Shoulder Harness buckel won't stay clipped

I thought I would give everyone a heads up on how Ford fixed the issue of the shoulder harness not staying clipped into the seat belt buckle. There was a recall back in the day. I could not locate the recall on the net but I know it happened because they recalled my 71 Maverick that used the same style of buckle.

I stole a picture from a previous post back in 10/12/13 by Goodnigh. It shows the factory nylon plastic piece that eventually crumbles and falls off. This was happening when new due to a flow line in the plastic. When the plastic goes around the core pin for the hole and meets on the other side if the material is too cold it will not stick together.

In the Ford recall they simply replace the missing nylon part with two rubber O-rings on the pin on the shoulder harness that fits into the seat belt metal tab.

While looking around eBay the other day I stumbled upon some of the O-rings in the Ford package and the part number is D1AZ-6560116-A and come four the the pack. I ordered a couple packs and took pictures of the pack with the rings.

You can also go to your local hardware or auto supply and buy and O-ring that has an O.D. of .450", I.D. of .218" and rubber dia. of .100". Hard to measure them accurately they are not round.

This is the ad on eBay you can get two packs, 8 O-rings, for $5.00.

This satisfied the government boys back then and should work fine now. The fix does work I know my Maverick was driven for many years and they worked, my 73 still has the nylon.

I saw lots of complaints about not being able to reach the radio or heater if you used the shoulder belt. Must have short arms I never had that problem 6'4".

Fix them and keep them safe. I would rather wear the shoulder harness than check out the collapsible steering column in a crash.

David

David, does the nylon piece on your 73 look the same as your earlier models? Catalog only shows D1AZ-6560116-A application for 70/71. Not shown for 72 or 73. Maybe Ford changed the material for 72/ since they knew there was a problem with the harness strap. I know "Back in the day" no one I knew used the shoulder harness strap anyway because of the aggravation in fastening it. Most of them hung down behind the driver since they wouldn't stay in the retainer. Being new didn't matter either. Was riding with a friend I was stationed with in his weeks old Gran Torino Sport (windows open so we could hear the exhaust) when the harness strap came loose and slapped him on the side of the face. He immediately pulled over, went to the trunk and pulled a hack saw out of his tool box and cut the offending strap off!! Nothing was said as we went back into town for a cool down beer!!

Thanks for the post David.

I feel lucky that the shoulder belt nylons still click in on my 73 but

I have to always untangle it and hand the combined end to my wife

so she can buckle-up she has never gotten it figured out!

Paul

very cool,,, thanks david.

Very timely post David- I just received a bag of the Ford seat belt grommets yesterday for my '71 Mach 1. I bought Mike's (Motorcity Mustang) Grabber Green 429 4 speed car around 9 months ago, what a sweetheart of a car, and I'm a little late with my introduction post. I have a personal pet peeve with shoulder belts working correctly and I had fashioned my own "grommet" out of a rubber band wrapped around the post. It did the trick but I knew there had to be a more correct solution. Prior to that I had just been adjusting the shoulder belt so it was very tight, but that wasn't comfortable. As for why I have the pet peeve, back around '82 I was a passenger in my friend's '73 Mercury Montego, and as usual we were out for some late night cruising around even in snow and freezing temps. The car slid into a tree on a back road at slow speed, but it was totaled and even the roof was kinked. We had on lap belts and the shoulder belts were not present in the car. I must have been semi-asleep because I heard "we're going to hit" and that quickly the bridge of my nose met the dashboard. Had a broken nose and needed to see a specialist a few times, and my leather bomber jacket was soaked in blood. I had a '68 GTO at that time which was also originally missing the shoulder belts (seems like a common theme back then) but I located a set in a junkyard '68 LeMans and always used them in my GTO.

I believe this is from your post on the other seat belt thread, and screen 5 on this site mentions the Ford recall:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10-biggest-car-recalls-of-all-time-2013-02-16

Neither of my shoulder belts have the plastic on the pin any longer. I'm glad you mentioned placing two O-rings on each seat belt buckle pin because I was wondering how these little O-rings would even do the job if one were to be used. Looks like something I should have bought at Lowe's rather than on Ebay! Oh and I'm 5'11" and the only thing I have trouble reaching with the shoulder belt fastened is the emergency brake release handle. I'll get all situated with the seat belts and then curse at myself because I forgot to release it ahead of time. heh heh And when other passengers see that seat belt arrangement you would think they are harnessing themselves into an alien spaceship. I can't believe that more people do not remember these multi-belt seat belt systems.

The early belts in the cars of the 60s and 70s were closely related to those from aviation. The same type belts werde used in planes. Sometimes with exactly the same webbing and buckles.

Companies that service and repair aircraft belts and those from parachutes have these grommets. I had my 71 belts completely overhauled in such a business.

This is a great find, I can never get my shoulder harness to stay put.


I just bought a set for $8 with shipping. The thing that really freaks me out about older cans is the safety issue. I at least want to a have headrest and should harness. I have 64 TBird that has neither.

Donkost,

I to had such an experience but it was in my 1950 ford in about 1970. I had bought seat belts to install and they were in the trunk. The steering box bolts broke while racing another 1951 Ford on a curvy road. I had already passed him and went into a curve I knew well and nothing happened. I kept steering but nothing. I went through the ditch, took out 9 fence posts with barbed wire, then jumped a creek and hit the bank on the other side. If the fence posts had not been there I would be dead for sure. I broke the steering wheel with my hands, hit and broke my nose on the top of the wheel and broke the windshield out with my head and chest on wheel. My knees went to the dash and took every dash knob off on both sides. Of course I was dazed. I opened the door, 1:00 am black dark and stepped out to find I was about four feet off the creek bed. So I fell into the creek and did more damage. The guy I was racing did stop and asked why "I froze to the wheel". Had to get a big wrecker to lift the whole car up and drive up the field with it hanging and took to a friends house. Had it back on the road in two days. Dr. packed my nose full and sewed up the hole in the side of it and told me to take it easy. Had to have surgery after a couple more broke nosed not from crashes.

I have always worn my belts and shoulder harness.

I had a brother in law that never wore his always said he could hold himself off the wheel. He had gone camping in his chevy truck pulling a boat. When they left the camp ground he had put too much weight in the rear and at 35 mph the boat started to fish tail and turned the truck sideways and it went into a bank. He went through the windshield along with his wife and brother. His mother was behind them in her car saw it all and told the speed was 35. He landed on his knees slumped over and was dead. The force of the column hitting him ruptured his heart. His wife caught her left leg on the column shift on the way through the windshield and ripped her leg half off. The brother also went through the windshield rupturing his spleen, liver and intestine. He barely make it and the wife did live, 35 MPH.

My son went to sleep doing 55 mph in his ranger ford truck and hit an oncoming car also doing 55 mph. The airbags, seat belts and shoulder harness saved him and the other person for sure. He had broke bone in arm and severe bruising and could hardly move for days but alive.

Some people are crazy and just do not know what little speed it takes to kill you. Just like those that don't wear a helmet on bike. I also flipped a motorcycle and I can still hear that helmet grinding on the pavement instead of my head. It is hanging in the garage, got rid of the bike.

Glad some are keeping their belts and using them.

David