I was able to come up with after many a Pick Your Part search.  And it is why I opted for a non-retracting belt/harness set up from a '70 Toyota Hilux truck.  Might I add that a lot of older cars have no provision  for the upper shoulder harness either.  I welded a nut to a plate and fished it up through the door pillar. Adhesive held it there  until the bolt was tightened.

Driving our older cars makes me appreciate todays advances in seat belts.

Offline dianne

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2014, 04:21:45 PM »
I am thinking about ordering a set for the Galaxy anyway. They are $99 each with the 8" extension. The problem is that the latch (the thing you plug the flat thing into) would have to be replaced. That would mean I would have non-factory latches in my car. That won't do for me.

As for the Pinto, the setup in that and the Maverick are much better and the slots run up and down and lock in place whereas the Galaxy has them running side to side and the shoulder harness keeps falling out.

I agree that seat belt advancements have increased quite a bit. I am considering those from that place, but I would have to be willing to lose the factory look in my car with those latches. He said that they don't have anything that would match and I couldn't use the latches in my car!
Vehicles:

- 1972 Plymouth Duster (To be a Pro Street)
- 1973 Ford Pinto wagon (registered ride 195)
- 1976 Mustang II mini-stock
- 1978 Mustang King Cobra II
- 1979 Ford Pinto Runabout
- 1986 Chevy K5 Blazer
- 1997 Suzuki Marauder

FORD: Federal Ownership Respectfully Denied

Offline dennisofaz

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2014, 05:09:16 PM »
Hi Dianne,


There is a place called WWW.Snakeoyl.c om, they fix seatbelts and they could help you use the origional bucke, and 3 point mount.


Dennis

Offline amc49

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2014, 05:42:37 PM »
I would tread lightly doing some of this stuff. While all of you know dang well that later incarnation seat belt assemblies can be installed that work better and look better, the insurance companies will look to deny payment for any injuries as a result of any changes to the factory stock belt system, it has been done before. Likewise the manufacturer will do the same. Big liability issues there, they can even refuse to insure the car if they know it. I don''t see Ford as being the 'go to' guy for damages on such old cars but it should be known that ANY changes whatsoever to seat belting systems in cars is a reason in court to void any payment for any injuries received in them. They are no longer federally approved once they have been modded in any fashion whatsoever. They're not legal either if the car has been in an accident, it renders them as needing to be changed, Ford will not accept liability after such case even if the systems still work perfectly and belts not yielded at all. They only approve replacement with exact same Ford part there again, the vehicle crash testing was done with them only. The little asking I've done of aftermarket belt makers while I was at the store as to if they accepted the liability and the answers were not encouraging at all. 'I'll get back to you on that' was the most likely response.

The link listed shows that all products pass fed stats (saying they pass all specs and accepting liability are two different things) but the cop-out there is the mounting, they get out legally by claiming they cannot control user action in the mounting process and commonly where the problems begin. At the very least you must use factory stress points and/or plates and the exact same type of bolt, any other bolt is a giveaway and can cost you even if it is a grade 20 bolt.

I like to pry into such things, it can be enlightening. Here in Texas they can and do refuse to pass any car with non-stock looking belts they can tell have been changed at safety inspection time.

Just sayin'.............. ......make it look as stock as you can and deny ever touching them if the important time ever comes......... ........ridicu lous we should even have to worry about stuff like that but the world grows ever more complicated.

Offline dianne

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2014, 08:00:11 AM »
I'm keeping mine stock I guess. The Pinto isn't bad. What's bad is the Galaxy because it slips out when you're driving. The Pinto has the slots up and down while the Galaxy has them going across. It just doesn't work I guess because they slip out while you're driving. I don't want that ticket when they see that it slipped out. I gotta get a cotter pin or something that might hold them in place. The shoulder belt in the Galaxy just wasn't designed properly. The Maverick just has a slot on it without the hole so to speak.

