Adding 3 or 4 point belts to a 76 FJ40? Opinions needed.

[REZARF]

I have a 76 FJ40 that I need to install some new belts onto. My son is driving now and the lap belts I have been using since I started driving this 40 back in 1999 are in need of being upgraded.

I am open to opinions on who is making a quality 3 or 4 point belt system for the 40.

I am not sure if I want 4 point harnesses on the 40, I have never run them but it is pretty much a weekend warrior car for us anymore and sees some light trail duty and Moab trails a few times a year. Are 4 point harnesses a pain when you DD with them? I have always liked the look and always thought they'd make me "feel" safer on the rocks.

I have been looking at Corbeau, is there other brands I should be considering?

I am going to install a new roll cage this fall but not before needing new belts. I will use the factory roll bar mounts for now but don't want to have to buy twice when I weld in a new cage. I tracked down 78+ roll bar connectors with the mount for the upper bolt already.

Any tips or experiences that would help me make the best decision?

 

[bikersmurf]

I’d go with three point belts, and use factory mounting locations. I’ve heard 4 are a pain if a daily driver. 4 also won’t be much help if the driver gets lazy and doesn’t strap in tight because they’re in a hurry.

 

[Engineer8000]

I bought brand new humvee 3 pt belts on ebay, they worked great and were inexpensive.

 

[Living in the Past]

My feeling a four point harness while safer takes longer to put on and less likely to get used for short trips.

If this is a US imported 76 by Toyota it would have three point seat belts on 1/76 or newer. If before would only have lap belts. Roll bar three point seat belts started 2/78. The three point seat belts before that used the hard top. Because of this no FST soft tops were imported 1/76+. Possibly 2/82 Toyota figured their liability would be less on hard top models and never brought back a FST to the US.

 

[Green Bean]

In addition to what others have stated, I believe that CCOT sells a 3-point kit for the front seats. I installed it on our 1970 and have been pleased.

 

[archie73]

I got a ride in a razor and it had some pretty comfy, retracting 4 point belts. I was pretty tempted to get a set, but I to worried about my future driver(2 yrs) taking the extra time to put them on. I went with a conventional type 3 point.

 

[Sky King]

I just bought the 3 point belts from CCOT. Fair price, includes all the hardware, good quality.

 

[bikersmurf]

I'd have to say... if you're in a bad accident, it's unlikely that 4 point belts would be more beneficial than three point belts.

I've seen a 40 series go through a four door import with minimal injuries to the 40's 2 occupants... If you hit a semi it'll not end well with either 3 or 4 point belts.

 

[Living in the Past]

I have not been able to check a 2/78-1/79 roll bar with three point seat belts. But I have an early 78 roll bar. The main bar is lighter weight than 1/79 roll bar. Those were definitely beefed up for three point seat belts. While I agree four point seat belts are better they are less convenient to put on. If not hooked up they worthless. Also in a crash they are not as easy to go off to get out quickly.

 

[bikersmurf]

I have not been able to check a 2/78-1/79 roll bar with three point seat belts. But I have an early 78 roll bar. The main bar is lighter weight than 1/79 roll bar. Those were definitely beefed up for three point seat belts. While I agree four point seat belts are better they are less convenient to put on. If not hooked up they worthless. Also in a crash they are not as easy to go off to get out quickly.

Many moons ago…
I bought an old Honda Odyssey with no engine or fuel tank. Its squarer cage had been replaced with a custom cage made out of heavier DOM tubing. Needless to say I made a custom fuel tank and mounted a 2 stroke, 2 cylinder air cooled snow mobile motor in it. I machined adapter plates to adapt the snowmobile V-belt drive to the Odyssey gear box that was all that was left from the original drive train. It was lower geared than the original design, but it had tons of power and was a blast to drive around the farm.

Now getting to the point…
We had a decent sized area between the Forrest and the hayfields that was covered in bush. My brother and I were talking turns doing laps around in this area. On one of these laps I saw the Odyssey launch into the air and do a barrel roll mid air. I’m sure my brother got a good 6’ of air and then land upside down.
He called me over for help. When I got there I found that the four point harness had done its job, but now my brother was trapped. The majority of hos 200 lbs was being supported by the two shoulder straps and he was unable to lift his body weight off of them while releasing the buckle.

The buckle of the harness was designed to stay secure while there was a load on the belts. Not to mention he didn’t want to fall upside down and land on his head… for some reason. Picky, picky.

I come over, shut off the still running engine (fortunately it was a two stroke so running upside down). Even with my help we couldn’t get it off with the whole thing upside down.

So I gave it a shove and once right side up it was easy to get out again.

