Hi everyone, We are building a 1966 Dart Gt 2Dr H/T. Has anyone had any expierience installing a lap/shoulder belt combination into an A body car. Is there a conversion kit anyone may know of. Any advice or leads to articles is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ed & Jeremy

It's difficult to get a shoulder belt in these cars. There isn't a good structure to attach the shoulder belt. A decent sized plate would need to be welded in to spread the loads and that means taking at least part of the headliner down. I would recommend a shop that does custom roll cages and such for race cars.

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Joshua

My '69 has shoulder belt anchors installed from the factory. When did Mopar start doing that? I added the late three point belts by adding a plate down in the interior wall under the window. and installing one from a 74 Dart, complete with retractors.

Sam

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...or you can install seats with integrated shoulder belts from a Sebring convertible.

I have 4 point belts from Wesco . Nice folks to work with....easy install.



http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/am4point.html

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

For cars that predate the factory shoulder belt mounts, you have some decisions to make. Install reinforcement plates, a shoulder belt bar (typically a race setup, part of the roll bar), integrated seat and shoulder belts ...
Reinforcement plates are available, but have to be installed in a not-so-accessible spot in the B-pillar. Hiding the access holes you have to cut is part of the problem.
I did this on my '64. While I'm not entirely comfortable with it, it is better than the ancient, faded, and frayed Sears and Roebuck lapbelts that were in it when I got it. Do yourself a favor and get the retractable kind.
Hardtops sometimes have the shoulder belt mounted just behind the door.
Shoulder belt mounts, if too low (think floor), can contribute to back injury in a crash. The seatbelt companies have drawings showing acceptable angles.
I really like the idea of Sebring convertible seats. There can be some wiring issues to get it right, but they solve a couple of problems and look good, too.

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

My mom's Valiant had the optional shoulder belts (not comfortable), never seen it in a '67...

-D.Idiot

Hi everyone, Thanks for all the feedback. I will check into all info you have given us. Thanks again for your time, Ed & Jeremy

Volvo introduced the 3-point lap-and-shoulder belt in the mid-late 1950s. Separate shoulder harnesses first became available as an optional accessory item in Chrysler Corp vehicles in '66. US regulations required their installation as standard equipment beginning on 1/1/68. Chrysler finally quit messing with separate lap and shoulder belts and installed retractable 3-point front lap/shoulder belts for '74, around the same time as the rest of the US auto industry.

Follow Sandy's suggestion and install the Wesco 4-point belts. You'll get better safety performance, greater ease of use, and much greater ease of safe and effective installation.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.