I have to replace those and I guess I'll do them original... I moved from Hagerty to State Farm also since I don't have a car that's 25 years or newer. State Farm and the rest are famous for finding ways to not pay off of course!

Thanks for telling me...
Vehicles:

- 1972 Plymouth Duster (To be a Pro Street)
- 1973 Ford Pinto wagon (registered ride 195)
- 1976 Mustang II mini-stock
- 1978 Mustang King Cobra II
- 1979 Ford Pinto Runabout
- 1986 Chevy K5 Blazer
- 1997 Suzuki Marauder

FORD: Federal Ownership Respectfully Denied

Offline Wittsend

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2014, 10:25:07 PM »
I believe it was 1966 that seatbelts were mandated (at least in California).  And if memory serves correct any pre-1966 car had to have some aftermarket seatbelt installed if sold by a dealer. It would be interesting (not that I really want to know) how they would deal with my pre-1966 cars.  The '63 Rambler American has belts only from an early 70's Dodge truck.  The '64 Studebaker Daytona has the already mentioned '70 Toyota Hilux belt/harness.  Neither car did I buy from a dealer.

Offline amc49

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Re: 3 Point Retractable Lap and Shoulder Belts
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2014, 03:00:56 AM »
Here the inspectors have that all important ability to turn down a car for inspect if they 'feel something is not right' even if they cannot put their finger on it. A cop-out to send you elsewhere if you give them any pressure at all. I've shook Tx. Dept. Of Safety vehicle inspection rules in front of their faces before to just drive them nuts. They then refuse to inspect you and ask you to go elsewhere. They think they are gods and any forcing them to think to warp their minds just sends them into a tizzy. I guess that's what you get when hiring $8/hr. help to do a job that cannot make any real profit for shop owner, the state takes virtually all of the fee and running the numbers I cannot see how they even keep the shops open if inspection is all they do.

I remember the old days where the inspection guy was knowledgeable about cars and you had some leeway, now, the young kids they get to do it often have no idea of how a car works. They routinely pass cars with tires so worn you could have a blowout in the next hour, and you can get anything you want done under hood, they have no idea of what should be done and not to engine. Most wouldn't be able to tell you where the EGR is on an engine, or PCV valve. I've passed cars with no cat under them, they didn't even know enough to look.

Here, they do not require airbags (if car has them) to work to pass, if they have been fired they just don't care, at least most don't. Some say they must be operational and refuse the inspect even if you clearly show them in law where that does not apply. They then tell you politely to go somewhere else again.

In all fairness they run scared, the state commonly sends fake customers in to try to slide various things by and all inspectors are terrified you might be one. A fail from that test and they shut you down as a business. If an idiot about cars, best thing is just to fail it and fake a reason.

I have a car that the bags have been fired on, trying to find a steering wheel cover but cannot because the bag is incorporated in it and not going to pay $500 for that. I want just a simple cover alone like oldschool car. The result was a steering wheel that has no pretty cover but still has all horn operating parts in place to simply press on the hub anywhere and horn works just like any other car. I got turned down not for no bag there but the horn was incorrect, he said it was not 'clear' where the horn button was. I showed state law that horn must only be present and working but not marked, no mention of that at all. Still flunked. So, went home and using a Dymo labelmaker printed up the word 'horn' 3 times to stick it all around the horn operating part rim in wheel. Flunked again, he stills says not clear enough, now he's screwing with me. He said he doesn't 'feel good about it'. Really. It got worse to him ordering me off the lot, at that time the site owner happened to call and he spills to boss what he's 'having to put up with'. The boss then severely dresses him down on the phone to the tune of passing the car and 'what kind on idiot are you'. So loud I could hear it over the phone. Pretty funny. I got a good laugh out of that one.

Early non-belted cars? Haven't a clue, they'd probably punt claiming someone removed them. Not old enough to know, like people who claim I've got a fake social security card because they are not old enough to have seen the older '60s ones. Don't get me started on that one, I almost went potentially to jail over it.