ClassicBroncos.com Tech Articles » – Seat Belts

3 Point Harness Seatbelt Mod

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:30:15 +0000

Tech article by Taylor and Jim Morford (DownhillManiac99)

First you’re going to need three things; the Smittybilt interior tube bar with the back legs out of the Bronco., 3 point bolt in harness style seat belts, I chose Corbeau’s so I don’t know if other kinds will work for this mod, and bucket seats with a hole in the back that allows shoulder harness belts to go thru.Like I said you MUST have the back legs of the roll bar out unless you want to grind and weld above your carpet and fender wells. Measure one foot from the bend to the location of the front of the 2 and half by 3 inch tabs.

Grind the area of the roll bar down will the tab is going to be welded and drill the correct size holes for the seat belts into the center of the tab. After you have grinded the roll bar down thru the paint and somewhat scratched up the middle, weld the tabs on vertically on the underside of the bar. (Saftey Note: It’s highly recommended that these welds be done by a skilled welder. Remember, the strength of this weld is critical in an accident.) At this point you can clean up the welds and paint the bar if desired.

Mount the roll bar into the car as the Smittybilt instructions say. Mount the seat belt in the stock floor holes (if applicable, the Corbeau’s do but others may not). Then mount the rear bolt down into the tab using the bolt, a washer, then through the roll bar, then another washer, and finally an aviation lock nut for safety. *NOTE* This was done with Corbeau Baja bucket seats and Corbeau bolt in 3 point seat belts and a custom mod on the driver side bracket to move it back 4 inches. All measurements might have to be changed to meet the specs of your application.

Tech article by Taylor and Jim Morford (DownhillManiac99)

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Shoulder Seat Belt Install

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:24:42 +0000

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.

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