Seatbelts in older cars

[Helen]

I drive a 1969 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It's the only car we own, and we don't drive great distances (mostly just work, which is right in town.)

One of my friends commented that it might actually be safer to put my son in the front seat because the seatbelts in front are better. The seat belts in the front retract, the ones in the back don't. Obviously there is no airbag. I am embarrassed to post this, but I haven't taken the seat to be checked because the fit in the back is very tight (I pull it every which way, but it doesn't move at all side-to-side) and I thought that was all that mattered.

Other than buying a new car (we will when we can), what are my options to keep him as safe as possible? And if my best choice involves new seatbelts for the back seat, does anyone have information on the scope of such an undertaking? ($$$ is a big issue with us in case you can't tell)

[UlrikeDG]

Can you give us your child's age and weight? That will help us narrow down your options as far as child restraints. Also, can you describe the belts in the back? Do they have a latch-plate where you pull the tail to tighten the belt or something else?

There are other people who know a lot more about having seatbelts retrofitted than I do, so I'll leave that part of your question to them.

[Helen]

Sure, he is 15 months old and maybe 25 pounds. (RF and in a Marathon) I also cart around me friend's daughter who is 21 mos and probably weighs a bit less.

The latchplate is like you describe--I pull one end to tighten it. The male and female ends meet up in the middle, so he is basically sitting on the latchplate.

The belt is wide but I am able to lock it into the clips, even the side where the belt is double-thick.

[southpawboston]

i would spend $25 and buy a new lap belt for the back. retrofitting is a breeze since you already have belts back there. although your carseat may feel tight, a seat belt as old as i am (38 years :eek: ) may readily break apart in a crash. 38 year old polyester webbing is bound to be brittle from years of weather extremes and UV radiation.

[UlrikeDG]

As long as he's in a restraint with a 5-point harness (rear or front facing), he's better off in the back seat. When he gets to booster age, you may need to buy a special harness or retrofit shoulder belts in the back, or you'll have to put him in the front if there is a shoulder belt up there. The rear facing Marathon in the back seat is a great option for right now! Rear facing provides added protection, and the back seat is significantly safer than the front.

Do be aware that the lock-off clips on the Marathon are for seatbelts with a shoulder belt. The belt must stay tight on its own without the clips when you have a lap-only belt. That installation sounds very similar to installing on an airplane, which I've been able to do easily with the Marathon. Just close the lock-offs before you put the seat into the car and install the seat as if the lock-offs weren't there.

Also, as southpawboston mentioned, your seatbelts are old enough that you may want to replace them even though they still "work." I don't know of any firm rules for replacing seatbelts due to age, but I think I'd feel more comfortable replacing them in a vehicle that is more than 30 years old. Hopefully, someone in the know will post some resources for finding parts.

[southpawboston]

Also, as southpawboston mentioned, your seatbelts are old enough that you may want to replace them even though they still "work." I don't know of any firm rules for replacing seatbelts due to age, but I think I'd feel more comfortable replacing them in a vehicle that is more than 30 years old. Hopefully, someone in the know will post some resources for finding parts.

i don't know of any firm rules either, but i've worked on older cars and some of the seatbelt webbing i've come across has been quite brittle and fraile. this is especially true with cars that have sat outside in the sun and elements for years on end.in cases like this, it just takes some judgment calls and common sense in the absense of established guidelines. i personally wouldn't trust 30 year old webbing to keep my child secure in a crash, just as i wouldn't trust 30 year old rope to hang a swing, or a 30 year old tire to reliably hold air. given that a replacement seatbelt costs only $25, it's a no-brainer IMHO for what is probably the most critical link in your child's safety.

replacement safety lap belts are easy to come by, and can be found at most larger auto parts stores. they are a pretty generic item, and most of them are backwards compatible with just about any older vehicle. they come as a kit for one complete belt (two straps, each with a male or female buckle half, and two anchors).

[Simplysomething]

I googled "replacement seat belts"...
and got :http://www.gotbelts.com/
Which made me giggle. (Plus a bunch of other sites too, that was first).

Look! They come in pretty colors!

[southpawboston]

hey, that's a FANTASTIC site for seatbelts!!!

i had no idea they could be gotten THAT cheap!

for $14, it's definitely a no-brainer if you own a vintage car and want to safely install carseat in back. they also sell shoulder belts for the front. :thumbsup:

[LuvBug03]

cool! I didnt know they were so cheap!!!!

and you can get retractable ones!

but who would you have install them and how much would that cost?(assuming you yourself couldnt do it)

And how do you know which is the right one to get?

[Helen]

Thank you for the information on the Marathon's locking clips, I will reinstall and reread the manual.

That's great that replacement belts are so cheap! I hope installation is a quick and painless thing. Sounded that way on the website... if we do the install ourselves, are there free safety inspections for the seatbelts like there are for carseats?

Re: retrofitting shoulder belts for a booster, let's hope we have a different car by then or maybe they'll be making 5pt harnesses with highers limits, as I don't know how well that would work in our car (there are shoulder belts for the front, but normal people don't even recognize them as seat belts and I don't think I'd use them on a child--like the lap belts, they are not retractable. Ouch.)

But to everyone, thank you for the expert advice..

[UlrikeDG]

Is it a DIY project? It depends on how handy you are. It may recommend using a torque wrench to tighten the bolts, which can be an issue if, like most of us, you don't actually OWN a torque wrench. ;) If you or your husband are "car guys" or if you have a friend who is, I suspect it could very, very easily be done on your own. If not, you may want to take it to a local garage that you trust. It shouldn't take long, so one would hope they wouldn't charge you *that* much for labor costs.

[southpawboston]

you typically don't need a torque wrench for seatbelt bolts. most seatbelt kit instructions don't even tell you what torque to tighten the bolts to... just tight :). and for those that do, a cheap torque wrench is about $20 from harbor freight tools.

to install a lap-only belt is an easy DIY, but to retrofit shoulder belts in the rear would be a much bigger project, and may not be safe since the car was not designed to accomodate a shoulder belt in the rear. i don't know how easy of a job it would be in the front.

[UlrikeDG]

I figured it would be about as "easy" as a tether install, which varies greatly from vehicle to vehicle/kit to kit.

[Patriot201]

From the site that Simply found... a 4-point seatbelt!!
(http://www.gotbelts.com/4popacarsebe.html)
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-4085386745764_1954_10312

[LuvBug03]

^ that kinda looks like an ez-on harness on a lapbelt lol!!

I wonder how safe they really are when you install them in a vehicle?