 

[ace10]

I'd have to say... if you're in a bad accident, it's unlikely that 4 point belts would be more beneficial than three point belts.

I've seen a 40 series go through a four door import with minimal injuries to the 40's 2 occupants... If you hit a semi it'll not end well with either 3 or 4 point belts.

Four pointers are a terrible idea for the street. Unless you're going to wear a helmet all the time with a head and neck restraint. Which no one is going to do. And even then, 4 pointers rely on the user to properly snug them up, to limit the chances of submarining under the lap portion in the event of a frontal impact.

I don't know what the "right" answer is for the OP's situation. My FST doesn't have any belts. Nor any overhead protection. So I drive it with all the care I would a motorcycle. But that's not how teens drive.

 

[Living in the Past]

Not sure I'm thinking the right Honda Odyssey? The mini van? Back in 2004 I flipped a 2000 Tundra and landed upside down. Don't remember having a issue undoing the three point seat belt. One hand the roof which was now on the ground and the other on seat belt release. Which shows the difference in a three point design for normal driving than four point which is more a speciality seat belt. If the vehicle had caught fire I would certainly wantes a quick and easy way to get the seat belt off.

 

[jayp2]

I'd have to say... if you're in a bad accident, it's unlikely that 4 point belts would be more beneficial than three point belts.

I've seen a 40 series go through a four door import with minimal injuries to the 40's 2 occupants... If you hit a semi it'll not end well with either 3 or 4 point belts.

I have 5pt in my 40 that is in process of re-rebuild

They are old/need to be replaced as part of refurb and I will replace them with new 5pt and add a full cage

I drove this vehicle across the country and back years back and never found them to be a pain/inconvenience to use.

If you're doing around town/short stop driving then you might be less inclined to use more than the lap belt but I wasnt

Bottom line is that you really dont want to be in a significant accident in a 40......a 40 driver needs to keep that in the back of their head at all times and drive appropriately

 

[bikersmurf]

Four pointers are a terrible idea for the street. Unless you're going to wear a helmet all the time with a head and neck restraint. Which no one is going to do. And even then, 4 pointers rely on the user to properly snug them up, to limit the chances of submarining under the lap portion in the event of a frontal impact.

I don't know what the "right" answer is for the OP's situation. My FST doesn't have any belts. Nor any overhead protection. So I drive it with all the care I would a motorcycle. But that's not how teens drive.

I daily drove my motorcycle for about 6 years. Between the two motorcycle I rode more than 45,000 miles in that time… I managed to avoid countless accidents and untold injuries by being careful and using my head.

Until the day came…
I was riding home from work.
Weather was clear, and roads were dry.
I saw the nose of a car poke out from behind a big tree at the right side of the road.
I braked and moved to the centre line of the road.
A split second later I remember thinking, “Ah sh!t this is it”
I could see the car wasn’t stopping.
I braked harder and aimed for the far shoulder of the road.

The next thing I remember was feeling myself on the ground… I waited a moment to be sure I’d stopped moving a then stopped up and walked back to my motorcycle further back down the road. I pulled out my first aide kit to bandage my knee… and sat down to wait for an ambulance.

I later learned in the blank space between that the motorcycle had flipped end over end and I’d cartwheeled through the air.

The point I’m getting to is that sooner or later the day will come and you’ll think.

W T F D Y D

Prepare for that day… take precautions… and be ready.

Now I’ve got a six point cage and three point belts in my 40. Also, no more motorcycle…

I had a minor break in my leg, and my knee was fubared. Now 22 years later both knees are shot. Unfortunately, any further damage I’ll lose the ability to walk.

 

[bikersmurf]

Not sure I'm thinking the right Honda Odyssey? The mini van? Back in 2004 I flipped a 2000 Tundra and landed upside down. Don't remember having an issue undoing the three point seat belt. One hand the roof which was now on the ground and the other on seat belt release. Which shows the difference in a three point design for normal driving than four point which is more a speciality seat belt. If the vehicle had caught fire I would certainly wantes a quick and easy way to get the seat belt off.

Here’s a random picture off the internet… not of mine. The cage on this one looks flimsy in comparison. Ours was 1.25 or 1.5” mandrel bent tubing and I was told it had been built by a welder who built cages for race cars… but 35 years later I have no way to verify that now.

 

[Mopdog]

I have 3 point belts and will be going to 4 point harnesses. On the street 3 points feel adequate. The ones I bought are very touchy and lock at inopportune times making it impossible to reach anything on the dash including the key switch. My son and I are very good about wearing them regardless. If they are going to be a pain in the butt to wear they might as well offer better protection. Three point belts also did not feel adequate on the rocks in Moab this spring.