Seat Belts

M

metro1

Senior Member
Do most people install seat belts on these older cars? How would I go about installing them on my 1959 Ford Galaxie? Has this been discussed before?
 
You can get aftermarket lap belts that are DOT approved, or at least you could back when I put them in my old cars. Very large thick steel washers to reinforce the contact points on the floor will, at a minimum, be necessary. You may want to weld something in place for added strength. Did Ford offer seat belts as an option in '59?? Many companies did that back then. If so, you could research online to see how and where the factory secured the seat belt option. More modern belts will be safer, but will look less era appropriate (if that's a concern) and will be a more involved installation. And yes, research this forum. I'll bet you find something. Good luck.
 
In serious accidents, it's not uncommon for vehicle occupants who were not wearing seat belts to be killed by being ejected from the vehicle.

I personally know of a young woman who was run over by her pickup, as a result of having been thrown from her truck upon impact because she was not buckled in. She didn't survive.

Wearing a seat belt is such a simple thing, but so is using turn signals, stopping at stop signs, not texting while driving, and so on.
 
In my 55 sedan I had three point self retracting seat belts and used them at all times. Just be careful when drilling down just behind the front seat for the seat belts, there is a frame in the way.
 
darrell said:
i dont use them to this day.
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Years ago when I worked for the CA Dept of Transportation a woman I worked with was in charge of tracking fatal accidents that occurred on all state highways in our district. She kept all the statistics in 3 ring binders (long before computers) It was referred to as the "Fatal Book". It was over 7 years of accidents that she reviewed before she logged a fatal accident where the deceased was wearing a seat belt. And in that accident the entire driver's seat area was crushed to the floor boards when the car flipped into a bridge abutment. That accident wouldn't have been survivable with or without a seat belt. Your choice about seat belts but as for me I always wear one. But that's just me.
 
When I was in high school my friend’s father bought a new ford around 1966. First thing he did when he got it home was to cut off the seat belts! We just got a chuckle out of it.
 
I had my '58 Chevy Yeoman before I got married to my second wife. She had rolled a late model Buick end over end and survived w/o a scratch. She said she wouldn't ride in a car w/o seat belts, so I installed them in my Chevy, and later a 63 1/2 Galaxie. We always use them.

Just recently, there was an accident in OK where 6 teenage girls were killed in a car when they ran into a semi truck. Only the front seat occupants had their seat belts on, but they all died. Apparently, OK is the only state that doesn't have a law requiring rear seat passengers to wear seatbelts. But, in this case, it was a small FOUR SEATER car that had six people in it, so it's doubtful that anyone would have survived anyway.
 
Hanging upside down in a seat belt is a wonderful experience! That was after rolling over 2 1/2 times in a snow bank!
 

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In 1967 when I bought my first Falcon Sprint, I installed seat belts for the front bucket seats. Back seat was almost never occupied. IIRC, there were large "washers" welded to the underbody from the factory for the purpose of installing seat belts.
Using seat belts made sense to the 18 year old me....and still do today. Your life---your choice, this is STILL America.
 
Except when you become permanently disabled, and someone now has the burden of taking care of you, or you die. You don't think your death will be a life-changer for others?
 
Ford blue blood said:
Hanging upside down in a seat belt is a wonderful experience! That was after rolling over 2 1/2 times in a snow bank!
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That's a painful photo. The '70 Boss 302 was the prettiest pony cars ever made, and one of the prettiest cars of all time. I don't suppose you were able to repair it? Rolling isn't a very redeemable injury.
 
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