- Joined
- Jul 27, 2012
- Messages
- 3,127
- Reaction score
- 491
- Location
- Brisbane - Australia
- My Car
- 1973 Mustang Convertible
Hi Folks,
I don't think this topic has been dealt with before, but if so sorry. I'll jump right in anyway.
When it comes to seat belt discussions regarding our '71's, '72's and '73's, it kind of opens up a can of worms as to a mixture of what brands, styles, types, colors are out there in a World market today. As well as what type or style of seat belts are considered safe and legal or illegal around the World in various Countries, States, and Cities. It's a real mixed bag in that sense.
However, my topic today concerns or is focused on any Mustang driver, that has found that their three point seat belts do not have enough length in them, so when the person pulls the belt out, locks it in, and then finds that they have difficulty leaning forward at all to reach forward and make any necessary adjustments around the general dash area, high or low. This exact problem has happened to me in my '73 Convertible, but i have found a cheap and good solution to solve this issue.
I'm pretty sure that the original factory belts were lap style only back in the day, (please correct me if i'm wrong there). and when buckled up, allowed the person to lean forward to reach out to the dash area without much trouble. Since the early Seventies, laws have been upgraded in some World Countries and States that have banned lap belt style belts to be used. My State decided that any classic car from 1973 on wards, had to have three point belts installed to make the car legally safe to drive. So when i bought my Vert back in 2011, the first thing i had to do was get rid of all the factory lap seat belts and upgrade to lap and sash style. This was not an easy process. It also left me with a problem of not having enough length when the new belts were fully pulled out and buckled in. I can't lean forward at all properly to reach the dash area.
The good news is that after looking around recently, i discovered you can buy seat belt extenders. They are safe, practical and inexpensive to buy. I bought mine off the net, and decided to try 2 different styles. One style is where you attached the extender to your shoulder male buckle, and the other style extender gets attached to the female floor buckle mount. I have tried both styles, and both work very well. I chose to use the style that attaches to the floor mount. They look great and tuck away neatly, not getting in the way. I can now lean fully forward and reach any area of my dash with ease. Problem solved! They can be easily attached and detached if needed for any reason. The only potential problem i can see, is please check with your Local or State Governments to make sure they consider using extenders road legal. In my State, they are completely legal. Your's may not.
Please see photos attached showing my newly installed lap and sash belts back in 2011, and the new extenders i have just purchased.
Many thanks,
Greg.![Thumbs up (y) (y)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
I don't think this topic has been dealt with before, but if so sorry. I'll jump right in anyway.
When it comes to seat belt discussions regarding our '71's, '72's and '73's, it kind of opens up a can of worms as to a mixture of what brands, styles, types, colors are out there in a World market today. As well as what type or style of seat belts are considered safe and legal or illegal around the World in various Countries, States, and Cities. It's a real mixed bag in that sense.
However, my topic today concerns or is focused on any Mustang driver, that has found that their three point seat belts do not have enough length in them, so when the person pulls the belt out, locks it in, and then finds that they have difficulty leaning forward at all to reach forward and make any necessary adjustments around the general dash area, high or low. This exact problem has happened to me in my '73 Convertible, but i have found a cheap and good solution to solve this issue.
I'm pretty sure that the original factory belts were lap style only back in the day, (please correct me if i'm wrong there). and when buckled up, allowed the person to lean forward to reach out to the dash area without much trouble. Since the early Seventies, laws have been upgraded in some World Countries and States that have banned lap belt style belts to be used. My State decided that any classic car from 1973 on wards, had to have three point belts installed to make the car legally safe to drive. So when i bought my Vert back in 2011, the first thing i had to do was get rid of all the factory lap seat belts and upgrade to lap and sash style. This was not an easy process. It also left me with a problem of not having enough length when the new belts were fully pulled out and buckled in. I can't lean forward at all properly to reach the dash area.
The good news is that after looking around recently, i discovered you can buy seat belt extenders. They are safe, practical and inexpensive to buy. I bought mine off the net, and decided to try 2 different styles. One style is where you attached the extender to your shoulder male buckle, and the other style extender gets attached to the female floor buckle mount. I have tried both styles, and both work very well. I chose to use the style that attaches to the floor mount. They look great and tuck away neatly, not getting in the way. I can now lean fully forward and reach any area of my dash with ease. Problem solved! They can be easily attached and detached if needed for any reason. The only potential problem i can see, is please check with your Local or State Governments to make sure they consider using extenders road legal. In my State, they are completely legal. Your's may not.
Please see photos attached showing my newly installed lap and sash belts back in 2011, and the new extenders i have just purchased.
Many thanks,
Greg.
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