32-34 BB seat belts.

AA Ford Discussion Group relating to the repair and restoration of your AA Ford.
Post Reply
User avatar
TomH
Posts: 181
Joined: September 16th, 2009, 2:11 pm
Body Type: pickup
Model Year: 1928
Location: Eastern PA

32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by TomH »

I'd like to install seat belts in our 32 AAB, and was wondering if anyone with a 32-34 BB has them in their truck and if so, how are they mounted?
Thanks,
TomH
Need rear fenders and running boards for 1932 131" single wheel Express Body
sonny
Posts: 58
Joined: July 1st, 2010, 6:12 pm
Body Type: bb
Model Year: 1932

Re: 32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by sonny »

I also have a 32bb that I just finished a two year restoration, and would also like to install belts. I guess we would both like to know where to get them and where to mount them.
User avatar
TomH
Posts: 181
Joined: September 16th, 2009, 2:11 pm
Body Type: pickup
Model Year: 1928
Location: Eastern PA

Re: 32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by TomH »

Sonny, I was hoping you might have an answer. Guess its up to Red.
TomH
Need rear fenders and running boards for 1932 131" single wheel Express Body
Bladehorse
Posts: 112
Joined: November 9th, 2009, 9:22 pm
Body Type: 185-A
Model Year: 1930

Re: 32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by Bladehorse »

Having tipped my AA on its side in a wreck With no seatbelt, I would NOT ever attach the seatbelt to the frame!! The cab ripped free of the frame on impact and would have strangled my waist at the least. The brittle cast bell housing absorbed allot of the shock from the wishbone that was transfered from the front axle. It pushed me up off the floor as the truck tipped sideways, and I ended up standing on the drivers door, with the engine still running. It ran till I choked it to kill it. The worst damage from the wreck was the bent front axle, the blown out bell and flywheel housings, broken floorboards, a broken bumper bracket, a little indent of the bed where the added clearence lights absorbed allot of the load as it tipped, and the busted drivers window as I stood on it. This was till the lame wrecker came and nearly ripped the fender in 1/2. and almost pulled off the passanger wheel while it caught on the gaurdrail. I wanted to deck him.

All being said, If I ever put seatbelts in any 'A' . I would put in a heavy channel under the cab, and attach the harness points to that. Truth being told it is rather hard to get ejected from the cab with good locking doors.Not likely your going thru the windshield, and if you did, a seatbelt at that point wouldnt have helped much. But then Im rather old school :p
Reds34
Posts: 603
Joined: May 15th, 2010, 2:34 pm
Body Type: dump
Model Year: 1930
Location: Eastern, CT

Re: 32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by Reds34 »

I would probably use a piece of angle iron or something and bolt it to the chassis and then attach the seatbelts. I know you can get seatbelts from Juliano's interior products, but I'm sure you can get them other places too.

Red
Shorthaul
Posts: 375
Joined: November 15th, 2008, 8:18 am
Body Type: 186 stake
Model Year: 1931
Location: Hawthorne California

Re: 32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by Shorthaul »

The post by Bladehorse is quite a sobering tale of why one doesn't need to get a lot of speed out of an AA. Brakes and front suspension don't lean towards highway speeds.
Bladehorse
Posts: 112
Joined: November 9th, 2009, 9:22 pm
Body Type: 185-A
Model Year: 1930

Re: 32-34 BB seat belts.

Post by Bladehorse »

In regards to shorthaul, I was going under 35 mph I think I was actually going 32. The steering went suddenly slack and serious oversteer. I did a almost left turn in a shallow left to keep the truck off the gaurdrail, then it decided to do a left turn. I countersteered as hard as I could and hit the brakes. It took about the length of the truck to decide to straighten out, then again a complete right turn into the gaurdrail. I never found anything drastically wrong in regards to the steering, other than the typical worn ball joints. I would say I was travelling too fast, yet I had pushed my luck a year before, and realised the truck was rather capable of decent menuvering at moderate speeds.(Avoiding an idiot pulling out in front of me) This really felt like the rim or tire was coming off in the way of the sudden slack steering. Every part of this came apart, and has all new ball joints, and (I cheated, tefelon inserts) the box has yet to be put back together. I never did check the axle bearings for slack. ill have to do that as its on my spare parts truck now.
On other notes I ran into the same steering feel after I put on 4 new mitchellens on my gmc '82 1 ton. I had them put on, drove it home, and on a cloverleaf nearly flipped the truck. I turned around went back to the tire shop and told them to take them back. I put on bridgestones, and never had that issue again. (The tires were litterally rolling over/collapsing on turns)
I hope to never have that odd, Im steering/yet nothing is happening issue again. I take my dads saying to heart. Tires, Brakes, Steering, Then you can add power to the mix.
Post Reply