3 point seat belt attaching points

[DaveB]

My 1972 Avanti II has a dire need to get new seat belts.  It presently has front retractable lap belts but the buckles are very worn or broken. The previous owner gave me NOS Studebaker lap belts that don't retract.  I am looking at options for a 3 point seat belt system.  I have 2 bolts on the vertical part of the roll bar just behind the door, will the high point work on those to secure the belt?  I haven't seen any good pics of an install.  Does anyone have a horror story about the floor mounts?  Mine seem to be a bit rusty and before I torque on them I want to know what to expect.

[Avanti83]

From your description you have found the OEM mounting points for the three point units. The lower mount is the belt mount, upper is the swivel mount and there is a mount for the retractor/mount behind the panel/arm rest. There should be a slot you can see for the belt to come through. The clip/female end of the mount is threaded into the X-member near the console.

Before I mount any, I clean the threads with a tap. I'd use a thread chaser if available but they are hard to find for 7/16 NF threads which again I think is the correct. 

For belts you can get them from all the usual suspects, Summit, Jegs, Yogi's, etc. Just Google three point seat belts and you'll find a ton of them. Be sure you get one long enough. I seem to recall about 84 inches but I'm doing this from memory so check my numbers.

Personally, everything I own has at least three point belts. I won't leave home without them. To many crazies out there. IMHO

This is a 74, let me know if you need a couple more shots.

 

Edited October 25, 2018 by Avanti83

[Jim78]

The factory 3-point belts in my '78 were a bit of a bad fit.  The buckle end was much too long, and the connection point was over my belly, rather than to the right of my hip.  I took the buckle ends to a local upholstery shop and they shortened and re-stitched the belts.  The length from the anchor bolt to the buckle end is now about 12".  I mention this so if you're looking for new belts, keep in mind that you need a specific length of that buckle end so that it is long enough to be accessible, but short enough to have the proper connection point location.