Juliano's

Three Points For Safety

Installing 3 Point Retractable Safety Belts
          by Ed Kania

Installing a set of seat belts seems like a very small part of modernization when it comes to building a street rod. But just like everything else, when you get to that stage you realize its going to take a little more time and planning that you had figured on. It really isn't all that complicated if you keep a couple of basic rules in mind. The most important thing to remember, just like the chain and its weakest link, the safety belt is only as strong as the material its mounted to. Even if one of the three points is mounted to a wooden structure, rusted floor panel, or bolted down using a conventional nut and bolt combination, the system may fail during impact. The mounting points are extremely important when being installed in a "full-frame" vehicle. You see, unlike today's automobiles that use a uni-body type construction, the older full-frame vehicles have no "crumple-zones" to absorb the impact. The second thing to remember is comfort. After the first hour of a three-hour cruise you don't want to feel the shoulder belt cutting into your neck. Or that you're unable to move the seat forward because the retractor was mounted to low. So put some thought into it before you start drilling holes. .

(1) There are a few hand tools needed for this installation, and access to a welder is helpful but not necessary. Most importantly you'll need a car, with the seats bolted in their permanent position.

(2) You will also need a seat belt system. Pictured here is Juliano's 3-point retractable safety belt system. It's everything you'll need to securely buckle-up one person. Also, the buckle arm of this particular 3-point system is known as a "soft arm". This tye of arm is needed for a bench-seat application (the webbing can easily fit between the cushion and backrest). A "stiff arm" belt is available if you're using bucket seats. The 3-point retractable, 2-point retractable, and lap belts come in many different colors. Additional anchor plates and hardware are also available. Make sure you keep this in mind when placing your order.

(3) Once you have the belts, hardware, tools, and of course the time. Start by laying everything out in the car close to its eventual location. Then begin with the shoulder harness pivot-bracket (point 1), which will be mounted in the upper left center post or B-pillar. The vehicles interior panels will have to be removed in this area exposing the inner sheet metal panel. The pivot-bracket should be at about eye level when sitting in position. Clamp the bracket in place, or have someone else hold it while you pull the belt (with the retractor hanging free) across your chest. Hold the buckle insert at your right hip as if you were buckling up. Is the belt in a good position on top of your left shoulder? Try the seat back and forth the full length, and adjust the pivot bracket up and down for the best overall use. Mark the spot in the center post. ( note: photo illustrates rear seat set-up but idea is the same)

(3a) Then find a spot at or very close to the mark you made to install the pivot bracket anchor plate. Hopefully, there will be a small access hole nearby, where you'll be able to slide the anchor plate up to your mark (you may have to drill one, if so keep it small).

(4) All makes and models are not the same in this area. It may be necessary to modify the anchor plate slightly. In this case a small bent to the tab was all that was needed to slide the anchor plate up through an existing access hole.

(5) Once you're sure one of the two threaded holes in the anchor plate is directly behind your mark, remove the anchor plate and drill a hole large enough for the shanked pivot-bolt to pass through. Make sure you use a socket or some other type of depth gauge on the drill bit so you do not damage the outer panel.

(6) Next, slide the anchor plate back in and hold it there temporarily using the pivot-bracket bolt. The strongest method of securing the anchor plate is to weld it in place. You can drill a couple of quarter inch holes in the center post to "plug weld" it in, or weld it to the edge of the access holes. If welding is out of the question, two flat-head 1/8-1/4 inch self-taping screws will get the job done.

(7) After the metal has cooled down, use the pivot-bolt to temporarily mount the pivot bracket in place. Keep the flat side to the center post and make sure it rides freely on the shank portion of the pivot-bolt.

(8) With the seat in its forward most position, slide the buckle arm (in this case a "soft arm") between the seat cushion and backrest at the center of the vehicle. Keep it a little left or center to allow for a passenger belt. While keeping the buckle fully exposed on the cushion, pull back on the mounting bracket to take the slack out of the webbing. Place the bracket on the floor (driveshaft tunnel) a little left of center to allow for a passenger belt, and mark the hole for mounting point #2. Before drilling this hole ask yourself two questions. First, is there a flat area under there large enough for a seat belt anchor plate? Second are you going to drill into anything undreneith your car?

(9) If there is a problem under the floor pan in this area make adjustments there, not to the belt bracket location. In order for the safety belts system to work properly, mounting point #2 has to be in this area. Drill a 7/16-inch hole, have someone hold one of the anchor plates with its flat side against the underside of the floor pan at the hole, and bolt the bracket down permanently using one of the grade-8 bolts provided in the kit.

(10) At this stage of the installation we have completed 2 of the 3 mounting points. To locate the retractor mounting area (point #3) we have to go back to the shoulder pivot-bracket (point #2). The belt should be hanging with equal amounts on each side of the pivot bracket. Keep the webbing flat (no twists) and connect the two ends. This is done by loosely bolting the long slotted bracket at one end of the belt, to the backside of the retractor at the other end of the belt. Now, have someone hold the retractor about an inch off the floor directly under the pivot-bracket. Sit yourself comfortably in the seat, in its forward position and buckle up. If the buckle insert does not reach the buckle after all the webbing is drawn out of the retractor, have the person holding the retractor raise it vertically until you can buckle-up. This will be the lowest mounting point for the retracter (you can go a little higher if mounting will be easier). In most cases an inch off the floor is ideal. Bolt one of the "L" brackets found in the kit to the bottom of the retractor, and use the same mounting procedure you used for point #2. That is how a typical 3-point installation works. But, what if the retractor ends up in the middle of the center post? Or, maybe you want to try something different and conceal the retractor from view. The next part of the how-to will show you just how to accomplish that.

(11) First we removed the plastic cover over the retractor and measured the size of the actual retractor assembly. Then we found a spot in the center post that would house the assembly, outline the area with masking tape and cutout the opening.

(12) Insert the retractor in the opening with the backside facing out. Make sure there's plenty of strong, rust free metal at the bottom edge of the opening so you have something to bolt the retractor to. As far as the top edge of the opening, keep it smooth and high enough so the webbing doesn't make contact with it (it may be necessary to bend the lip of the metal inward) when it pulled in and out of the retractor.

(13) As with any important part of modernization we would rather be safe then sorry. So, we made up an additional mounting bracket to give us more surface area to securely mount the retractor.

(14) Given the extra length of the bracket allowed us to drill two more mounting holes. This enabled us to get the slotted end-bracket securely mounted close to the floor. Which also gave us a secure feeling that once the retractor was bolted in place, it would stay there on impact. With that third mounting point (point #3) complete we were able to duplicate the operation on the other side of the car to get the front passenger securely buckled in place.

(15) We went in the same order as the first two installations to get the folks in the back seat belted in. First, finding the location for the pivot-bracket anchor plate. Then we drilled a hole for the pivot-bracket bolt.

(16) Next we fished the pivot-bracket anchor plate down to that location and welded it in place. That completes point #1.

(17) By pushing the buckle belt between the cushion and the backrest in the center of the rear seat, we were able to find the location of point #2. As we went behind the seat to drill the 7/16-inch mounting bracket hole, we had to keep in mind as we did with the first installation that two anchor plates would have to fit side by side underneath the floor. So keep the holes far enough apart if you plan on installing another belt system next to it.

(18) The retractor location (point #3) was a basic "L" bracket and anchor plate combination bolted directly to the floor.

(19) Finally we secured the forth person in with a 2-point retractable belt to complete the installation.

For Technical Assistance or Questions Call
860-872-1932

This How-to is for use with
Juliano's
3 Point Seat Belt Kit

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860-872-1932