Start by removing the rear seat bottom, window crank, armrest, and carpet trim.
Next, remove the old shoulder harness. The plastic cover snaps open on the TOP side. Remove the cover from the belt and save, careful to not break the ‘hinge’ on it. Save the bolts too.
Here I made a strap (use ¼ x 1” hard steel if you can). I used 7/16 x 21 Grade 8 bolts for the attach points. ½” would work too. Thread the center hole of the strap, bolt the strap to the original mounting location. There is already a hole in the roof panel that I was able to thread to 7/16”, you will need to drill it out slightly to thread to 1/2”. This allows the bolt to be in the strap AND into the car for a little more strength. Note that the plastic cover had a hole drilled in the center to allow this, and it was installed under the strap.
I located the retractor almost flush with the top of the armrest, against the front of it. Note that there is an inner body panel running vertically and beginning just above this hole. Ideally, it would be better if the hole were higher by one or 2 of the lines on the interior panel (see pic). This would align the belt with the retractor better, but that interior panel interferes. Check it out for yourself. Notice that I used the lines on the side panel to locate where to drill the hole.
There are two brackets to be made. I used ¼ x 1 ¼ steel. The one with the nut welded on is for the lower side panel where the hole was just drilled. I also used a 7/16 x 20 grade 8 bolt for the welded bracket. Note – I did NOT get the mounting parts that Juliano’s sells with the belts – about a $30 price reduction per side. Might be a better idea to get the parts and use what you can, depending on your desire/ability to fabricate this kind of stuff. There is a second 5/16 captured nut on the welded bracket. This is to add strength and help hold the bracket in place while you reinstall the panel then bolt-in the retractor.
Here you see the metal side wall behind the panel. Note that the welded bracket is bolted in place with the 5/16” bolt and the 7/16” bolt is test fit. Note the rectangular hole that the bracket is installed thru. In the pic above you can see the fishing line I attached to the bracket. This saves a LOT of cuss words for when you drop the bracket into the hole ;-). Bolt is 1 ¼” long.
This is a crappy picture but you can almost see that the belt is folded 90 degrees and slipped thru the upper loop bracket. Prevents twist in the belt. This is much easier if you pop the plastic cover off the bracket first. No, those aren’t plaid pants! More like glorified pajama pants…
Now we bolt the upper guide in place, notice about ¼” of washers stacked behind it to clear the plastic cover. Tighten just enough to still allow swiveling. Bolt is 1 ¼” long.
Finished install of the guide with covers in place. Looks stock!?!
The 90 degree bracket is for the floor mount of the other end of the belt. One hole is ½” for the stock bolt and the other is threaded for the 7/16” bolt.
Here the 90 deg bracket is installed UNDER the carpet, using a ½” Grade 8 bolt/washer. Too bad I had already made a hole in the rug there, or that bolt would be hidden too.
Next I’m drilling thru the threaded hole into the side of the inner body panel. This hole will be enlarged to 7/16”.
This shows the hardware stack on the ‘other’ end of the belt – 7/16” x 1 ½” Grade 8. Notice the Grade 8 washer and Nylon washer on each side.
Little hard to see, but the bolt goes thru the belt, the rug, threads into the bracket, then has a narrow nut to lock it in the bracket, then penetrates the body to increase strength. Tighten the bolt just enough to take the slop out of the belt end bracket, but still allow it to swivel fore and aft freely. Then when the belt is taken off and retracts the buckle up to the upper guide, the lower belt attach flops back leaving no obstruction for back seat entry.
Duh, bolt the female attach to the tunnel at the stock mounting point.
This shows the belt in its retracted position. Note how the bracket/belt fall back out of the way. Very nice.
I forget to get a pic of the retraction piece and the whole install. I’ll get one soon.
Don Wentz
71 2d 6 cyl Auto.