Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

[Gary P.]

I have a 1965 coupe. My wife does not feel that the stock seat belts offer enough safety. Has anyone ever installed '67 shoulder harness belts in an earlier coupe? Has anyone mounted a set of shoulder harnesses in an earlier(than 67) coupe?

[Louis T.]

Re: Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

Hi Gary,



Save the wave!

Louis

The article:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009...air-literally/

The video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

[Mike M.]

Re: Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

I have a 1965 coupe. My wife does not feel that the stock seat belts offer enough safety. Has anyone ever installed '67 shoulder harness belts in an earlier coupe? Has anyone mounted a set of shoulder harnesses in an earlier(than 67) coupe?

you will need the metal brackets with weld nuts that mount in the rear compartment. they are riveted to the floorpan/wheelwells. then you'll need the shoulder belts. good luck,mike

[Thomas C.]

Re: Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

Ecklers sells a retrofit 3 point retractable belt kit.

[Roger P.]

Re: Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

I have a 1965 coupe. My wife does not feel that the stock seat belts offer enough safety. Has anyone ever installed '67 shoulder harness belts in an earlier coupe? Has anyone mounted a set of shoulder harnesses in an earlier(than 67) coupe?

Gary,
I have a '65 convertible and one of the first things I did to my car was to install the 3-point retrofit shoulder harness seatbelts from Eckler's. I know that it is still not safe by today's standards, but it certainly offers more protection than the original lap belts. Of course, I still have my original seat belts in case I want to change it back one day. The "retrofit" part of the kit is not too sophisticated, so I made a few modifications that you might want to consider. First, I had all the metal parts (seat shoulder guide, bolt heads, washers, fender bracket, etc.) powder coated black to match the interior of my car. Second, I removed the bracket at the center console that holds the lap belt buckles when not being used since it is the wrong size for the new airplane style buckles that I ordered. I then decided to adjust the buckle to a short length (since the retractor will adjust the length to fit the driver & passenger) and had an upholstery shop stitch a flexible piece of plexiglass between the straps to create a short, non-adjustable buckle piece that neatly tucks away between the seat and the armrest. It is a tight squeeze to get the retractor installed in a convertible due to the limited space when the top is down, but it should be very easy in a coupe. I am very happy with the aesthetic results of the installation, and feel that my car is now much safer for me and my passenger. Although the attached photo doesn't show the buckle very well, you can get a pretty good idea of how the final installation looks in my car.

Good luck,
Roger (50141)

[Gene M.]

Re: Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

The plates that Mike refers to (in a 65) do not have the weld nuts installed. But I know that 67's do have the weld nut. It has a plastic cap plug in it to seal it from weather.

It you have the body off changing to the plates from a 67 up vintage is easy. Body on is a trip............ They are aluminum rivet to fiberglass body inner fender.

I imagine with talent, drilling the hole and tack weld a nut could be accomplished.

[Paul L.]

Re: Shoulder Harness for 1965 coupe

This is the Eckler's unit installed in my (former) 1967. I did some mods including have the seat top guides chromed (they come in cadmium) and have the webbing re-sewn to accept the 1967 GM buckles and tongues.

My car did have the factory rear mount plates installed so that part was easy. The Eckler's mount bolts will not fit - they provide their own plates -but Dr. Rebuild came up with originals.