'49 Dodge Needs Seatbelts

[Thom Thumb]

I just got a '49 Dodge Coronet, 4-door with solid bench seats.  I plan to add front and rear seat belts.  Any advice would be most welcome.  One specific question - how long should the seat belts be?  I'm guessing given the size of the car, longer is better.  72-74 inches?

[alsancle]

The seatbelt question is always a fun topic.  I guess I would ask you why you are adding them?  Since the car was not engineered for belts, retrofitting them may or may not help you in an accident.  There is a chance they could kill you as much as help you.

[joe_padavano]

As noted, this is always a fun topic.  People who don't understand physics seem to think adding seatbelts is a bad thing.  The reality is that ANY belt, assuming proper anchorage, will prevent you from being decapitated as your head passes through the non-safety glass windshield.  Since all DOT-approved belts have a known amount of stretch, this provided energy absorption that reduces crash forces and spreads them over your body.  Is there a likelihood that you will have bruises and possibly broken bones from the belts?  Yeah.  Is that preferable to death?  Kind of a no-brainer in my book.  Even in less-severe crashes, belts keep you behind the wheel for better control of the vehicle in an emergency. I just don't see a downside.

 

Bottom line is that you MUST properly anchor the belts.  Look at how the factory did this on cars in the 1960s.  The belt anchor points usually were incorporated into the floorpan crossmember reinforcements.  Try to duplicate this as much as possible.  Where not possible, the factories used very large load distribution washers.  On GMs, these were oval, on the order of 1/4" thick, and about 2" x 4", with rolled edges so they would not tear the floor pan sheet metal. The necessary length of belts for your car will depend on where the appropriate anchor points are located for structural reasons.  This web page provides good info on locating the belt anchor points.

 

And since, in one of these threads, someone always brings up the fallacy that the seat will break loose and crush you, all I can say is that argument only violates two or three laws of physics.

[Thom Thumb]

I'm not here to start a discussion about the usefulness of seatbelts.  Those who choose to not have them, or not use them, are free to do so without argument from me.  When I was a moderator at Motorcycle Safety Tips & Techniques there were endless discussions about helmets, loud exhausts, leather vs. Levis, and following distances.   Here and now, I'm just looking for information about how to install belts on 'Blue Moon'.  Alsancle, if your advice is to not install seatbelts, it's duly noted, and thank you.  Does anyone out there have advice on how to install them?

 

Incidentally, the motorcycle safety web site I mentioned is still going after about twenty years.  It's available here: http://www.msgroup.org/default.aspx

It's not a brand-specific site, and it's not just about safety tips. 

[Thom Thumb]

Joe, thanks for your response.  I was thinking about using the outboard seat anchor points for half of each belt.  Is that reasonable?  Seems like it would minimize drilling in the floorpan.  It would also distribute the force over a larger area. 

 

Quite a collection you have there.

[Rusty_OToole]

If you are concerned about the seat tearing loose you could replace the hold down bolts with grade 8 and use large washers under them.

[atlbluz]

TT, I am installing belts in my '38 Plymouth.  I bought standard belts for the front seats and they are way too short.  I am now looking at the 97 to 99 inch belts.  A little longer works better than an inch too short.

Greg

[Thom Thumb]

altlbluz, you just saved me some grief.  Standard belts seem to be 60-62 inches, but I've seen some listed at 72-74 inches, and that was what I was planning to buy.  Ninety-nine sounds hard to find, but I'll look for them.

 

Rusty, I'm not too worried about the seat ripping out, but better to err on the side of caution, huh? 

 

Thank you both for your input.

[keiser31]

You might want to look for van seat belts as they usually have a higher seat/longer belts.

[Thom Thumb]

Thank you Keiser31.  That's a good idea.

[Bhigdog]

Place them under the floor as near any cross bracing or floor reinforcements as possible. Use 3" or so 1/4" thick washers under the nuts. Any belt is better than no belt...............Bob

[Thom Thumb]

Thank you Bob. 

Just went out and used a piece of rope the take a measurement.  Looks like I'm going to have to lose some weight. 

[joe_padavano]

14 hours ago, Bhigdog said:

Place them under the floor as near any cross bracing or floor reinforcements as possible. Use 3" or so 1/4" thick washers under the nuts. Any belt is better than no belt...............Bob

 

I would actually go even larger.  You can buy repros of the GM-style reinforcements with the rolled edges that I mentioned above. RB1 is similar to the GM parts. RB3 is intended to slide into the B-pillar to allow anchoring shoulder belts.

 

 

http://www.andoauto.com/hardware.htm

 

 

Edited July 12, 2016 by joe_padavano (see edit history)

[atlbluz]

TT on Ebay there is a company out of Oregon that shows 97 inch on ebay, but not black.  they say they can do anything.  I am going to contact them to see if I can get exactly what I want. 

[Thom Thumb]

AtlBluz, is this the link you found?

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.X97+inch+seatbelt.TRS0&_nkw=97+inch+seatbelt&_sacat=0

[Thom Thumb]

Seat belts are ordered.  Anchor hardware is available locally.  Now comes the little issue of getting the belts in.  Do I need to remove the entire seat, or just the cushion?  If just the cushion, does it lift out, or is it bolted in somehow?  Blue Moon has footrests under the back of the front seat, plus I know I need to keep the belts clear of the seat fore/aft adjuster.  What else do I need to know (aside from the winning Lotto numbers)?