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putz
Member
http://www.tbucketeers.com/forum/f15/seat-belt-mounting-3807/index2.html
Read this post it shows how to mount them so tou and body will be mounted to frame so if body comes off in accident seatbelt doesn't cut you in half. Look at pic in post of car with body off.
Keep safe.
Read this post it shows how to mount them so tou and body will be mounted to frame so if body comes off in accident seatbelt doesn't cut you in half. Look at pic in post of car with body off.
Keep safe.
Wild Mango
Member
A difficult question. In an open car with a figlass body you have no real protection. So a seat belt may only be of use to hold you in the seat.
One answer is to surround yourself with a roll cage. If you can live with how it looks. Then you need at least a 5 point harness and a secure seat to keep your soft body away from the hard roll cage. If you don't wear a harness firm its useless. Even then you will be amazed at how far you move around in the harness at times of disaster as i did after farmer Cletus backed a trailer out in front of me and i did a few endos over the ditch. THe bruises and belt burns prove it. In this case without the cage and harness there would have been soft music and the smell of flowers for my family in lieu of Dad.
As an ex ambulance officer I can tell you that in the vast majority of cases if you stay with the car your chances are much better.
So, tie the body onto the frame with good bolts and doublers and tie the belts onto the frame with bolts and crush tubes if you go through the tube. If you don't have a cage at least put in some side protection bars, leg restraints and a roll bar.
One answer is to surround yourself with a roll cage. If you can live with how it looks. Then you need at least a 5 point harness and a secure seat to keep your soft body away from the hard roll cage. If you don't wear a harness firm its useless. Even then you will be amazed at how far you move around in the harness at times of disaster as i did after farmer Cletus backed a trailer out in front of me and i did a few endos over the ditch. THe bruises and belt burns prove it. In this case without the cage and harness there would have been soft music and the smell of flowers for my family in lieu of Dad.
As an ex ambulance officer I can tell you that in the vast majority of cases if you stay with the car your chances are much better.
So, tie the body onto the frame with good bolts and doublers and tie the belts onto the frame with bolts and crush tubes if you go through the tube. If you don't have a cage at least put in some side protection bars, leg restraints and a roll bar.
Johnny
Member
Okay, It sounds like seat belts may not work so well. I don't think a roll cage would look very good in a '27 T, unless it's a race car. Besides, I can't weld.
Now, how do ya mount the body to the frame. Pictures if ya have them, please.
What is the law in Texas for belts? ( that question is for you Texas folks)
Thanks
Now, how do ya mount the body to the frame. Pictures if ya have them, please.What is the law in Texas for belts? ( that question is for you Texas folks)
Thanks
donsrods
Member
I don't run seat belts and won't. If one of my roadsters flips the last thing I want is to be strapped into it...........I want to take my chances being thrown clear. However, that is a personal philosophy and I haven't tested it out yet. Hope I never do.
As for the laws about belts, usually it depends on how the car is titled. Most American cars didn't have belts until something like 65 I think, so most States don't require them on cars prior to that time. If you title is as a built from parts or kit car, you may have to have them.
Don
Hope I never do.As for the laws about belts, usually it depends on how the car is titled. Most American cars didn't have belts until something like 65 I think, so most States don't require them on cars prior to that time. If you title is as a built from parts or kit car, you may have to have them.
Don
My body is bolted down solid, and I don't have seatbelts.
der Spieler
Member
I had mine bolted to the floor. John Law said I had to have them. I usually wore the belt, especially when I drove in Minnesota. When I would hit one of their bumps on I-35 at 70+ mph the belt held me in the seat.
EX JUNK
Moderator
Here is what I have said in the past on this subject:
EX JUNK
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Oviedo, Florida
Posts: 628
View Photos By: EX JUNK
Re: Seat belt mounting
I don't want to get into the whole argument about the pros or cons of using seat belts in an open car. However, if you choose to mount seat belts I would suggest that they be mounted to a "reinforced" body not the frame. By reinforced body I mean that the body mounts to the frame should have at least a 3"x 3"x 1/8" plate at each mounting point on the floor. This will help keep the body attached to the chassis. You also need to use a structural woven fiberglass mat on the inside rear of the body where the belts will be mounted. This will strengthen the belt mounting points greatly.
For the mounts themselves I chose to sandwich the body with 5/16"x 1 1/2" bar stock. I used five 3/8" bolts to mount the bars on either side of the body.
Here are some pictures that may help explain things a little better.
Another thing that I might add is that there is no wood in my car's body. All reinforcement has been done with steel. The body is a thicker and little heavier than most and is a contributing factor in the car's total weight of 1937 lbs. but I feel quite safe in it.
Jim
EX JUNK
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Oviedo, Florida
Posts: 628
View Photos By: EX JUNK
Re: Seat belt mounting
I don't want to get into the whole argument about the pros or cons of using seat belts in an open car. However, if you choose to mount seat belts I would suggest that they be mounted to a "reinforced" body not the frame. By reinforced body I mean that the body mounts to the frame should have at least a 3"x 3"x 1/8" plate at each mounting point on the floor. This will help keep the body attached to the chassis. You also need to use a structural woven fiberglass mat on the inside rear of the body where the belts will be mounted. This will strengthen the belt mounting points greatly.
For the mounts themselves I chose to sandwich the body with 5/16"x 1 1/2" bar stock. I used five 3/8" bolts to mount the bars on either side of the body.
Here are some pictures that may help explain things a little better.
Another thing that I might add is that there is no wood in my car's body. All reinforcement has been done with steel. The body is a thicker and little heavier than most and is a contributing factor in the car's total weight of 1937 lbs. but I feel quite safe in it.
Jim
Johnny
Member
VegasBruce said:
I guess it's my fault this post turned into a discussion on seatbelts, but actually I'm interested in how you all mount the body to the frame, Do you drill and tap the frame ? should it have some kind of rubber cusion sandwitched between frame and body? Or do you use a very long bolt that would pass through body and all the way through the frame?
Thanks
Johnny said:Okay, It sounds like seat belts may not work so well. I don't think a roll cage would look very good in a '27 T, unless it's a race car. Besides, I can't weld.
What is the law in Texas for belts? ( that question is for you Texas folks)
Thanks
It depends on how it's registered. Mine is titled and registered as a 1923 Roadster Pickup. They didn't have seatbelts in 1923 so they're not required. Having said that, I have my seatbelts bolted to the body. I have seen first hand what happens to a T-body when it gets hit in an accident.
EX JUNK
Moderator
Johnny, I'm sorry that I did not answer the other part of your question about how I mounted my body. Since I used 1 1/2" x 3" x 3/16" tubing, I drilled and tapped for four 3/8" x 16 screws down each side for a total of 8 mounting bolts. All the bolts go through a 1/4" x 2" x 6" plate that is glassed into the glass floor. The bolts are a counter sunk head (flat head), grade 8 with an allenhead wrench receiver. These are clearly visible in the pictures in my earlier post.
By mounting this way I was able to keep the underside very clean and uncluttered.
Jim
By mounting this way I was able to keep the underside very clean and uncluttered.
Jim
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