newbiee with seat belt question

[jking006]

I bought a 1982 Ford E350 Tioga class C. there is absolutely no evidence that there was ever seatbelts installed for the driver or passanger.
the guy I got it from said it was that way when he got it and he was 2nd owner.
the state police told me it should have had them from factory and the local dealer wich actually sold this unit brand new didn't know because no one there has been around that long..
what to do??
can anyone suggest a after market setup I can put in ??

[jking006]

kknowlton wrote:
You can have seatbelts installed, but it'll cost you. In 1970 I bought an old car and had just lap belts installed; I think even bac then it cost me a couple hundred bucks.

yeah I looked into that as well.. I called ford and they quoated me over a grand just for the belts and of course no one in the US has them in stock..

[jking006]

hello neighbor!! im next door in ohio and our law is pretty much the same as Indiana. its a personal decision for me.. I want to wear a seatbelt.. I was going to put junkyard belts from a van or pickup truck in it but the B pillars do not have the anchor point for the shoulder belt like you would expect.. the ohio highway patrol said a lap belt would make me legal.. I was hoping to find some good advise on place to get those types of belts

[kknowlton]

You can have seatbelts installed, but it'll cost you. In 1970 I bought an old car and had just lap belts installed; I think even bac then it cost me a couple hundred bucks.

[DutchmenSport]

I don't know what the current "laws" are (I really don't), but I do remember when seat belts became common law, there was an exemption, that if the vehicle was a farm truck or if the vehicle was originally manufactured with no seat belts, they were not required. Time may have changed, but I do know, people who drive antique cars, don't have seat belts installed. And the farm trucks I've driven (in Indiana) are not required to have seat belts (in the older models, which I've driven .. just recently.)

It wasn't THAT long ago, that if your vehicle was licensed as a "truck" seat belts were not required either. That did change, so all new "trucks" had to be installed with a seat belt. The "truck" rule was a way that a lot of folks got away with not using seat belts, by purchasing "trucks" or finding a way to have their vehicles titled as a "truck." Indiana finally caught up with this and finally made it mandentory or all vehicles. Still... I don't know about the "Grandfather" rule. You might check with your local DMV or BMV.

Edit! I did find this on the Internet from the Indiana codes:

IC 9-19-10-5
Retail sales, leases, trades, and transfers

Sec. 5. A person may not buy, sell, lease, trade, or transfer from or to Indiana residents at retail an automobile that is manufactured or assembled, commencing with the 1964 models, unless the automobile is equipped with safety belts installed for use in the front seat.

As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.7.