Seatbelts

[Action-Jackson]

My jeep came with lap belts installed, they are bolted to the floor. I would like to install some more substantial seatbelts such as a 4-point racing harness or at least a regular three-point seatbelt. Has anybody ever installed (or have) seatbelts like those in their jeep before? If so, pictures would be great. Thanks.

[Derek Eddlestone]

So when your jeep rolls over and crushes the windscreen flat, guess what will be in the firing line, held neatly in place with a four point harness. Several people on the Gee recount tales of their jeep rolling over and they weren't saved by a seat belt but by an M31C machine gun post..... looks more authentic as well.

Derek.

[Action-Jackson]

Yeah, I do worry about the roll over risk in the jeep but I am primarily concerned with being hit by another vehicle and having my upper body rammed into the steering wheel; or should I worry more about rolling over? Do you think that the lap belts that are already there are sufficient? And since you mentioned the machine gun post, where can they be had and do you have to weld them in place or can you bolt them down? Can a person still sit in the back with it? I was thinking about getting one eventually anyway for my 1919a4, but if it will increase safety I will want to get it sooner. I am just trying to make the jeep as safe as possible without having to comprise originality too much (i.e. - installing a roll bar and modern style seats). Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[breven52]

trust me you dot want seat belts for the driver .....the steering wheel will keep you in in a crash or roll over.......passenger wise its your call ...i would put a machine gun post in if i was you and for military style seatbelts you could use extra door way safty straps i think ...wel good luck!

[Fargomartin]

My daughter wouldn't let the grand kids ride without installing seat belts in my '44MB. For authentic looking seat belts I used military cargo straps that were 1.75 inches wide. Found the cargo straps on ebay cheap. I think it was $7. for 30'.
I then went to the junk yard and found some late 50's and early 60's seat belts out of some old trucks. They were the old metal style like the airlines use. Painted the hardware OD and had a shoe shop sew the cargo straps on.
They look great. The tarp straps have a test weight of around 10,000 Lbs. so they are more than adequate. No shoulder harness. Just the lap belts.

[Fargomartin]

These lap belts look so realistic and "vintage" that I get folks remarking that they were surprised that the war time Jeeps had seat belts...

[Gdcast]

Action-Jackson, do a search on the subject, there are so many opinions is impossible to get a definitive answer.
Is easy for me thou, if safety comes over original, then install them, if not, don’t.

[MissAdventure]

I'm glad to see this question and I'd like to see more people that have done the modification and pictures!
I too want to install seatbelts. There's no way I'm letting my 5 year old ride in it without being secured. I too am concerned about another vehicle hitting us and throwing her around or out of the vehicle. This is more of a risk while driving around town than rolling over is!

I like the idea of the authentic looking ones, but I'm also interested in harnesses.

[wreckless]

There are no seatbelts on motorcycles and lots of people transport their kids via cycles. At least the jeep has more metal around you.

[Docsjeep]

To mount a 3 point harness, would you need a roll bar to mount the high point to?

I installed lap belts in my last MB. This was mainly to keep the kids sitting on their butt. It seems to be very tempting for little people to want to look down over the side. or stand up and go after something they dropped on the floor board.

Dave

[lt.luke]

no, but you might need to mount some loops on the back of your seat to 'control' them. If the straps are long enough on the "high points" you should be able to bolt them with one bolt to the floor centered behind the seat, then over the top, through your mounted loops or horns. Tie them in with your "low point" that's bolted in the center in front of the seat and buckle it all together.

Or bolt a shoulder belt "high point" on the fender well behind the seat and use a similar method.

Gunners in humvees have a strap available, but it's not used too much. most prefer the idea of being thrown out as opposed to held and crushed, ALSO the strap gets in the way of dropping INTO the cab on a rollover drill. Apples and oranges though.

[Garry Fincher]

Not sure how it works in the US but here we don't need to fit belts due to age of the vehicle (pre 1974) and that they were not standard fit when the vehicle was first issued in the 40's.
If however you do choose to fit a seat belt it must be manufactured to a known Automotive safety standard and complies with local legislations relating to safety equipment.

Using old cargo belts and alike may look military but may not necessarily save you in a real accident. (isn't that the point}
Safety authorities often recommend that vehicle safety belts (made to a standard) should be replaced if they have actually gone through a major collision. How do you know what cargo straps or old seat belts found in a wreckers yard have gone through in a previous life?
Likewise is the anchor point you choose going to stand up to the forces put on them during a collision? A roll bar is often used for this because of the strength it would offer as an solid anchor point.

I am not arguing wether you should install a belt or not, that should be your preference and your decision and plenty of people have argued for and against in earlier threads. But if you do fit them I would recommend a safety belt that meets your state or federal legal requirements.

If I fitted belts here and submitted my vehicle for a Roadworthy certificate it wouldn't pass with makeshift seatbelts.
Easier to not fit them but yes I still worry about my family and friends who sit next me.

As Bill Cosby says " The safety belts don't save your life in a Shelby Cobra, the ambulance drivers are just too lazy to look for your body"

Garry

[lt.luke]

Garry has an excellent point here. I'm pretty sure that the sheet metal that makes up our jeeps is too thin. The concentrated stress of one bolt going thru it would allow the bolt to be ripped right out. A decent size thick plate welded or bolted to the underside of the tub would probably be preferred, then weld a nut to the bottom of that, so that you can remove and reinstall the seatbelts from the top with only one tool.

[TOM R]

in the us the vehicle need only have what was supplied with original equiptment on that model year, that said in a jeep it is my opinion you are safer without belts, if someone hits you hard enough to need belts the jeep will probly also be flipped over it is lite and center of gravity is high enough, if you are installing over the shoulder belts you need a high point in the vehicle to attach them to like a roll bar OR THEY ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN NO BELTS , hell if you are gonna do that put in a roll cage and metal doors and an airbag hell just buy a new jeep, children should be in the back in these anyway just install some lap belts in the rear for the kids, just my. we have gone back and forth on this topic on thecj2apage.com just my .02 in the end it is your jeep do what you want

[Bob N]

This has been gone over several times on the G. Do what you want or what the law requires. I have them in my jeep not to protect from an impact (get real, the only crumple zone is the passengers and crew!) but to keep people from being ejected from a rough ride (not very likely but one can hope for rough rides, once in a while) or just falling out.

Don't carve up your show jeep but if it is a daily bruiser, made just for fun--who cares?