I came across this article online of a seatbelt install by Jim Clark in a 32 Ford roadster. Jim explains how he went about putting the belts into his hotrod and it looked awesome when he was finished. A clean tidy and safe installation that we approve of here at Juliano’s. It is a very nice car and an excellent seatbelt install. Worth sharing to you guys who may be interested in a lap belt install. Click here to visit the Juliano’s web site where these belts can be viewed and purchased.
In the ‘60s we installed an Air Force surplus lap belt in Tom McMullen’s ’32 roadster so that we could compete at the drag strips and dry lakes, but they remained beneath the seat cushion the rest of the time. When we did the major rebuild of the roadster, adding the big 427 Ford engine in 1967 for the Popular Hot Rodding Magazine articles, we did add a set of lap belts. By the ‘70s seat belts were now mandatory equipment on all vehicles and used by many drivers, though still resisted by some even after the failed attempt to make use mandatory in the late ‘60s by wiring the belt’s buckle to an ignition disconnect system. The vehicle wouldn’t start unless the driver’s seat belt was buckled. Some people buckled the belt and then sat on it. I was one of the diehard fools that resisted using seat belts until the mid ‘80s when, while discussing racing with 3-time World Driving Champion Jackie Stewart, he pointed out that seat belts not only protected you from injury, but keep you firmly in place to regain control of the vehicle after the first impact of a crash. This allows you to avoid additional impact with other objects because the first impact is not usually with that famous “immovable” object. Three-point seat belts are the most effective in your everyday “driver” but are not easy to install in my open roadster. So I had to install a set of lap belts in it because I no longer drive anything but a motorcycle without them. To install them I followed the instructions included with the set. First consideration was with the anchorages. All US passenger cars, beginning with the 1962 models, have seat belt anchorages for at least two lap belts in the front seat. Since January 1, 1968, vehicle manufacturers have been required to install lap belt anchorages for each front and rear seating position and upper torso belt anchorages at each forward facing outboard seating position. On January 1, 1972, this same requirement became effective for trucks. Where the manufacturer has made special provisions to attach belts, be sure to use those fittings. When you use the manufacturer’s threaded floor fittings, it is important that all full-threads be engaged to obtain the ultimate strength of the anchorage. Seat belts should not be attached to the seat, unless the vehicle manufacturer indicates that the seats and seat mounting systems have been specially designed to withstand seat belt assembly loads. However, for vehicles produced prior to 1962, anchorages have to be created. There are excellent and inexpensive kits available for doing this from companies like Juliano’s, but I chose to make my own mounts and weld them to a combination floor support and rear seat channel mount.
JULIANO’S RETRACTABLE 2 POINT SEAT BELT HARDWARE FOR BENCH SEATS
This kit is typical of the kits that they offer. This kit includes everything that you need to properly install your retractable lap belts for bench seats. It comes with anchor plates, L brackets, and all the nuts, bolts and washers to complete the installation. One kit needed per person
This photo shows our 2 point retractable seatbelt hardware with the 90 degree angle bracket. Typically this would be used for a retractable lap belt setup for bench seat or our starburst stiff arm lap belt setup. In some cases guys will use this kit to install the adjustable lap belts similar to what Jim did with his brackets. When you are mounting to the floor like we recommend this kit would be the best way to do that.
The Juliano’s safety anchor plate has a specially rounded form designed to gather and reinforce the sheet metal floor instead of tearing through it. This design also makes Juliano’s Safety Anchor Plates ideal for reinforcing seat mounts, too. Specifically engineered threaded steel plate comes complete with bolts and washers. Sold in pairs. Dimensions: 2 3/8″ x 4 1/2″.
The anchor plates are very important to the performance of the seat belts. The safety belts are only as good as the mounting that holds them to the car. Click here to view the anchor plate kit that we recommend to use with the adjustable lap belts.
