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I only found one posting on installing seat belts back in 2016 and that was a newer model and with shoulder belts. Nicely done. If anyone has installed seat belts in a 1950 sedan I would like to know if there are any pit falls I should be aware of. I am starting with the front seats with only lap belts right now.
Cal

If the seats are the same as the 47 with the solid frame enclosure that more or less surrounds the seat cushions on all sides you will need to cut some slots in the frame metal a few inches above the floor so the belts can slip between the back and seat to directly pass thru the frame at the rear of the seat cushion to reach the floor.

Mike (su8overdrive) installed belts in his 47 and I used his method to install them in mine. If your car has a similar seat frame the same dimensions would probably work in yours.

Good afternoon, we installed lap belts in our 49 Deluxe and just put the straps down between the seat bottom and the seat back. We drilled through the pan with 1/8 inch pilot holes after taking some measurements to be sure we cleared he frame and then drilled larger 5/8 holes and anchored the ends of the seat belts with 1 1/2 inch washers from ACE Hardware...not hard, just measure carefully so that the belts are uniform left to right and the bolts miss the frame. Ernie in Arizona

Thanks for the information on how each of you did your installation. Just bolting down behind the seat seems the easiest approach, but I wonder if the force of a collision would pull the back of the seat up thereby extending the length of the belt before it actually held one from crashing into the steering column or dash. Not being a safety engineer I don't really know how to evaluate the safety factor of one installation vs another. any more thoughts on this or am I just making it more complicated than it really is and just go ahead and get them installed.

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That is the concern Mike and I and a few others had with the wrap around type seat frames Packard used in some models. The seat cushion sits in a tray like retainer and the metal frame completely surrounds the rear and bottom edges of the seat cushion. In order to get a belt thru it would need to bend around some corners as well as rub against some fairly sharp metal. That is why we cut slots and protected the cut edges of the slots with grommeting material so the belts would have a direct and straight feed thru to the passengers and not rub any sharp edges or have excess length.

Here are a few photos collected from various sources illustrating the type seats of concern and what was done for the belts. If your seat uses the same type frame with no direct access to the rear of the cushion then I would be hesitant to route belts where they had to make any turns. Mikes car is the final photo which shows the belt anchors mounted far enough back so the seat doesn't go over them when at its far rear position.

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I guess one has to consider if you're better off with a partially functioning seat/lap belt than in a X-frame car without that are notorious for sending occupants through the windshield in a crash. Laws of momentum are final.
From a strength perspective, I doubt the floor pan is strong enough and need to attach to the frame or cross member at least.
There are various racing specs for belting so you can take queues from them.
These are pre-crash data cars and were built for strength not impact stress distribution like they are today. If there's concern about belt passing through the seat frame, they made belts with metal extensions from the floor for some cars for that, but not sure you can find without scouring the yards and chances of belting being intact is slim, but maybe able to have retrofitted. The belt sewing is a science so don't attempt yourself. I'd also talk to the guys that sell after market belts.

Check out Wescohttps://www.wescoperformance.com They have a nice selection in their passenger car replacement belt section. I used their chrome lift lever style since that was the type buckle Packard had in 56 and figured it was appropriate to the car as if maybe a dealer could have installed the official item in an earlier car. Wesco also has install kits using grade 8 hardware for the floor. Kits come with complete instructions and recommended install methods for older cars that did not have modern belt reinforcement provisions. The kits come with a wide washer for reinforcement at the floor hole but you could also add something even larger if you wanted.

Just curious---what length belts were used?