3 point seat belts in a '52-'56 4 door

[Lamar Wadsworth]

Having been thrown against the metal dash in my '55 in an accident in 1968, I know how painful that can be. I put lap belts in 50+ years ago, but I'd really like 3 point like modern cars have with the belt over the shoulder. Has anybody done this with salvage yard parts? I have an idea how to do the top attachment point on the center post, but I'd like to see pics of how others have done it. What donor vehicle did you get the belts and retractors from? I'm thinking a pickup or minivan would be the best donor, but if somebody can recommend a make/model that works well for this, I'm open to suggestions.

[Ford blue blood]

First don't use wrecking yard stuff. There are several vendors that have three point systems. The one I used in my street rod has a floor mounted retracter. The upper mount was hung on the post with 1/8" plate re-enforcement just above shoulder height and the end of the belt was bolted to the floor with the re-enforcement plates provided in the kit. The buckle was mounted just as it would be with just a lap belt.

[bobss396]

Originally Posted by Ford blue blood

First don't use wrecking yard stuff. There are several vendors that have three point systems. The one I used in my street rod has a floor mounted retracter. The upper mount was hung on the post with 1/8" plate re-enforcement just above shoulder height and the end of the belt was bolted to the floor with the re-enforcement plates provided in the kit. The buckle was mounted just as it would be with just a lap belt.

All of the above. Most sellers sell the same products, I got mine from Wesco at a good price. Wesco and Julianos have good instructions. On mine the kit came with a too-short shoulder bolt for the upper mount, since I used the stock interior garnish. I got a grade-8 bolt and made up a bushing to replicate the geometry I needed.

The floor plates are key. On mine I used on the bottom some leftover front end washers that were very thick.

[fordor41]

I installed 3 pt belt in my '41 fordor. welded an extra plate in the post but there was no room for the retractor between the post and the seat. I didn't want the retractors in the rear door opening so I mounted the retractors under the front seat, close to the seat tracks.. I used julianos

[Hot Rod Reverend]

Went down this road when mama demanded that the 55 have AC and 3 point seat belts!

Visit this link on my blog:https://www.hotrodreverend.com/post/...n-blog-part-23

While that post does contain the steps I took on the differential, I also included the seat belt installation complete with welding up the brackets in the B pillar. I am pretty sure the Juliano's still has their install article up on their website. They put seat belts in a 56 Ford four door station wagon - the sheet metal and bracketry would be the same I would imagine. Please don't go the used route - if you are after safety the use something certified and ready to go. Plus, what you get from a junkyard will most probably be stained, the vinyl or plastic dried out, and then there is the issue of still having to weld in brackets at some point.

[Ole Don]

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I had three point belts from Julianos. I doubt the center post on a 55 will be strong enough to stand up to a bad wreck, but look on the bright side, your body will be close to the scene of the wreck. I feel I must say more; I bought three point belts from a place on the west coast, they unhooked themselves whenever I hit a bump. They did return my money after a threatened letter to the NHSTA or whatever they call themselves. This happened in 2008, and today is the first time I have publicly spoken about it. I hope they sell better parts now.