'65 seat belt nut & bolt torque

[Oliver S.]

Hello,

I'm going to replace the seat belts in my '65 Convertible. It is listed in the AIM that the torque for the bolt (No. 1) is 25-40 LBS-FT and for the nut (No. 8 ) it's 10-20 LBS-In. In Nm (which I'm more used to) it's approx. 34 Nm-55 Nm and 1 Nm - 2,5 Nm. I expected more torque for the nut. Is it really that low?
Regards
Oliver

[Louis T.]

Re: '65 seat belt nut & bolt torque

Oliver,

I'll assume your listings are correct (I don't have the manual in front of me), but you have to remember, the belts are under no appreciable load until - heaven forbid - a collision. They're not under a constant (and critical) load, such as those holding together most engine and suspension components. As long as the bolts/nuts are tight enough not to work themselves loose under normal driving vibrations, you're fine. The bolts'/nuts' tensile strength and integrity of the mounts (including the support cables and brackets anchored to the frame) are what are key. When a buddy and I installed the restored belts in my '65 last fall, we just tightened them "good and tight" (how's that for precision).

Louis

[John H.]

Re: '65 seat belt nut & bolt torque

Oliver -

On the outboard side, you're installing the key stressed member (the bolt); on the inboard side, the key stressed member (the stud) is already installed, welded to the reinforcement on the underbody - all you're doing is keeping the plate on the end of the belt from coming off the end of the stud.