This
has probably been one of the best modifications I've ever done to my Bronco.
It was cheap, easy and gave me a much greater sense of safety both on the
trail and the daily work commute. Basically all this modification consists
of is picking up some retractable shoulder belts from your local junk yard,
drilling four holes in your roll bar and bolting them up.
Small
pickups seem to be the best donors for this installation because they usually
have completely self contained retractors. Most cars have the retractor mechanism recessed into the side behind an interior panel. Not only are these hard to take out, they're ugly and unprotected. Also, look for a vehicle with bucket seats since the buckle ends are usually on stalks (see photo above right)
which work well with stock Bronco or aftermarket seats. The shoulder belts I used came from a late 80's Nissan pickup. Some Chevy Luvs, Chevy S-10 pickups and late 80's Ford Rangers also have similar setups. Visit N8's 66-77 Ford Bronco Site for good write up using shoulder belts from a Chevy S-10 pickup.
Prices really seem to vary for these depending on the mood of your local junk yard counter person. Expect to pay anywhere from $15-30 per side. Add to this
a few grade 8 bolts with nuts and washers and the entire modification only
runs $35-65. It may be a good idea to sit in the seat and hold the
pivot point at different heights on the roll bar. By installing the center
stalks first and buckling up you can generally get a good feel for how
high the pivot point should be mounted. Don't forget to take the size of
your primary passenger into consideration. If your kids or spouse spend
most of their time in the passengers seat try to adjust the height based
on their comfort and safety.
