My 31 A lap/shoulder belt and seat install

As a new member here, I was searching for ways that others might have installed seat/shoulder belts in a model A coupe. I didn't find much solid information, but I did note that others have inquired on the same subject, so I set about to find a way to install them in my own car and figured I'd share.

After receiving this car, which I recently purchased on E-bay, I had discovered that my 6' 2" frame was quite a challenge to wad up in the driving position, so I first had to evict the stock bench seat and shorten the parcel tray by about 5 1/2". I prefer a bucket seat for comfort, so I wandered around the CFC isle at my local boneyard with tape measure in hand and found a suitable set of buckets in a 98 Nissan Pathfinder. $75.00 changed hands and I got the lap/shoulder belts and all the hardware tossed in as a bonus. the seats just barely fit, width-wise, by the scantest of margins, but I did get them mounted to my satisfaction, so I started on the seat belt project. the two lower belt mounting points are pretty simple. just a 2" section of angle iron welded to the body. a hole was drilled and a nut welded on the back side as attachment points. the upper mounting point was a bit more of a challenge however, as there is very little metal structure in that area suitable to attach anything to, much less with any rigidity. I finally settled on a 12" section of 1" .062 angle iron, set over the rear wood frame section behind the window to support an 8" high .120 thick cove section which was welded to the corner of the angle iron, a hole was drilled and a nut welded on the back of the cove to attach the upper belt "loop". The support for the rear edge of the cove piece was much more straight forward, as the body seam bolts were used to hold another section of angle iron as an attachment point. that body seam is very solid, especially with the addition of the angle iron. If you think about the forces likely to be encountered in a crash, this system will be plenty strong enough for the belt to cut a body in half before coming loose from the car. (I hope not to test that theory).

Cheers,
Russ

cove and support section for upper belt loop
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL827.../375724130.jpg

anchors (scraper not included)
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL827.../375724139.jpg

belts done
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL827.../375767715.jpg

seats & mostly reassembled
http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL827.../375767721.jpg

.....or you could have used these for a double shoulder harness. Last year they had only black, but there are many colors now.

http://www.gotbelts.com/yharness.html

(Oh yeah, I too am height challenged at 6'4"/200# in an 'A' roadster:LOL::LOL: )