GregX1

Hi,


I do not want to die too young, too soon.
And I really do not want to kill my wife one of my children or a friend just because I love driving my vette!

So here it is: I do not feel safe with the 2-point seat belts in my 69.
Of course, I could go to the 3-point conversion, but in such a car (no airbag, no nothing), why not install a real harness?
This is about security, I do not mind about any 'matching-number' on my belts. I will save the current ones in a box.

Any suggestion, any option you have used, with solid fixation?
Of course I would love to keep a 'tan' colour, but it is not the priority.

thank you


Greg

terrys6t8roadster

Greg, 69s are the first year mandatory shoulder belts. Looksee at the outer belt chrome latch, does it have another hole in it? That is where the shoulder belts hooks in. The retractor would mount on top of the wheel house and you can see the attaching nut inside the wheel well. As far as mounting a harness kit there is no real place to mount the shoulder straps, unless using a 'Shark Bar'. My 6t8 which saw a lot of track time has a 5-point. For street use I just use the lap belt and the passengers just move the shoulder restraints out of the way and use the lap belt. They are not spring loaded like OEM which makes them very restrictive. T

theandies

In the coupes but shoulder belts were an option on convertibles until 1976. If your car is a coupe then it should have the shoulder harness.


1969 Production Options
A85 Custom Shoulder Belts (std. w/ coupe) $42.15

Alan 71

Hi Greg,
I believe all 68 and 69 cars had the reinforcement plate mounted to the underbody for attaching the shoulder belt retractor.
The retractor mounted to the 'side' of the rear wheel well though, not to the 'top' of the wheel well as in 70+ cars.
Regards,
Alan

Here's a photo showing the location of the 68/69 shoulder belt mount from a post about belts early last year.

GregX1

thank you

I am in Paris right now, will check when I come back home

EDIT: yes, it is a coupe, so should be good news for me

RJ1AZ

Here's a couple pics of the mounting location on my 69 vert.

20mercury

I put 3 point seat belts in from one of the Corvette vendors (not the OEM design but the one with only one retractor) in my early build 68 Convertible. I mounted the retractors on the mounting plate as the great photos show above. So the mounting plates were there on mine. I did have to chase the threads out.

Agree with you, on your concerns. Unfortunately we do not live in a risk free world. The early C3's do not have any reinforcements in the doors. At least we do not have metal dashes like the 50's. I keep the spare tire tub with air in it because I read somewhere the spare tire is part of the rear end protection (hope that is correct). I really think in terms of driving these C3's (or any auto) like the motorcycle guys do. Drive within your skills, stay focused on driving 100%, leave plenty of space with other vehicles, watch weather and avoid darkness, look twice, avoid known risk areas and high risk driving times as much as possible, & drive defensively. And remember, others might be checking your ride instead of paying attention to their driving. IMHO, I do not see how a harness helps that much, unless you start putting in roll bars, cages, and all of the protective stuff that racers install. All in all, I believe you are a lot safer in a C3 than on a motorcycle, but never will be even close to a modern Corvette with traction control, air bags, ect, ect, but you can greatly reduce the risk using common sense.

theandies

If I got to choose which way I wanted to go going out in my Corvette would be right up there near the top of the list. At least I'd go out in style and with a smile on my face!