Well after almost 20 years in storage I finally decided to get my T-Bucket running. I've taken the car pretty much apart, and decided to install seat belts. Has anyone done this, and what is the best way to attach them? My first thought is to weld a piece if 1/4 by 3" flat stock across the frame rails behind the seat. Not sure if this is the best way or not.
Seat belt mounting
- Thread starter frabru
- Start date
terrymac
New Member
Most cars the seatbelt is fastened to the body, inserts in the floor pillars etc. I'm not sure the reason but I suspect it has something to do with how things react in a crash. How would it feel if the body got driven ahead an inch or two and the belts were around you and fastened to the frame that didn't go as far
Just a thought
Just a thought
Lee_in_KC
Active Member
Read this thread... http://www.tbucketeers.com/forum/f17/carefull-1063/
EX JUNK
Moderator
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
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
Hot Rod Todd
Member
I have some lapbelts that bolt to tabs on my chassis. I needed those to be legal down here, but have never actually used them.
I also have a 6 point rollcage with a 5 point harness, which is not actually legal to use on the roads here, and I never drive off without bolting myself into the belts.My rollcage is fully padded as banging your head onto your unpadded cage in an accident is probably not a good thing to do.
I actually own a residential rehab facility for people who have suffered a head injury so hold some fairly strong opinions on head injuries.
Down here, seatbelts have been a legal requirement for about 40 years so even 50 year old have been brought up with them.
I also have a 6 point rollcage with a 5 point harness, which is not actually legal to use on the roads here, and I never drive off without bolting myself into the belts.My rollcage is fully padded as banging your head onto your unpadded cage in an accident is probably not a good thing to do.
I actually own a residential rehab facility for people who have suffered a head injury so hold some fairly strong opinions on head injuries.
Down here, seatbelts have been a legal requirement for about 40 years so even 50 year old have been brought up with them.
My buddy took his wife for a short ride and his left wheel fell off at about 40 mph. The car instantly jerked to the left - went across the centerline and into a ditch. He and his wife were ejected 30 feet down the road. He broke his collar bone and she had a back brace for several days. Both wished they had a seatbelt on. Oh, he later discovered he had 2 new cotter pins still in the box his spindles came in. I have seat belts in mine plus a roll bar. If that sucker rolls over I will probably just lose the 27 hairs on the top of my head. The belts are bolted to a 1 X 3 welded across the frame rails.I don't fear the body will move forward as the plywood will give way.
crossingts
New Member
i think this is the pic Rooster was talking about.....or atleast it came to mind.
Lee_in_KC
Active Member
When that pic of the wreck was first posted there was a link to the newspaper story, which had some more pix. There was a close-up from the left front of the T where you could clearly see that the frame had broken at the kick-up. You could also see small remnants of the body (fiberglass and plywood) around the attach points on the frame.
rooster57
Member
Yep thats the one. So if you were in it and the body tried to come off and you were in the seatbelts and it was bolted to the frame "that would hurt". Ok say the belts are bolted to the body only and over you go "that would hurt". OK Say you dont have a belt and the body goes over and tosses you out on your tookas " that would hurt". So what is the answer. Well i think if the body comes off your gona get hurt... So lets look at the more common issue a hard braking or the swerve to avoid grandma coming out of wal-mart using all lanes . Did you think i had the answer i dont so lets discuss it!! The guys with seat belts please lead the way.
rooster57
Member
Junk i have seen your post and my bracket i made looks a lot like yours and my motto is any belt is better than none. You can argue all day long but the bottom line is you NEED um in your car. My dad would have said "Hell son i drove for 50 years with out a seat belt" I told him dad you didnt have tiffiny comining at you 20 over in the opposite lane text messaging he girl britney either. Times change.
Hot Rod Todd
Member
Im not a fan of lap belts.
They can break you in half in an accident when your legs are tied in and your trunk/head wants to keep going forward. So maybe you whack your head/break your back.
Im a fan of full seat belts in open cars. And padding on rollbars. Rollbars can do a lot of damage to you when you bang into them too. Steel tends to be much harder than your skull.
They can break you in half in an accident when your legs are tied in and your trunk/head wants to keep going forward. So maybe you whack your head/break your back.
Im a fan of full seat belts in open cars. And padding on rollbars. Rollbars can do a lot of damage to you when you bang into them too. Steel tends to be much harder than your skull.
Ted Brown
Member
I built a car for a fellow down in Long beach, He drives an ambulance on the coast Hwy.. He told me seat belts kill as many as they save, but it makes their job a lot easier, as they tend to keep the body near the car... They used to find bodies up in trees or on top of buildings a few hundred feet away, one was up on top of a telephone pole... SO; make up your own mind on this question...
Mike
Well-Known Member
A 'few hundred feet away'?!? On top of buildings, no less? This same fellow didn't try to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn, did he? If not, we need to talk, because I've one for sale too.Ted Brown said:
I figure if you're traveling at a rate of speed to throw your body 'a few hundred feet', the use of a seat belt has already become a moot point.
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