By 
The notion that objects in motion remain in motion is an indisputable fact of nature.
This is the problem in a nutshell: When we are traveling in an automobile, it may seem that we personally are not moving, only the car is. But that is not the case. If the vehicle that we are traveling in happens to stop suddenly, we won’t, unless … there is something there to stop us. That something could be a seatbelt—or it could be something less desirable.
The cold hard fact is that injuries can be suffered during an auto accident. Injuries such as those sustained by the face and head as a result of being thrown into the windshield or dash. Or it could mean those nasty abdominal injuries due to contact with the steering wheel. Either way, it doesn’t sound like much fun. They can also be prevented.
It is well known that in the 1950s and up through the 1960s, automotive designers weren’t encouraged to overdo the safety issue. Safety didn’t sell cars; chrome did. Detroit didn’t want to focus on safety additions because that could have given the public the impression that cars could be dangerous. In the meantime, the numbers of road-related injuries skyrocketed. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that safety became an integral design feature. One of the best of the new ideas was to simply add shoulder restraints to the lap belt.
Based on the four-point harnesses found in racecars, the three-point type of restraint system has undoubtedly saved countless lives and untold misery, but those who drive vintage autos had to be content with only the lap belts. Previously, the lap belts would keep the pelvis area in place, but that pesky forward momentum would mean that the occupants upper body (i.e. head) would still hurtle on, for another foot or two anyway. But the shoulder strap would keep the upper portion of a driver in check.
What was needed was for someone to design a three-point harness that could be retrofitted to those that didn’t originally come with them. Someone has.
Custom Accessories is now offering a three-point harness system that can be easily installed in virtually any vehicle from the pre-1970s era. The kit includes two front three-point lap/belts, all required mounting hardware and instructions. These high-quality belts meet all U.S. federal safety standards for replacement belts. Available in all of the stock colors offered by Chevy and Ford at that time, the woven look and feel of the belts appear to even be from that era. Currently, the latch mechanism is a nice, compact, black plastic unit, but Custom Accessories says that there are plans in the works to make available a period-like chrome unit.
Custom Accessories has previously offered replacement headrests for many vintage vehicles, and its latest venture is offering your head another type of satisfaction: the knowledge that you have taken every precaution to keep you and your passengers safe while enjoying your favorite pastime.
Follow along as the Custom Accessories crew installs a unit into this sweet, ’56 two-door post.
