72 Shoulder Harness Seats

[72GSC]

Question, Can you take lap belt seats and turn them into a shoulder harness type seats by just changing the seat belt trim mounting and the seat belt shoulder harness bezel in the seat back? All other parts are in place for shoulder harness seats.

Thanks,
72GSC

 

[69MyWay]

It sure looks like you can. I have a pair of 71 shoulder harness seats and there is not much to that pass through hole. I have also been wondering if both sides of each seat can be punched out to run a four point belt.

 

[72GSC]

Four belts would be great. I came out of a convertible once and the more belts the better.

 

[69MyWay]

Let me tell you something. If you have never really paid attention to the "lack of" support for the seat belt system in an old shark, then you are in for a real surprise. There is no doubt that saftey was not the first order of business back then.

I am still struggling with a "roll cage/saftey cage" system that will be stronger than the stock system, allow for a four point harness, and fit nice and neat in the car where it does not take up too much space. At some point in the not too too far future I will be taking the car over to a fellow named Jimmy Britts of Southern Speed Racing. He builds ARA and Winston Cup race cars for a living as well as races himself. Anyway, he knows how to build a cage and has been stopping over from time to time watching my restoration projected and sharing ideas. He seems to have it figured out, but this it is not my field of experience so I will have to rely on him.

Anyway, the basic idea is to run support from B pillar to B pillar, tie down into the floor and angulate back in to the rear frame kick up. I want him to then make up a pair of hoops that I can get chrome plated to stick up the top behind the seats like Z3 or Cobra kind of look.

Jeggs does sell for about $300 a four point roll type bar for the coupe style shark. It is not in their catalog or on line, but if you call them they will give a part number and ship one right out to you. However, there is no way to make it fit the convertible from what I can see. If I had a coupe that was not NCRS, I would have that Jeggs bar already mounted in with some extra brackets down under the seat tracks with side support and a heavy duty harness. It sure seems like overkill, but like I said, when you see what is really holding the stock belts in, it will scare you. (You have to remember to that I am an insurance guy so I see all kinds of bad stuff in real life)