newbie intro & seat belt question

[BroncoEddie]

Hello all,

Just wanted to introduce myself - my name's Ed, and I recently bought a '68 Bronco wagon here in central NJ. Lurking around the forum for a few weeks, I've soaked up some good info. A little bit about my new (and first!) Bronco:

• 1968 Ford Bronco wagon, VIN U15NLCxxxxx
• 289 V8, stock 3-speed manual "on the tree"
• Manual steering & brakes... makes for a good workout in tight parking lots!
• Stock front, rear, & transfer case (Dana 30/Dana 20/??)
• A no-frills machine: no engine mods, no lift, uncut. Nothing out of the ordinary... yet.

Condition-wise, it's a "ten-footer:" from about 10 feet away, it looks pretty good. Get any closer and the wrinkles start to show... the previous owner did some rust repair in the usual areas and they're just about passable. Except for the leaky cowl... that I gotta fix! Anyway, I'm happy that I finally joined the EB crowd.

Now, a question for you: the previous owner lost the seat belts & related hardware. I picked up some new retractable lapbelts, but I still need to get the mounting bolts. Anyone know the specs for these bolts? The instructions that came with the new belts indicate that a 7/16"-20 grade 3 bolt is the standard size for mounting, but before I run off to the hardware store I thought I'd ask "the experts."

Thanks in advance... I'm looking forward to Big Bronco Fun!

-Ed

 

[72Sport]

The seat belt bolts are 7/16 -20. They have a shoulder on them that I think is about 1/2" in diameter and 1/2" long. You should try a self service wrecking yard and get all the bolts etc from old Ford trucks or cars. Foreign cars have the same threads but the shoulder dia vairies.

You will go broke (maybe) buying shoulder bolts in a hardware store. I would guess that they would cost at least $3 a piece.

I used rubber combination of washers and rubber grommets to keep the belt mounts from rattling. The belt should be able to rotate on the shoulder of the bolt.

Have fun with the new horse.

 

[jpoore]

Welcome.

You have a Ford 9in out back.

Why not use grade 8 bolts? Even if its overkill, it's cheap overkill.


JP

 

[BwoncoHowie]

I was going to say the same thing except the retractable end might need to be bolted solid without a shoulder. At any rate go to the self serve boneyard and get some factory bolts. You might need to look at a bunch before you find the right length etc. And bring some torx sockets as well as a regular socket set, you might need them for some of the styles. If you dont frequent junkyards, dont worry, you will, now that you have a EB ;D so get used to it. Congrats and welcome to the obsession. ~BH

 

[BroncoEddie]

I do have some boneyard experience from when I monkeyed around with a '68 Mercury station wagon (now that was a car) so that's probably where I'll head for the bolts. Shoulda thought of that myself...

Thanks to all for your quick replies, and to JP for the rear-end ID!

 

[raharr3]

Grab your wallet and get ready it never ends and BOY is it fun;D

ow ya WELCOME

 

[67ster]

Be aware of the fact that the retractors may need some additional bracketry to make them work properly . If these are OEM style
, try to mount them as they were from the factory or they may not work properly . I used some aftermarket 3 point retractables from Juliano's and had to make custom brackets to bolt them into the factory holes , front and rear .

 

[howiebilt]

I really can't add to your quest to find bolts ... you already have the answer However , I can welcome you to the asyllum ;D make sure you take all of your medication and don't be rude to the nurses

 

[brewdude]

Welcome and enjoy the adiction.

 

[SeaBiscuit68]

Welcome BroncoEddie Nice year! I got my hardware from the boneyard too. You'll need a star driver. Can't remember what number.