My 73 Maverick only has lap belts in the front, from my reading on here I suspect previous owner removed shoulder belts when redoing headliner. Any idea I on cost I might be looking at for a pair of OEM black shoulder belts and safety aspect vs aftermarket belts. This is my current setup:
Maverick's and Comet's had more than one style of shoulder harness. The integrated seat belt/shoulder harness in my 74 Grabber has the retraction device located in a couple of cutouts in the floor pan adjacent to the rocker panel. I'm confident there are better ways to do it with aftermarket parts vs. cutting into the floor pan.
I have retraction device on my current setup. I am just not sure how the factory setup worked for a 73, I was assuming there was a retraction device that bolted to top of B pillar.
There are companies out there that make 3 piece retractable belts that are styled for older cars. I don't think that trusting 40+ year old belts is wise. My 72 came with the manual belts and the shoulder belt that clips into them .... awful. If you are tall, you hit your head on the shoulder belt if it is stored hanging up, as you get in and out of the car. If you go with a retractable, a drop for the shoulder belt will put it at a much more comfortable angle if you want to use the original upper mounting point. The one in the picture came out of a mid-90s Ford passenger van, and doesn't look far out of place.
If you want the factory shoulder belts that go with that set-up, I have them. Email me DIRECTLY (see below) if I can help.
What Captain Comet says about 40+ year old belts is right on the money. Even if they look good they should be replaced. And don't even think about buying belts from a junk yard. I recently replaced both front belts in my Comet with new ones from "Seatbelt Planet". https://www.seatbeltplanet.com/ They have a quality product and great customer service. Their belts bolt right in to the factory holes and installation is simple if you remove the front seats first. You can get 'em in with the seats in place but, trust me, it's tons easier with them out of the way. The only problem is the plastic cover over the factory retractor down next to the rocker. It will have to be cut up to fit around the new belts and won't look great but that's a small price to pay. Speaking of price, I paid just under $90.0o per side including installation hardware and shipping. Certainly reasonable for the safety and peace of mind they provide. What's your life worth?
The newer shoulder type seatbelts are possible in some cases. I have installed a NEW set of Mustang Seatbelts in my 74 and 75 . I had to remove the stock " long " seat belt retractor assembly from the inner areas .. and I installed the NEW Mustang retractor assembly on just ONE of the bolts instead of the Two bolt setup for Mavericks and Comets. TheUpper Belt fits onto the area at the interior roof and the other end of the belt bolts in also in the normal position. I was able to color coordinate the belts..Ordered Blue Belts , and Red Belts for each car . Black and Grey are also available . If anyone out there is interested I'll look up the NPD part number . Lemmeno.. Cometized (Chip)
Mustang Seat Belts into a Comet .. Just a footnote .. on my conversions I installed New Carpet also in both cars so I was able to fill in the " void " which occurs when the Stock Retractor Assembly is removed with reinforcements.. then the insulation and carpet covered over the area nicely. The Mustang retractor is also color-coded to match the belts. Looked Great .. I'll take photos if anyone out there is interested. Lemmeno. Cometized (Chip)
Just like what Drew said, I had Steve at SeatBeltPlanet make up a replacement set for my 73 Comet 2 door a couple of years ago, you can view my Media Gallery for pictures of the 3 point retractable that I purchased from them. Everything bolts right up to existing mounting locations, all brand new made to current DOT specs. Steve has helped more than a few of our members, great person to talk to, very familiar with our Mav/Comets.......check out their site, very informative! Give him a call on their toll free line, he can answer all your questions or any concerns you have..... David Steve Pekrul, Sales Manager Tel Toll Free: (877) 435-6363 stevepekrul@seatbeltplanet.com Visit us at www.seatbeltplanet.com
This is OLD contact info for seatbeltplanet.com. Use this info. SeatbeltPlanet.com™ Give us a call, we're happy to help! We are open Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (CST). We are closed on all Federal holidays. Call us at 405-736-0088 or Toll Free 855-736-0088 Or email us at askus@seatbeltplanet.com It is our goal to reply to you no later than three business days. Due to the custom nature of our work, if you need assistance more quickly please give us a call. We would love to hear from you! A new set of belt would cost about $90 per side. They can re-web the old hardware however, the cost is about $190 per side.
