Early Ford 3 Point Seat Belt How-to - Juliano's Hot Rod Parts & Interior Products

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Juliano's
Early Ford 3 Point Seat Belt How-to

3-Points for early Fords
by Ed Kania

Whether it's a hundred-point showstopper or a turnkey daily driver, one thing is for sure: owning a classic truck (or car) requires a certain amount of love and devotion. If you're the type that thrives on the competition of owning the "Best in Show" or if you're looking for the "ooohs" and "aaahs" that wait around the next bend, you have to work for it.
Unlike the trailer-queen purest though, the daily driver classic needs a little modernizing to keep with the flow of today's traffic. The first thought that probably comes to your mind is more speed (don't worry, its just the gear-head in ya!). But, reliability and safety should be your first concerns. A fresh motor along with the rest of the drive train is certainly a major part of keeping it a "daily" driver. Smaller safety items like a strong wiper motor, a set of bright halogen taillights and a good spare tire are also items that will help to keep your classic out there for the long haul. Most of the above mentioned parts of modernization are common sense items: they are time consuming but eventually they get done.
It's the projects that require modifications and fabricating that are usually put off. Let's face it, if we think it's going to take a lot of time and money, and it really isn't necessary, it won't get done. Installing a three-point safety belt system in an early Ford Classic is just one of those types of projects. Just the thought of yanking out the seats, pulling up carpeting, tearing out interior panels and fabricating brackets, well, you kinda' get the picture.
I don't suppose those thoughts were going through Dick Spadaro's (Early Ford Reproductions Inc.) mind at the Louisville, Kentucky Nationals this year. Well, at least not until he was leaving the fairgrounds with his newly acquired 1941 Ford Sedan Delivery. I would imagine the thoughts on the way home, of throwing a set of 3-points in his new Delivery, came out of "payback's a bitch" as opposed to "safety first". You see, long-time good friend Bob Juliano of Juliano's Interior Products Inc., convinced Dick that spending the money on a new toy was a lot more fun than paying bills. What all this boils down to is, that for the next few pages, you get to see just how two of today's leading interior and early Ford parts retailers would go about installing a 3-point safety belt system in a 1941 Ford Sedan Delivery.

- NOTE -
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image of photos bellow.

This photo will give you an idea of what is needed to anchor one person in place. This is a universal kit, and in most installations, everything needed to complete the job whether you're using a bench seat or buckets (specify when ordering). However, as you're about to see, in some applications, typically the older vehicles, some modifications and custom brackets are necessary.

The first decision Dick had to make was what color belt system would best match his interior. Juliano 3-point retractable belts are available in black, tan, maroon, grey, dark blue, charcoal, taupe, and a black with red webbing combination.

The first of the three mounting points to locate is the pivot bracket. The custom shanked bolt has to be located in the upper "B" pillar (the post just behind the front door), about eye level when you are seated. While holding the pivot bracket in that general area, and keeping the webbing vertical, Dick slowly (the retractor will not allow the belt to come out if you pull hard) lowered the retractor unit down to the floor. This was done just to give him some idea of where mounting point #2 will be before he removed the interior panel.

With power screwdriver in hand, Dick Spadaro removes the interior panel to expose the inner sheet metal reinforcements.

After viewing the existing factory reinforcement brackets, Bob and Dick discussed the possibilities of adding another custom bracket. This seemed like the only way to get the mounting surface out to the level of the interior panel. While Bob went for the angle iron, Dick discovered that the boltholes in the factory gusset bracket were drilled uniformly. So by the simple act of unbolting the bracket, and flipping it 180 degrees, they got the mounting surface out were they needed it (two noggins are better than one).

Reinforcing the factory bracket to withstand the force of a possible impact was the next step. This basically was a no-brainer for Bob Juliano. A slight alteration for bolt clearance to one of his "safety award" winning anchor plates was all that was necessary.

Although it is not absolutely necessary to weld the anchor plate to the factory bracket (two sheet metal screws will hold it in place until it's held in by the pivot bolt). Dick Spadaro, trusting only in his technical abilities, welded in, painted up, and bolted the assembly in place.

To have the belt system working at its optimum, the retractor should be mounted on the floor. But, because of the height of the rear floor area, and the location of the fuel tank on the driver's side, this installation would have to be different. Different yes, but, only in the location of the retractor. Bob and Dick would have to design a bracket that would mount the retractor up high clear of obstacles, but still have the strength of a floor-mounted retractor. They accomplished this first with a cardboard template, then cut up sections of 1/4 inch thick strap steel.

The end result is a form fitting 1/4 inch thick steel bracket. Which was bolted to a steel, floor/pillar factory upright. A couple of spray-bomb coats of black, and the new bracket has the appearance of an OEM part.

Although there wasn't enough room on the floor for the retractor, the slotted bracket end of the belt could be bolted there with the use of an "L" bracket. To find the exact location for the mount, the two technicians had to reinstall the seat and close the door to check for proper clearances. After checking the undercarriage for anchor plate clearance, a 7/16-inch hole was drilled, and the "L" bracket was bolted in place.

At this stage they had the retractor belt completely installed and working smoothly. The webbing should lay flat, and the pivot bracket must move freely on the shanked portion of the fully tightened pivot bracket bolt.

While checking the retractor belt for clearance, Dick decided it was a good time to find the third and final mounting point. The stiff-arm (a soft-arm is available for bench seats) buckle is ideal for this bucket-type seat application. With the seat in its forward most position get the stiff-arm in as close as possible (keep in mind that you have to fit another one in for the driver's seat). Keep the buckle above the cushion, and move the mounting end back as far as possible. Dick marked the location for the "L" brackets through the carpeting with an awl.

After Bob made a quick check underneath for anchor plate clearance the 7/16-inch holes were drilled, and the "L" brackets were permanently bolted in. Keep in mind the "L" brackets can be mounted on top of the carpeting but if for some other reason you have to pull the carpet up, you'll also have to unbolt all your brackets.

The interior panels were held in place for fit, and to locate the mounting holes. After that it was a matter of bolting everything back in place, cleaning up the mess, and taking her out for a test drive.

The smiles are there for a couple of reasons. Number one; they just finished working together for 8 hours straight, and they're still friends! Number two; they completed a small project, that will give back in a big way day after day.