Three Point Seat Belts

[Yadkin]

The wife announced yesterday that she won't be riding in my restoration build unless it has lap and shoulder belts. I'd like to hear some experiences of others before I choose a set.

Wesco Performance has them for about $70/ set, retractable.

[Joe Johnston]

Is leaving her at home an option??

Sorry, couldn't resist. What ever you choose, please do a bit of Goggling for seat belts and spinal compression. If not installed properly the over the shoulder belt may cause problems as they really should be mounted at or above ear level.

good luck and driving by yourself isn't all that bad either!

[simplyconnected]

...If not installed properly the over the shoulder belt may cause problems as they really should be mounted at or above ear level...

I would agree with this with one exception...

My Mustang convertible has a shoulder harness that mounts below my shoulder level. There is a hook at the corner of my seat for detachment. The harness retractor is behind that, just below the rear window opening. - Dave

[Yadkin]

I think the spinal compression issue is solved if the seat belt is over the frame of the seat and your shoulder is below that. Dave, maybe that is your set-up in the Mustang. Unfortunately mine are low buckets several inches below my shoulder, so mounted low I'd be looking at shoulder and back problems.

Looking at my 2012 Jeep which is 5 star crash rated I have the shoulder point located 27" above seat height, on the B pillar. This is about 3" above my shoulder and in line front-back with the seat all the way back (I don't have my seat nearly that far back). I have the seat and restraint both located as high as they can go. So I'm theorizing that the best location is 3" above the shoulder or slightly higher and in line front-back or behind.

Since the TBird is a hardtop there is no B pillar. That puts the mount above or behind the back window. That may be the best place anyway to allow a rear seat passenger access, ducking under the belt instead of crawling over it.

[simplyconnected]

...Since the TBird is a hardtop there is no B pillar...

Hmmm... just like the Mustang Convertible. No, my seat back is not higher than my shoulder. - Dave

[Yadkin]

What year is your Mustang? Is this an OEM set-up or did you put them in?

[simplyconnected]

It's a standard 1990 Fox body Mustang GT convertible. It came with a 5.0/AOD which I threw out. The only thing I added to the interior is an arm rest (from the dealership). The drivetrain is beastly (4:30 RE, Art Carr shift kit w/stall and beefed trans, 351W EFI (roller) w/general kinetics cam, Edelbrock aluminum heads (shaved down to the valve seats), and true roller timing chain set (from Ford Racing). Oh, I used fancy rocker arms with slightly better ratio. With standard tires, it's a low 13 second convertible. I put the wife and dog in the car and freak everyone out on Woodward Ave. - Dave

[Yadkin]

Well I pulled the trigger on a set from Wesco performance. I spent quite a bit of time measuring and looking for strong areas behind the rear quarter windows to weld on the third points, both for the front seats and the rear.

For the fronts I chose an 8" sash guide, which will be mounted high in the rear panel near the top of the quarter glass. That should allow best access to the rear seats and drop the shoulder belt low enough on the driver's neck not to be a problem. If not I'll have to fabricate some seat hooks to drop them down. These will also have 8" sleeves to the center point which buries them slightly under the edge of the seat, so I ordered end releases there as well. These are black plastic with red buttons, and I'll need to install a fabric rub area on te side of the console to keep these from rattling and messing up the console.

For the rears I selected "roadster" style with the third point to mount at the bottom rear corner of the roof pillar. These will have "floppy" ends for the center points in the bench seat.

[Yadkin]

Here's what the front set looks like. I have the belt manufacturer's threaded tab welded to the structure at the B pillar. The holder swivels on that assembly. A big stainless washer protects the headliner.

[Yadkin]

Here's the driver's seat, first showing the attachments then showing with the belt buckled. The two points on either side of the seat are Ford factory. I have an extension on the tunnel side to bring the release up to an accessible height with a red release button.

[Yadkin]

Here's the key to the system. The belt rolls up into this little box and only extends when you pull it slowly and smoothly. So it's self latching in an accident. On the front seat, this is mounted on the outboard side, the same attachment point as the start of the belt.

[del]

very nice job!

[Yadkin]

Thanks. Not easy to get into the back seat, but safety first!