Hot Rods Seat belts in hot rods, do you have em?

My wife refused to get into my model A tudor without seat belts. I asked what she would like me to attach them to, the wood floor? The look on her face was priceless, "The floor is wood!?!?!?!"
I was kidding, I would never let my kids in a car without seatbelts. I mounted lapbelts front and back.
Seatbelts are not mandatory here if the vehicle was not factory equipped with them.

 

I have lap belts in my '31 Hiboy roadster and my '40 coupe.
Someday I want to put a roll bar hoop in the roadster, and when I do, then I'll change it to at least a 4, if not 5,point system. The '40?, well it has a beautiful interior that was in it when I bought it and I don't wanna screw it up, gonna take some real thought before I do anything to it.
People keep talking about getting thrown clear without belts, but rollovers aren't the only time belts are a safety factor, and are only a small percentage of the wrecks that kill and injure folks. If you hit something or if somebody hits you, being strapped securely in a seat is almost always better than bouncing off the dash, steering wheel, windshield, etc.
Being strapped down can also help you retain control of your vehicle in the event you need to make a violent maneuver to avoid another vehicle. Back in the '50s , riding in my 32 3wdw with vinyl seat covers (unpleated or rolled). and wearing wool trousers, I made a violent swerve to avoid another car, slid across the seat and almost lost my car trying to drive with me sitting in the middle of the bench seat instead of behind the wheel!

 

That's a good point, however, the recyclers here will not even sell used belts.

 

I'm not sure this is an accurate statement. From what I can tell "most" states do go by whether the car needed them in the year of manufacture.

I use them myself but it's not for fear of breaking a law- there's plenty of other rules they could probably drag me in for...

 

I was looking at my B pillar again, it may not lend itself to attaching the 3rd point, so it may come down to just lap belts.

 

Whether you buy from them or not if you look at Julianos website they have an installation section that shows and explains how to mount 2 and 3 point belts, Julianos have always been safety oriented whether with lighting or seat belts and they have spent a lot of thought into their products, they use the right grade bolts and attachments and their webbing meets or exceeds Govt. standards. If your gonna do it might as well do it right, or just sew some webbing on a T shirt.

 

Let me relay what I just found out from both NCDMV and the local DMV License & Theft Inspector...because my roadster has an assigned VIN & is registered as a" '26 Ford Replica -Special constructed " and I built it after Jan 1 1964 ,seat belts are required...
Seem that an original '26 would not require them , mine does because of the build date and the registration designation
Bear in mind this is as it applies to a vehicle registered in NC
So ,after 4 years and 4800 miles my car is parked til I install belts..
So,my quandry is settled

 

Yep, the Turbo26T isn't an early car- and doesn't count for being exempt.

 

3 point and some form of a cage/upright support to prevent the windshield from flattening out in almost everything I have driven.
If you don't have enough structure to attach a belt to whats the thing going to do in a roll?

 

Yes and use them

 

as former paramedic and now coroner 3 point belts in my traditional 1937 pickup

 

When I was almost eighteen [49 years ago] riding shotgun in a 63 Falcon my head made a hole in the windshield when driver errored and drove into a 55' Chevy head on, at about 40 mph...I guess making the hole wasn't the bad part but coming back through was...105 stiches , mostly piecing my left eyelid, eyebrow back together, healthy scar up about center of my forehead and back from the eyebrow so I got to look like Herman Munster for a bit, took about 10 years to grow out to not too noticeable and another 10 to not be noticed.....Lucky I didn't lose the eye, no amazing I didn't lose the eye or get my jugular vein holed.....And the damn car had the optional seat belts; we were just not educated enough to wear them; almost like you were inviting an accident if you did wear them..If I wore the belt the dash wasn't padded; better or worse, dunno...And 16 years later I got rear ended which totaled my 70' Fairlane but I was fine, still didn't get the habit of using a seat belt until they passed the law making it mandatory and then I buckled up like I had been doing it all along, never forgot, just did it in all the cars, mine or others'..Now in between those two incidents I had been racing at the drag strip with my shoebox, wearing the mandatory lap belt, then four point when I put the roll bar in, didn't wear it riding around on the street with the car, didn't put any in for the girl friend at the time either, until I met current wife......My Crosley hasn't got them yet but it is on the list, a few oh shit moments away.....So all this to say that I feel that the odds, numbers, statistic are in your favor if you have at least lap belts, 3 and 4 point better still but in roadsters things change, we can all visualise why, how but in the end one is better off with than with out....About 14 cents here..

