[DeTomaso] Fw:  72 Seat belts

MikeLDrew at aol.com MikeLDrew at aol.com
Fri May 15 16:53:32 EDT 2009


In a message dated 5/15/09 13 04 45, artstephens at verizon.net writes:


>          At the risk of offending some of the vendors,  I would not give
> those Hall/Precision type belts to my worst enemy.  I have a pair that I
> bought in 1997 for $225 and I have never trusted them.  I think they are a
> poor/unsafe design. 
> 
>>>Why?


> The seat belt portion may work but I don't think the
> shoulder strap will do what it is supposed to do in an accident,  it does
> not lock,  it will just keep slipping and letting you move forward toward
> the steering wheel. 
> 
>>>Inertia reels lock when the rate of rotation is great enough to displace 
the flyweights.   If you pull on the belt slowly, it extends.   If you give 
it a sudden jerk, it instantly locks.   The aftermarket belts work the same 
way as the stock ones do, just as well as they do.


>  I have been wrong before but I actually can't believe
> that someone that manufacturers seatbelts would sell such a thing.
> 
>>>They couldn't sell it if it didn't work and meet DOT specs.


>   And
> besides,  the retractor is in the wrong place.  It goes to the seatbelt
> instead of the shoulder strap,  so that you can't easily lean forward with
> the benefit of the retractor. 
> 
>>>Wait a minute.   You just said that the shoulder strap keeps slipping 
and lets you move towards the steering wheel, and now you say you can't easily 
lean forward, which is a direct contradiction.   And it's in the same place 
as the stock retractor is (on the early cars).


> > As far as I'm concerned,  the things suck big
> time.  Talk to me in person and I won't sugar coat my description. :-)) 
> 
>>>Other than the fact that the shoulder belt is permanently attached to 
the outboard lap belt, they function in exactly the same manner as the stock 
'71-73 seat belts do.   So functionally (in terms of safety) they are no 
better or worse than the stock belts.   But from a practical perspective, they 
are much easier to use--and they are festooned with De Tomaso logos which 
automatically makes them even better. :>)


>  I
> think a much better alternative that I read about on this list are the 
> belts
> available from www.cruisers.com .  I bought part #SO13021 for the 73-84 
> FJ40
> Land Cruiser.  The cost was $142 a pair including shipping.  I have them
> installed on the passenger side of my new car but I haven't gotten around 
> to
> doing the driver's side yet.  I drilled a hole in the firewall and mounted
> the retractor to it.  I'll have to be careful on the drivers side not to
> drill thru the gas tank,  but I don't think it will be a problem. 
> 
>>>Wait a minute.   You drilled through the firewall, and mounted the 
retractor to what?   Just to the thin sheetmetal firewall itself?   If so, I 
think you've mounted it to nothing. :<(

I believe (somebody correct me if I'm wrong?) that the stock L-model 
retractor mounts not to the thin firewall sheetmetal, but rather to the big, thick 
structural box chassis piece that runs side-to-side at the bottom of the 
car, below the sheetmetal firewall.   So that's what you need to do too.

Dennis Quella sells a kit that allows you to mount shoulder harnesses in 
the middle of the firewall, but the kit consists of a U-channel of heavy-duty 
steel that is welded to the strong structural steel pieces at the top and 
bottom of the firewall, as well as to the whole firewall itself.   That makes 
it extremely strong.

Unless I've misunderstood your setup, you've potentially compromised your 
safety greatly.   The stock shoulder harnesses (early style) mount to a 
strong steel box channel at the base of the window, and the late style retractors 
mount to a similarly strong box at the bottom of the firewall and the belt 
loops through a bracket attached to the channel at the base of the window.   


>Once
> again,  I'm sorry if I step on anyone's toes,  but as you can tell,  I 
> feel
> strongly about this.
> 
>>>I do too.   I'm a big advocate of safety (one of the reasons the Air 
Force made me a safety officer a few years ago) and I don't like to see people 
acting in good faith but accidently compromising their own safety.   I hope 
I have misinterpreted what you said you did, but if not, I strongly urge you 
to re-engage and fix it pronto. :>)

Mike


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