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Question for those who have installed seatbelts - I'm pondering how to place the mounts for the front belt components and one place that would work great for the inertia reel is to mount it's "L" bracket to the floor using the handy body mount bolt, located right next to the center pillar between the doors. This spot would put the reel out of the way and hide it a bit, make it look almost factory. And it is a straight shot up the pillar to the shoulder belt pivot mount point.

BUT, I am thinking that the body mount might not be the best spot, what with the rubber mounts which maybe would be too "giving" for a belt mount? Anyone with some insight there please weigh in, either to heartily endorse my placement or reinforce my potential misgivings on that spot!

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I like the location but like you I would have a misgiving about the rubber. Even though the bolts go thru to the frame they could still flex thru the rubber and maybe shear or bend enough to cause the anchor to fail. The existing bolts are a bit small too as I believe most belt places recommend a 7/16" or 1/2" high strength bolt on the anchors.

I don't remember if there is an accessible nut in that location or if the bolt screws into a capture nut welded to the frame. If the nut was accessible and removable you could enlarge the frame hole for a larger bolt and eliminate the rubber at the same time in that one body mount. Use solid steel spacers above and below similar to those the convertibles used plus a high strength bolt that goes thru the frame.

If something like that is too big a project then it might be better to move it away.

I am surprised there is not a long thread already discussing the seatbelt issue already. I had installed seatbelts on the 55 and the 40 but I dont think the 55 info will be of help to you. 2 questions- Why are you installing retractor type belts? Why do you see the need to use the body mount bolt or attach to the frame?

I did a search of the seatbelt installation topics and got some info but not a lot, surprisingly. I think most folks go with lap belts only - easier, cheaper, and better than nothing.

2 answers - 1. I'm using the retractable belts because I want shoulder belts and these are far easier to use, store and more comfortable than non-retract systems. 2. The body mount bolt location just because it's in the perfect spot. I can go just in front of it, behind the seat tracks, but the body bolt is the right geometry (directly in line with the pillar, and therefore the upper belt pivot point).

wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/welr.html

I've read a passing remark on some other forum about "never mount to the frame!" but with no supporting info to say why. I can guess that if the body and frame separate then the occupant is going to get squished by the belt. So, the body mount bolt in this spot doesn't go into the frame rail itself, but one of the outriggers. Still might apply though? I can't find anything about this frame situation in any installation instructions I've read on many, many sites and product pages.

I hadn't heard that caution about not going thru the frame and really can't see how those many bolt location bodies could separate but I guess anything is possible. I would think it is less likely a bolt would tear out of the frame metal than it would with the large washers and sheet metal which seems to be the norm for aftermarket belts. In either case your poor flesh and bones is not going to fare well so a 50-50 proposition. The outriggers bring up a question of how much leverage they could stand but since they are riveted to the frame I can't see them pulling off. If convenient, I would still use the location but would go with a larger bolt and eliminate the rubber.

Yes well, lap belts only are usually used in 50s era cars for all the reasons you mentioned unless a racing / street- strip vehicle is being built. The reason I asked was there are some very specific angles reccomended for the lap belts. I am not sure of the type of lap/ shoulder retractor you are using- fixed buckle or the sliding style. I have replaced/ installed/ reinstalled many of factory belts of all styles and without stress testing and crash testing of the pillar post structure and your upper attachment point you may have a more dangerous situation than with a lap belt alone if the upper mount fails. Are you reenforcing the upper mount in the pillar? All the anchor points in production cars I have seen have been in the body usually backed by a reenforcement plate. Racing belts usually to the roll cage and floor. If you want info on the angle and placement of the lap belts and shoulder go to summit racing web site or nhra rule book. You will see the lap has to pull back as well as down. I know these are racing recc. Most will agree a properly functioning lap belt in a car never equipped which is driven at reasonable speeds of 60 and less is a welcome and functional addition. If this untested shoulder belt fails it may not offer any safety advantage.

Agreed, the angles for the lap belt position are important. The installation instructions from Wesco pretty much just talk about using the factory mount points, but I've looked at other brand sites and their install instructions and I'm making sure the angles are going to be good.

The upper pivot mount in the pillar uses a backing plate which I will fit inside the pillar. That will be loaded mostly in shear which makes me feel a bit better about the relatively thin sheetmetal in the pillar. I've seen people just weld or bolt it to the outside of the pillar which leaves a lot of strength out of the installation.

There are Federal Aviation Administration approved shoulder harness install kits available which literally just attach to an aluminum rivnut installed in a spar section using a 3/16" AN bolt. Now THAT is a joke, moral support only.

Got an hour on the car tonight after work, installed the heater fan assembly (swiped a 12v fan motor from my brother-in-law Dan's wrecked '55) and powered it up. Wow, what a noise. Squealed like heck for a bit before it settled down, getting better with each run but... Is there a way to balance the fan, and/or is there any lube needed for the fan motor that I could try to quiet that noise?

Second issue, darn it my heater valve leaks. I'd tested it with air pressure before reinstalling it but obviously the years caught up with it and that rubber seal is likely fossilized. I remembered that BigKev did a "how to" on replacing the seal, so I looked up the part number of the seal kit he used and lo and behold my local NAPA store has it in stock. I'll pick that up tomorrow ($9.99) and maybe get that fixed this weekend.

On the blade balance I've seen some very small U shaped clips with serrated teeth for gripping -- sort of looks like a small speed nut without the hole -- placed on the blades. A real speednut of the type that slides over sheetmetal and grips tightly might work.

On lube, the upper can be given a drop or two of oil around the shaft using a needle applicator and let it run down and soak in. On the sealed end some have carefully drilled a small hole in the center of the shaft protrusion area and applied a drop or two of oil again using the needle applicator. Some of the motors have a felt pad surrounding the bearing which can be moistened that way. Just don't get too much oil inside that it runs all over in case there is no pad. The hole can be sealed with a dot of tape, or if carefully placed and small, just left open like it might have been a factory hole.

While brushes don't usually squeal, It is also possible the lube is OK and it is the brushes against the commutator making a noise.

I have seen the little weight clips on fans too, Howard. Not sure how I will check the balance but I guess that is an interesting project to try. I'm going to run the fan removed from the body and see if it's a harmonic thing or the fan/motor itself, that's step one.

I had to remove the right fender again because it is so much easier to get to the heater valve that way, and it isn't really that hard to do. I called my son to come out and help but then I got the fender off before he arrived, so I had him help me get those body bolts out where I am thinking of mounting the seatbelt reels since he was there. Sometimes it's nice to have a helper rather than try some new gyration to get something done.

Having read BigKev's tutorial and some others on the interwebs, I whipped my valve apart, cleaned up everything and replaced the seal, and reassembled it in record time. And it didn't seal, after a couple tries I found that you have to have the plunger all the way shut when you hook up the clips or it will be in a partially opened position. It looks like you have it right but it won't seal. Now it's all good and back in the car.

I had originally thought that because I could test the valve and it would seal, that it was fine. So I reinstalled it, even though why would it be good when every other rubber thing on this car is petrified or rotted. Blind optimism, very unlike me. Turns out that the seal that will go bad (and the only rubber seal in the valve) is really just a seal for the shaft, so if (when) it rots out it will leak fluid onto the floor even though the valve still works as advertised.

Kind of a pain to get all the little tabs unbent and rebent but overall not too tough. Certainly worth the time to save $130 or so to have someone else rebuild it for you. But I'm a tinkerer, your mileage may vary and that's why those guys are in business.