1955 3-point retractable seat belt install!

[Jimleanna55Bird]

I completed the install today and it went more smoothly than I ever hoped for. Took about 1 hour and only needed to drill 6 holes. The belts are very comfortable while driving and I barely knew I had them on. The wife is very happy and much more willing to take rides now. Ordered belts from Wesco Performance and the hardware kit they sent was top rate. (need to order it separately) The questionable part was the placement and attachment of the shoulder loop under the rear deck. Well the hardware kit came with a metal rectangular plate for installing this in a situation were you do not have a roof pillar or other attachment point behind and above your shoulder. It worked perfectly for the shoulder loop attachment and fit right into the little spot were there is the metal lip hanging down. As you can see in the pictures it fit just right and is a very sturdy attachment point. Overall a very easy upgrade to a very important safety issue. Wesco does have a roadster version of this belt which would also work well for the early birds but I did not see it on the website until after I got these belts.

PS
It also helps when you have a good friend who is a master mechanic for a very large public works contractor and works on massive pieces of equipment and has the best quality tools and drills and bits to help with the install.

[klogsdonjr]

Sharp looking. Good color blend too.

[55Greg]

Do you have a soft top?
Does it allow the use and storage of a soft top?

[Jimleanna55Bird]

I do not have a soft top. Not sure about clearance. I have seen some guys use a detachable carabiner at the shoulder loop to allow it to be disconnected quickly when storing the soft top and then reconnecting.

[Rusty57]

Thanks for sharing this. Do you have any pictures of details for the lower outboard mount, especially underneath the car?

[Jimleanna55Bird]

Just drilled through bottom of the vertical pillar into the rear wheel well and bolted it trough with the supplied bolt/nut and backing washer. I will try and get a picture and post it. He is drilling straight back towards rear of car.

[55blacktie]

Only two of the four holes in the floor for lap bolts are used?

Yes, photos of the holes for the lower outboard mounts would be appreciated.

Seems like using a detachable carabiner would compromise the integrity of the belts.

Can you post installation instructions?

Thanks.

[Rusty57]

Thanks for that detail. I like his thinking with that orientation of the mounting bolt. It is loaded in shear instead of a direct pull in line with the bolt.

[Rusty57]

Thanks for that detail. I like his thinking with that orientation of the mounting bolt. It is loaded in shear instead of a direct pull in line with the bolt.

[Jimleanna55Bird]

Yes as to the issue of the shoulder loop attachment position I was very glad about how the metal bracket fit behind the metal lip to allow for pulling against it not pulling from it. As for the lower outboard attachment see the photos. Drilled through the bottom of what I guess is the B pillar into the wheel well. Very strong metal and very solid attachment. See photos. (best I could do without removing the fender skirts). Also I am probably going to get shorter bolts that go into the wheel well. They are fine as is but just think a bit shorter would be better.
Hope these help.

[55blacktie]

Are you comfortable with the amount of space between the tire and the bolt?

[55blacktie]

Went back and read your comment regarding the usage of shorter bolts.

What's the difference between your belts and the roadster belts?

[Jimleanna55Bird]

Are you comfortable with the amount of space between the tire and the bolt?

Yes. I checked it and there is good clearance but I am going to shorten the bolts mostly for cleaner look.

[Jimleanna55Bird]

Went back and read your comment regarding the usage of shorter bolts.

What's the difference between your belts and the roadster belts?

From what I could see on their website the retractor portion mounts on top of the wheel well. If you have a soft top no way it works or can be modified to work.