Shoulder belt retrofit?

[229MonteHO]

Has anyone made a direct kit for retrofitting shoulder belts into a g-body? I'm looking to try to add 3 point belts to the back of my '83 Cutlass sedan so my 6 year old can legally ride in it. If no kits, has anyone done a custom belt swap, and how did you do it? Any help is greatly appreciated.

cheers,
Aaron

 

[anthonychacon80]

Has anyone made a direct kit for retrofitting shoulder belts into a g-body? I'm looking to try to add 3 point belts to the back of my '83 Cutlass sedan so my 6 year old can legally ride in it. If no kits, has anyone done a custom belt swap, and how did you do it? Any help is greatly appreciated.

cheers,
Aaron

are you sure she "legally" can not ride in there? I thought older cars were exempt from certain seat belt laws. Like in CA back in 1996 you did not have to wear seat belts if they car did not come with seat belts. And if it did not have shoulder belts you did not need anything more than the lap belts.

In the end it IS up to you. i think as a parent you should do everything you can to make your ride safer for your baby.

you should be able to mount the bottom of a retractable shoulder in the stock location then slip the other end behind the seat and anchor to the metal behind the seat.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... ps-sellers

 

[229MonteHO]

are you sure she "legally" can not ride in there?

First off, it's "he."

In the end it IS up to you. i think as a parent you should do everything you can to make your ride safer for your baby.

Absolutely! As sturdy a vehicle it is, his safety comes first. Anything that could help him escape injury is worth the effort. NY might say it's ok, but I want the extra piece of mind.

Aaron

 

[81GrandPrix383]

I'm bringing this thread back from the dead because I have the same question.
Did you find anything?
Has anyone come across anything?

I have a 4 yr old and a 5 yr old.
The 4 year old for now is in a car seat which has its own shoulder belts but the 5 year old is in a booster seat so I want him to have a shoulder belt.
Even if I put him in the front and put my wife in the back, I would like her to have a shoulder belt.

Thanks.

 

[silverfox]

Good question I would like to know as well I have 2 children in booster seats and would like to have shoulder belts for them

 

[81GrandPrix383]

I was just searching on the turbobuick site and one guy had a solution.
There is a website called wesco performance and they do retrofit and aftermarket seatbelts.
I didnt see anything for rear seats on the wesco site so the guy on the buick site must have used one of their front seat kits in the back.
I emailed the website to see what they suggest.

I told my wife if I didn't find anything I was selling the car and buying a bike. If I cant take my kids for a ride I might as well have a motorcycle.

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Im pretty sure cars that came stock with only lap belts are exempt. Kinda like the passenger side mirror being exempt to cars that didnt have one stock. I rode around with my dad all the time with just a lap belt in his 68 with no issues, we even got pulled over a few times and the lap belts were never an issue :lol:

 

[81GrandPrix383]

You are likely correct but that doesn't mean its safe. I'm talking about my 5 year old son and my 4 year old daughter. If there is a better way to do it that will make it safer for my kids...I'm interested.
The local police were set up yesterday doing a car seat clinic. I stopped and asked what I should do.
They said that my son can sit in the front in a booster seat because it has the shoulder belt. My daughter can sit in the back in her car seat as long as I find a way to attach the teather strap.
My wife can sit in the back with a shoulder belt.


Sent from my mobile. Just figure it out if there are mistakes.

 

[carmangary]

I slightly looked into this awhile back because I have kids. One thing I found is that there was a retrofit kit or something available to put shoulder belts in. I can't remember where I read that. Maybe an old TSB or something. But, I doubt you will ever find one of these kits available. The second thing I found was that, at least in NC, seat belt rules only apply if you have seat belts in your car. [DISCLAIMER: This doesn't mean you can take them out and have them not apply.] So, for kids, this means that they should sit in a seat with a seatbelt. If there is no seat belt, they sit where they can. So, even though kids are supposed to sit in the back, this means that one should sit in the front and use that shoulder belt. If there other kids, they can sit in the back with the lap belt. I'm not sure if riding in the cargo area in the wagons like we used to do in the old days is still OK or not, but I am pretty confident about what I just said about seat belts, at least in NC. Go to your state's DMV site for the facts.