Seat Belts w/top remoived (1 Viewer)

[Cougar72]

I have a bone head question - Is there a "normal" way to remount the factory seatbelt retractors on a 76 fj40 when I remove the top? they are currently mounted to a bracket on the side of the top behind the seats....

I am a new owner & new to forum - just starting to plan things and start the rebuild process. Its fully driveable and mechanucally mostly perfect for a 76... BUT, I am starting an overhaul on the top. ( headliner, rivets, gasket, paint etc..) and want to continue driving with the top off ... and having seatbelts is a good thing.

Cheers
Cougar72

 

[Pistorman]

Usually they would be mounted onto the stock roll bar and not to the hard top. If you don't have a roll bar, I suggest (wanting you safe) you get one when riding w/o hard top and fitting the belts there.

Regards,

Vic

 

[60fj25]

On a 76, the stock seatbelts were mounted to ribs on the top side and bottom side of the hardtop, not to the roll bar. When you remove the top you could relocate the top swivel point to the roll bar side mount bolts but you had no good place to mount the bottom side anchor point. You might want to have someone weld a anchor point to a lower point on the roll bar.

 

[MoCoNative]

Didn't CCOT have a trick little kit for this, may check that.

 

[imabigbangkindaguy]

Yea they do but for the price, just make your own. When my hard top is off, I have it attached to the roll bar.

 

[MTDewX8]

I was wondering what those threaded holes were for.
I have differetn seats so there is nothing there in mine.

 

[shelfboy1]

i used heavy duty muffler clamps to mount mine to the roll bar simple and cheap .

 

[kling-on]

I used a 90 deg angle braket on mine to the stock roll bar bolt worked great ck
my sig for pics

 

[kling-on]

HERE YOU GO

 

[Cougar72]

Perfect - thanks all for the replies. I have compared responses to my rig and can see how it will work. I like the 90 degree bracket at the bottom. will see if the local farm tractor and parts supplier has something that will fly, if not I will weld one up a nice one with a little gusset. I hate simply bending flat stock.

with this info on the seatbelts, and some other clues on the rig - I have basically decided that the top has never been off of this buggy - I will source a gasket for when I reassemble.

It is interesting to me that the ole' Toyota engineers stopped thinking and mounted the belts to the hard top... But I am not too surprised, it seems the 76 is sort of a "crossover" year. they spent a lot of time on switching in the 2F, disk, 4 speed ( I think this was the rough years that this was done) and then they ran out of time?? and bandaided other stuff that needed to be done with more thought.....

I SAT THERE FOR AN HOUR trying to figure out why someone had welded shut the cowl vent / pop up vent in front of the windshield --- all the parts under the dash were removed - and the pop top had 6 spot welds holding it shut --- Hrmmm, then a few hours of searching here on MUD, and googling and it seems that toyota deleted the function of that vent and it was factory welded shut !!! ... and then on 77's? ( or 78's?) they finally eliminated the outside louvers and the entire vent tub..... I still have the factory drain tubes and they look pretty good! Bizarre!!!

Anyway... Thanks to ALL for the input!

 

[bikersmurf]

Don't use a piece of flat stock and bend it, it will make it weaker.IMO

Use some pre-bent angle iron if you can't find a suitable bracket.

 

[Living in the Past]

The four speed started in 74 model year, Started the model year as a three speed. 2F was a 1/75 start which was a last start for the 75 model. Three point seat belts didn't start until 1/76. My early 76 just has lap belts. Don't think they switched to the rollbar until the 78 model. I wonder what Toyota did for three point seat belts in the 76/77 soft top models

The reason for the welded closed vent was in other than the US market there were FJ40 with no heater. With the front heater change with the 74 model you were able to bring in out side air thru the top of the heater. Which meant you didn't need the other vent so Toyota welded shut in cruisers with a heater. After they did away with vent I wonder if they still installed in other non heater markets?

It is interesting to me that the ole' Toyota engineers stopped thinking and mounted the belts to the hard top... But I am not too surprised, it seems the 76 is sort of a "crossover" year. they spent a lot of time on switching in the 2F, disk, 4 speed ( I think this was the rough years that this was done) and then they ran out of time?? and bandaided other stuff that needed to be done with more thought.....

I SAT THERE FOR AN HOUR trying to figure out why someone had welded shut the cowl vent / pop up vent in front of the windshield --- all the parts under the dash were removed - and the pop top had 6 spot welds holding it shut --- Hrmmm, then a few hours of searching here on MUD, and googling and it seems that toyota deleted the function of that vent and it was factory welded shut !!! ... and then on 77's? ( or 78's?) they finally eliminated the outside louvers and the entire vent tub..... I still have the factory drain tubes and they look pretty good! Bizarre!!!

Anyway... Thanks to ALL for the input!

 

[copasspupil]

Try these guys. I used them before for my mustang and will do the same for my '66 cruiser. There are only a few companies out there right now that actually make them. Good prices to boot.

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