1957 Buick seatbelts

[Frank Falconeri]

Does anybody have any good advice on putting seatbelts in a 1957 Buick special 2 door hardtop, at least just the lap belts, I don't want to ruin too much of the originality of the car And I don't want to experiment with drilling holes in the Floore, if someone out there has done this, I could use some advice. Thanks 

[Larry Schramm]

14 minutes ago, Frank Falconeri said:

Does anybody have any good advice on putting seatbelts in a 1957 Buick special 2 door hardtop, at least just the lap belts, I don't want to ruin too much of the originality of the car And I don't want to experiment with drilling holes in the Floore, if someone out there has done this, I could use some advice. Thanks 

 

Search seat belts on the site.  There is a lot of discussion on pros & cons.  

 

Here is one thread.  Just do not pay attention to the guy that talks about air bags.

 

 

[Rusty_OToole]

Buick probably had seat belts as an option in 1957, most cars had. There should be markings or dimples in the floor boards stampings showing where mounting holes are to be drilled. There should be a large reinforcing washer or possibly a steel plate about 6" square that goes under the floor.

 

Where you can buy suitable seat belts, I do not know, but any originals you find will be weakened by age and the straps need to be replaced. I don't know anyone who does this because of the liability. Good luck.

[Frank Falconeri]

Thank you for your input 

[avgwarhawk]

There is not much you can do but drill the floor.   I did so in my 60.  Biggest thing is making sure the nap of the carpet does not get caught up in your drill bit!    The belts are fed through the area were the back support and seat meet.  There are a wide variety of colors offered for lap belts.  Plus the buckles are chrome.  My 60 is Buick Lucerne Green.  The interior is green.  The green lap belts I installed look like they belong.  Darn near perfect match to the color scheme of the interior.    

 

I purchased mine from here:

 

 https://www.seatbeltsplus.com/product/1806-Dk-Green.html

Edited December 15, 2022 by avgwarhawk (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

The easy way to drill thru nylon carpet is to melt a hole with a soldering gun.

[avgwarhawk]

I just made a small X cut in the carpet.  Held back the carpet tabs.  Drilled.   

[Leif in Calif]

On 12/14/2022 at 5:24 PM, Rusty_OToole said:

Buick probably had seat belts as an option in 1957, most cars had. There should be markings or dimples in the floor boards stampings showing where mounting holes are to be drilled. There should be a large reinforcing washer or possibly a steel plate about 6" square that goes under the floor.

 

Where you can buy suitable seat belts, I do not know, but any originals you find will be weakened by age and the straps need to be replaced. I don't know anyone who does this because of the liability. Good luck.

It's extremely important that the area where you mount the belt be reinforced. A large fender washer won't do. My father died in 1968 when the incorrectly installed seat belts in his  car ripped through the sheet metal of the floor. In a collision, the force on the belt can be a thousand pounds.    

[Rusty_OToole]

10 minutes ago, Leif in Calif said:

It's extremely important that the area where you mount the belt be reinforced. A large fender washer won't do. My father died in 1968 when the incorrectly installed seat belts in his  car ripped through the sheet metal of the floor. In a collision, the force on the belt can be a thousand pounds.    

Quite so. That is why I said a large reinforcing washer or 6" steel plate. Round or square, it must be 6" or so and 3/16 thick. If you don't have the original bolts use grade 8.