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seat belts?
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Sonic Silver View Drop Down
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Originally posted by sweatlock sweatlock wrote:

The factory 3-point seat belts in ‘69 for AMC were no better or worse than any other seat belt design available at that time. The lap belt is retractable and you have the option of wearing the shoulder belt or not - I use the factory setup with the shoulder belt and it works just fine for me.

I really doubt that anyone removed the shoulder seat belt anchor point behind the sail panel - the panel that’s currently there probably just doesn’t have the hole cutout for the anchor bolt. Take the panel out and see what’s behind it…

You really don’t want to start welding in new seat belt anchor points unless you have a lot of confidence in your welding skills or you’re a certified welder. You don’t want to trust your life to booger welds any more than 50+ year old webbing….

Which brings up the point of having a set refurbished (replace the webbing) using the original hardware and you’re done. 


The factory 3-point seat belts in a 69 AMC are a lot worse than what came in 69 Corvettes.
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sweatlock View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Sonic Silver Sonic Silver wrote:

Originally posted by sweatlock sweatlock wrote:

The factory 3-point seat belts in ‘69 for AMC were no better or worse than any other seat belt design available at that time. The lap belt is retractable and you have the option of wearing the shoulder belt or not - I use the factory setup with the shoulder belt and it works just fine for me.

I really doubt that anyone removed the shoulder seat belt anchor point behind the sail panel - the panel that’s currently there probably just doesn’t have the hole cutout for the anchor bolt. Take the panel out and see what’s behind it…

You really don’t want to start welding in new seat belt anchor points unless you have a lot of confidence in your welding skills or you’re a certified welder. You don’t want to trust your life to booger welds any more than 50+ year old webbing….

Which brings up the point of having a set refurbished (replace the webbing) using the original hardware and you’re done. 


The factory 3-point seat belts in a 69 AMC are a lot worse than what came in 69 Corvettes.

Fair enough - I’ve never owned a ‘69 Corvette. Does the shoulder belt retract? 

The earliest GM I owned was a ‘70 Pontiac Firebird Formula and the belts in it were certainly no better than the ‘69 AMX - the shoulder belts didn’t retract and they were held up by hooks mounted along the headliner. 

Here’s a photo courtesy of the website “Seat Belts Plus” of the ‘69 Corvette seat belt setup: 




Edited by sweatlock - Oct/11/2021 at 7:08pm
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Sonic Silver View Drop Down
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Originally posted by sweatlock sweatlock wrote:

Originally posted by Sonic Silver Sonic Silver wrote:

Originally posted by sweatlock sweatlock wrote:

The factory 3-point seat belts in ‘69 for AMC were no better or worse than any other seat belt design available at that time. The lap belt is retractable and you have the option of wearing the shoulder belt or not - I use the factory setup with the shoulder belt and it works just fine for me.

I really doubt that anyone removed the shoulder seat belt anchor point behind the sail panel - the panel that’s currently there probably just doesn’t have the hole cutout for the anchor bolt. Take the panel out and see what’s behind it…

You really don’t want to start welding in new seat belt anchor points unless you have a lot of confidence in your welding skills or you’re a certified welder. You don’t want to trust your life to booger welds any more than 50+ year old webbing….

Which brings up the point of having a set refurbished (replace the webbing) using the original hardware and you’re done. 


The factory 3-point seat belts in a 69 AMC are a lot worse than what came in 69 Corvettes.

Fair enough - I’ve never owned a ‘69 Corvette. Does the shoulder belt retract? The earliest GM I owned was a ‘70 Pontiac Firebird Formula and the belts in it were certainly no better than the ‘69 AMX. 
It does retract through a slot in the top outside corner of the seat. I have owned 3 -69's.

Edit: Slight correction for sake of accuracy because nobody really cares, and it's not important. The Corvette shoulder harness came over the top of the seat back in 69 and did retract, but it wasn't until the 1970 model that the harness came through the slot in the seat back.


Edited by Sonic Silver - Oct/11/2021 at 9:21pm
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I don’t know a great deal about Corvettes, other than they’re named after a class of warship most closely associated with the French navy. I do know that in my ‘69 AMX I don’t have to worry about a retractor locking up to prevent smashing my chest against a steering wheel in the event of an accident. 

Some people like 4-point racing harnesses, some don’t like wearing seat belts at all. When I was a kid, some people would cut them out, even in new cars; many more people would tuck them away out of sight and never use them. Some people like Corvettes over AMX’s, and some the other way ‘round - to each his/her own.

I like the seatbelts in my ‘69 AMX and use them every time I drive the car. Considering my experiences with other old cars, I was actually amazed that: 
A.) They were still in the car 
B.) They fulfilled their design intent


Edited by sweatlock - Oct/11/2021 at 7:29pm
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Personally, go for a modern retractable shoulder belt.
The non retractable, clip held, shoulder belt, is a complete design disaster. Driving down the road and a gust of wind will let those out of the clip unless folded meticulously.
Driving down the road at 50+ MPH and having one of those come loose from the passenger side and flinging within the car, while your driving, and trying to duck the metal latch end is just scary.
Those foldable shoulder belts in the early 70's - just replace them! Maybe a trailer queen points car, keep them. But if you drive - just get them gone!
My 69 Javelin came with just the retractable lap belts.
I have not found a complementary retraceable shoulder belt without replacing everything.
If someone has, please post the supplier name and product number.
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Well I wasn't sure the 68-69 AMX had the shoulder strap anchor in the upper rear panels like the 70s, but apparently they do.  So it should work the same as what I did.  Now I did this way back around 2005 so I don't remember where I got the belt sets, probably from J.C. Whitney.  But there are many out there that should work the same. 
I mounted the recoil spool at the stock location near the door.
The shoulder strap and belt strap are one continuous loop.
The shoulder strap runs through the ring attached to the stock location at the upper rear.
And the buckle portion (extended solid mount so its exposed above the seat edge) bolts to the stock bolt at the transmission hump.
Been using them for years and they work fine.  The caveat is that I have aftermarket seats with an "ear" that sicks out a little so the shoulder strap can set there.  Otherwise you need to be rather flexible to reach back and grab the shoulder strap to put it on, but it can be done. 

Here are 2 pictures of my setup:

This one shows the driver belt in its usual position when not used.  All stock bolt positions.  Recoil spool at the bottom.  Can sometimes be a tough reach but you get used to it.

This one shows the passenger belt stowed on the seat back "ear" for easy reach.  I try to remember to place them here for shows and convenience.  The wind will blow it off this position and also blow it around in the other back position, so sometimes I attach it to the buckle.  Sorry for the blurry picture.  My camera lens is cracked.

Hope this helps.
Bill O.
70 AMX
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The problem with the early style shoulder belts is that if they're not adjusted properly and have any slack in them, you'll get your shoulder broken, or dislocated in the event of an accident. That's why they were changed to retractable in '74 so there's no slack in the belt. I won't even use the old style shoulder belts. Retrofitting retractable belts can be a PITA in older cars. I have Chrysler Sebring convertible seats in mine that have the seat belt integrated into the seat. The seats are 100 time more comfortable so it's kinda like having the best of both worlds. Smile

"Hemilina" My 1973, 5.7 Hemi swapped Javelin
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I think my car will be moving slow enough, the laws of pychics will be gentle laws!!
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Any advice on adding seat belts to the rear bench seat of a 64 american? 
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mark09 View Drop Down
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Sorry to jump in on this thread but if shoulder belts were required 1-1-68.
 I wonder why/how my 69 AMX came with lap belts and round plugs/covers over the holes in the sail panels. I do wonder if there's mounts but haven't inspected further.
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