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I suspect this will stir some comments. After owning this car for 45 years and raising 4 kids I have finally added seat belts to the back. They hide away under the rear seat when not in use. My daughters will not allow their kids (my Grandkids) to ride in the car without seat belts so a change was necessary! We drive this car almost every week and it’s time to include the little ones.
I think This is Great! As with any modification done to a vintage car it should be done tastefully and with the thought of it being reversible. With that being said no one should ever criticize you for adding safety equipment especially if it allows you to share your car with younger generations. I have four kids under the age of nine and If it takes adding seat belts to bring them along good for you.
Kirk
Looks very nice and well matched.
I added lap belts a decade ago and years after our daughter was mostly grown up and spent many trips loose. It was a bit of a challenge building up a structure to anchor the rear belts in the center since it was never designed for seat belts.
The front seats of these cars are problematic, no dash padding or collapsing steering column so lap belts are limited improvement. I am planning to install shoulder harnesses in the fronts of my ’35 and lap belts in the back. An advantage of sedans and coupes having pillars to anchor the things to.
Jim
The subject of adding seat belts to cars not designed for them has been discussed many times. I think the best statement made above is that the addition of belts allows the young kids to participate!
Make sure that backrests and cushions are firmly secured, you don’t want to be held in place while the seat is loose.
Don’t modify the seat belts to be able to install them. I do trim work, and have had people ask me to cut, shorten, re-sew seat belts. I will absolutely not do that, as factory stitching and thread is important, and liability too great.
Speaking of liability, if you were to sell any car you’ve added belts to, I’d advise removing them before the sale. Since it’s a modification to the original car, if something happened down the road (so to speak), you could find yourself in court. You may be found innocent, but it costs money to get there…