Seatbelt instalation in T bucket

[Nik]

So the other day I called our local police dept to make sure that I was reading the seatbelt rules right, that if it didn't have them originally, it wouldn't be counted as a ticket. He said that was true and I told him I was going to get belts installed down the road, I was just worried for the next couple of months. The police officer told me that I should NOT install them myself, that if they are not installed by a trained professional, I would open myself up to more legal issues in the event of a wreck then if they didn't have them. Who certifies seatbelt installers anyway??

[SpiderGearsMan]

SFI chassis shop ?

[Gary 351C]

I think if you install seatbelts in your own car and do it wrong and get hurt, it's on you, right?

[SpiderGearsMan]

http://simpsonraceproducts.com/pdf/Seat_Belt_Mounting.pdf

[Gary 351C]

http://simpsonraceproducts.com/pdf/S...t_Mounting.pdf

Oh, yea, I forgot. Last resort, read the instructions.

[dulcich]

Nik, if it were mine I sure as hell would not even entertain the idea of putting belts in a 'bucket. If you feel better about having them for whatever reason, you are as qualified as anyone else as far as bolting some in - but not for me, brother. Never put them in my '46 2A when it was together, and wouldn't have them in my '48 3A. In those older open machines, consider yourself tied to the whipping post with belts added in, probably less safe than no belts unless the car is modified with a cage and real safety harness. Closed car is debatable. Just don't bang into anything and you'll be Ok.
-dulcich

[Scott Liggett]

Too many people just drill a hole in the floor and run a bolt through it for the belts. Then the belts pull right out during an accident. Seeing how a T bucket ain't much more than a big Tupperware container with an engine in front, the floorboards are not very strong.

[SpiderGearsMan]

you got a horn ? right ?

[SuperBuickGuy]

Nik, if it were mine I sure as hell would not even entertain the idea of putting belts in a 'bucket. If you feel better about having them for whatever reason, you are as qualified as anyone else as far as bolting some in - but not for me, brother. Never put them in my '46 2A when it was together, and wouldn't have them in my '48 3A. In those older open machines, consider yourself tied to the whipping post with belts added in, probably less safe than no belts unless the car is modified with a cage and real safety harness. Closed car is debatable. Just don't bang into anything and you'll be Ok.
-dulcich

and the added benefit of when you get bounced out, you can see how your Jeep tracks as it goes off a cliff (true story, except it was a LandCruiser).

but back on topic, do ask questions about putting seat belts in. Example, the belts should be bolted to the body, not the frame (yes, you can have tabs, but if you bolt just to the frame you will sing in a new octave the first time the body flexes on the frame). Use large, fender washers (I presume your bucket is fiberglass) or even better large plates that hold to a large portion of the floor. Don't attach your belts to the seat frame, then forget to solidly attach the seat frame to the body.

And I actually have stories about people who didn't do those things.

As for liability, making something safer (beyond what was required) cannot be used as evidence against you. The cop was full of crap. (ER 401-ER 408 prohibit using remedial measures as evidence to prove liability).