Seat belts 31 Tudor

[billybrower]

Looking to install front and rear belts in our 31 Tudor. Any guidance/recommendations would be much appreciated.

[Lona]

Billy,

Welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of folks here who will gladly help with anything Model A related. As a suggestion, you might want to use the search functions on this site to read up on the many threads already existing regarding seat belts.

If you can't find answers there, repost your questions on this thread and I and likely many others will help out.

Glen

[BillCNC]

Hi billybower,

I have the same car and it's two steps down on my hit list. My only question is do they attach to the steel or floorboards?

Regards
Bill

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[1931 flamingo]

NOT the floorboards which are wood and held in by screws...................
Paul in CT

[BillCNC]

I figured it would be steel, I just really don't want to drill/alter the frame but it looks like it would be unavoidable.

Regards
Bill

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[denniskliesen]

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Read post #50 of this thread. Remember it is not a recommended way, only showing how he did it. A lot of arguments throughout the thread for and or against seat belts so use your own judgement.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...t+installation

[ed thibodeau]

On my tudor I mounted the outboard belts to the body attach bolts that are at the back of the seat by the door lock pillar and the put a reinforcement in the middle under the floor pan and attached both center bolts there.

[Marvin/TN]

do not fasten them to the frame. Sometimes in an accident the body can separate from the frame and if that happens you could be severely injured.

[Lona]

Personally, I have never seen nor heard any evidence of bodies separating from the frame in an accident. A search on the subject will result in strong opinions by forum members either way but mostly on the side of believing that the body coming off is more of a very remote possibility than reality. Anyone installing safety belts in his/her car would be wise to do their own research to determine the validity of that scenario and install their belts accordingly.

Many seem to believe that it's best not to install any belts at all because of the possibility the belts in our cars would be installed improperly or will pull away from their anchor points in an accident. To these folks, I suggest they take their modern car to a parking lot and with no belts attached to them, hit the brakes hard at the relatively low speed of 20 mph and see what happens.

Glen

[slammin]

Having survived several very serious accidents over the years, when I finally find my "perfect" Model A, seat belts will be one of the first improvements. I realize without air bags, crumple zone, etc, a Model A won't be as safe as a modern auto, but staying inside the car goes a long way to saving your life.

[TerryO]

I have never seen a later model car with seat belts attached to the frame (the ones old enough to have frames) but instead they have a small reinforcement plate under the floor pan. I am planning to install belts in my Tudor and Sport Coupe soon and that is how I plan to do it.

TerryO

[Kevin in NJ]

From a physics stand point.

The mount should be able to handle lifting 600 lbs in the direction the seat belts will pull.
In reality the forces will be much more, but I use the perspective it should be good enough to lift the body from that point (in the direction the belts pull) just to because people can put their minds around that.

The mount MUST be in shear to the structure. That is most of the force will have to be 90 degrees to the bolt. Just look at how modern car seat belts are installed. If you are pulling up then they are not going to hold in even minor accidents. This may mean the belts go further back then you expect.

The belts MUST be a straight run (not a problem in the tudor). One of the Model A mags printed an install with the belt zig zaging through the seat. Too much play letting you move too far forward when you get in a minor accident.

Considerations. You can not make a modern car belt in the A. Ideally it will keep you in the car when the doors fling open. It will also help remove a lot of the energy before you body hits the dash or steering wheel. Yes odds are good you will still hit that stuff, just with a lot less energy.

Finally. For litigation purposes. You are best instructing all people to not use the seat belts in your car. That is how the car is built and you can not be sued for that. On the other hand, if there is an accident and the belts do not perform like modern belts they can sue you. Ya, I know. Also I would remove the seat belts from the car before selling the car. Let the next owner get their own belts and install them. This way you did not install them.

Sorry about the litigation stuff, but common sense does not prevail these days.