 

Have lap belts in my 46 and 55 F-100.

 

I have struggled with this issue for years. In the closed cars and trucks I've built/owned, I've always had lap belts. My question was what to do about open cars. I have owned 4 roadsters. I questioned whether or not I wanted to be strapped in if I ended upside down at speed on the interstate-would I be ground to pieces by the road surface. Or did I want to be thrown clear-possibly run over in the road. I ended up thinking that I was better off being strapped in and went with lap belts in all cases. Still don't know if I'm right though. Sam

 

Got them in everything, even if they'll only help minimally in the A. Minimally is better than nothing. Try there guys: Andover Restraints Good product, DOT approved, some very cool retro belts and good prices and service.

 

I believe here in Florida any car after 1975 must have three point seat belts, trucks after 1976. Anything before that that came with lap belts must have them. If it didn't come with seat belts they are not mandatory. For instance as far as tri-five Chevys around 1956 seat belts were optional. If yours had them you must have them and use them.
My son was constantly stopped with his 1976 El Camino because it came factory with only lap belts. It was classified as a truck. He finally had to show a paper from the court proving he drove an exempt truck. He does use the lap belts.
I notice most younger people do use seat belts and car seats. Still there are some hard heads who throw kids in the front seat and let them stand up without seat belts. I believe it's because the parents are retarded from banging their heads too many times on a dash!
We have several cars older than required but all have lap belts and everyone uses them. I figured even if I didn't like them it was good practice for the kids. By the way, if they are there you must use them.

As far as that 1926 T with late model title, there's that fine line. What year is a new 32 glass Ford or new steel 49 Mercury? Does it still fit the traditional 1965 cut off date since it's titled 2015? I thought I read someplace if it looks like a 26 T it's a 26 T, or whatever. But my 1926 T didn't come with seat belts!

 

Having been involved in a accident less than a hour ago in the shop delivery van and damn near got turned over.... I am rethinking my stand on seat belts in my hot rods.

It was a pretty bad wreck and the guy that ran the light took me and another lady out,fortunate no one was seriously injured and without the seat belts Brenda & I would have been bruised up more than we are..HRP

 

Seat belt and harness has saved me several times.

 

Danny sorry to hear about your accident, but I'm glad you and your bride escaped serious injury. My wearing seat belts I've already related the reason for here on this thread, but what yall experienced highlights my contention that they help in more than just rollovers.

 

Glad to hear you're ok Danny. Dang....

 

Sorry Danny. Just shows accidents can happen in a split second to anyone anywhere.
Only the people in accidents, with or without seat belts, really knows whether they help or not. I'm sure most times like now they do help. I still hate them but always use ours.

 

HOTRODPRIMER - Wow! good that things were not worse - yep, shit happens when you least expect it. take care

 

Nobody who's death could have been prevented by wearing a seat belt is here to testify.

 

I added lap belts in my '55 Chevy. Minnesota recommends, but doesn't require them.

 

I should clarify, Minnesota doesn't require belts in vehicles not originally equipped with them.

 

Been wearing belts so long, I feel naked without them.

 

Its interesting, my DD has belts that I use religiously, every hotrod i've ever owned had belts. Belts that got increasingly more restrictive as the speeds went up. When I was buckled in I wanted to be in very tightly...I mean very tightly; however neither of my current projects will ever have them.

 

HOTRODPRIMER - glad your Ok

 

Why Gene?
As I wrote above I mainly added seat belts so the kids would more likely buckle up in the DD. It worked. The 25 year old yells if friends don't buckle up in his cars. I don't have proof they help. But since it's the law I figure someone knows things I don't. Besides it's the law.
I'm amazed how many of these redneck young mothers don't even own car seats or buckle their kids in. Even worse the cops give kids tickets for loud exhaust and other things and just warn those girls. I think it's sexual.

 

Did you guys notice the extreme Danny went to prove a point?