What to do for shoulder harness seat belts?

[Dieselwrencher]

I am going over my longhorn project trying to get things ready to build it before the white crap flies. I want to make this thing wife and kid safe. I started going through what all this will need for a family to be safe. I decided I am going to add seat belts with lap and shoulder harnesses. I want to build this truck like it could have been ordered from GM even though it never was. So my question is this:, "What is everyone doing for shoulder belt seat belt upgrades that are close to OE style?" Am I better off just buying aftermarket new belts, or is it pretty easy to come up with decent OE shoulder belt set ups? I searched a little on here but haven't seen many OE sets available. Your thoughts and input are appreciated. Thanks Ryan.

[blime81]

The belts out of an older "shoebox" S10 look pretty good in these trucks. The reel on the bottom is small and fits nicely where the old belt was.

The holes should be there in the top to bolt in the upper part.

Only trouble is finding a decent set at the yards.

Personally I put in seats out of a 01 Silverado that have the belts built in.

[geezer#99]

Here's some pics of the ones I put in my 67 Gmc. Generic ones from LMC.

[48richard]

I put in the LMC belts too; they work OK, but the driver belt rubs on the gas tank unless you do some fancy bracket work. Also you have to pull then out very slowly or they lock up. Eventually I'm going to look for something better

[michael bustamante]

I have buckets out of a 03 siverado withthe seat belts in them. Ill have to put some reinforcement strips in the hole locations though

[Dieselwrencher]

Thanks for the replies guys!

[Codypaul]

mine are out of a 93 k1500. work great

[71blksuper4x4]

Ryan, the dealer installed shoulder harness setup is quite uncommon. Locating a set is fairly hard to do, but they do come up every once in awhile. Like many have chimed in, you make newer model truck belts work. Trevor

[jhwkns]

S10 belts are great if you can find some

[leddzepp]

www.gemstreetrods.com

He has the best prices if you want new belts. Has the necessary brackets to avoid what 48Richard describes above, but you will have to have the female ends cut down (an upholstery shop can do this) as I believe is the case with all of these aftermarket belts. They are the same brand that LMC and other major suppliers carry, but his cost is much less. If I had to do it again, I would probably go with S-10 belts.

[PanelDeland]

Just a reminder,the original shoulder belts are 40 years old.The chances of them being deteriorated are huge.They probably wouldn't be safe unless you rewebbed tham.

[Dieselwrencher]

Originally Posted by PanelDeland

Just a reminder,the original shoulder belts are 40 years old.The chances of them being deteriorated are huge.They probably wouldn't be safe unless you rewebbed tham.

I figured that after I typed it. But you never know what some of these guys are digging up for NOS OE parts lately.

[storm9c1]

Originally Posted by 71blksuper4x4

Ryan, the dealer installed shoulder harness setup is quite uncommon. Locating a set is fairly hard to do, but they do come up every once in awhile. Like many have chimed in, you make newer model truck belts work. Trevor

Does anyone have good pics of the "uncommon" factory shoulder belts and how they work? I want to know what they look like in case they come up somewhere. I have original GM lap belts now but would like to upgrade with shoulder belts as well (while trying to keep it looking stock and period correct). Does the retractor change? Or is it a lap belt with an adapter for a shoulder belt using some sort of 3-way connection point that many cars used from that era? For example, Mopars commonly reused the standard lap belt but added a shoulder belt that latched in to the lap belt. It was a clunky setup, but it's part of having a car/truck from this era.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by storm9c1

Does anyone have good pics of the "uncommon" factory shoulder belts and how they work? I want to know what they look like in case they come up somewhere. I have original GM lap belts now but would like to upgrade with shoulder belts as well (while trying to keep it looking stock and period correct). Does the retractor change? Or is it a lap belt with an adapter for a shoulder belt using some sort of 3-way connection point that many cars used from that era? For example, Mopars commonly reused the standard lap belt but added a shoulder belt that latched in to the lap belt. It was a clunky setup, but it's part of having a car/truck from this era.

The factory shoulder belts fasten just like the lap belts....You then have two male ends, and 2 female ends. They are not a 3-way connection point. Kind of a PITA to use. I have a set in my project for originality, NOT practicality. Trevor and others have some great pics of them, I am sure someone will post a pic soon.

[storm9c1]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

The factory shoulder belts fasten just like the lap belts....You then have two male ends, and 2 female ends. They are not a 3-way connection point. Kind of a PITA to use. I have a set in my project for originality, NOT practicality. Trevor and others have some great pics of them, I am sure someone will post a pic soon.

Yes, having 2 male ends and 2 female ends is what I was thinking. I'm used to that setup on all of my cars from that era, so I was wondering if the trucks are the same. Sounds like it is. The right latches and hardware setup are the hardest parts to find and visualize. The webbing can be redone reasonably easy.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by storm9c1

Yes, having 2 male ends and 2 female ends is what I was thinking. I'm used to that setup on all of my cars from that era, so I was wondering if the trucks are the same. Sounds like it is. The right latches and hardware setup are the hardest parts to find and visualize. The webbing can be redone reasonably easy.

Everything can be duplicated to make a set of factory shoulder harnesses....except the rubber boot that retains the male end when not in use. A center lap belt is identical to a shoulder harness belt, all you have to do is put the mounting bracket in a vice and flatten it out. Iused the rubber boots from a 68 Cougar on a set I built. These are the closest I have found to the original truck-type.

[crushermechanic]

i used a set out of a 91 izuzu amigo. they work great. i just had to build mounting brackets.

[71blksuper4x4]

I try to post some pics of my belts in the morning. Trevor

[pmpski_1]

Do the S-10 belts create a 3 point connection? And they work with bench seats?

[camrycurt]

Does anyone know what S10 model years fit well?

And, do the S10 and 93 K1500 belt setups that have been mentioned come with factory angle brackets to mount to the floor, or do you need to make floor brackets like was mentioned for the 91 Amigo?

This is a great thread. I just picked up a 70 C10 and want to add the shoulder belts. I'd at least like to stick with GM parts if possible, so the suggestions here are very helpful.

Thanks!

[Dieselwrencher]

I'm going to try to go to the junk yard this weekend and find something. We'll see.

[BAT]

Does anyone have pics to show how these are configured? I recently bought a pair of re-made shoulder belts and I am trying to figure out how they install.

[54blackhornet]

Google GM seatbelts and you can order new 3pt belts with GM logos, cost about 300.00

DO NOT PUT YOUR LIFE AHEAD OF MONEY !
Posted via Mobile Device

[BAT]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

Google GM seatbelts and you can order new 3pt belts with GM logos, cost about 300.00

DO NOT PUT YOUR LIFE AHEAD OF MONEY !
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks but as stated I already have them and I am trying to figure out how to install them.

[JOJABOY]

Originally Posted by blime81

The belts out of an older "shoebox" S10 look pretty good in these trucks. The reel on the bottom is small and fits nicely where the old belt was.

The holes should be there in the top to bolt in the upper part.

Only trouble is finding a decent set at the yards.

Personally I put in seats out of a 01 Silverado that have the belts built in.

I just put '89 Blazer belts in my '69. I ended up getting them off of ebay. I paid $100 for the two outside belts and ended up gettingmy money refunded because they never sent me the buckle end for one of them. Then I went to a pick a part and got the other buckle and center belt for $20. So, total investment is $20 and I have three black belts.