Late 60's Concourse Ferrari seatbelts? | FerrariChat

Late 60's Concourse Ferrari seatbelts?

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by Zarathustra, Sep 10, 2013.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Zarathustra

    Zarathustra Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    May 7, 2006
    863
    Hawaii
    Full Name:
    Gary Robinson
    Gentlemen,
    Does anyone know what brand of seatbelts were used in the 330 GTC and 275s?
    Some cars may not have come with belts, but the factory / dealers did install belts on many cars. I know these belts are junk today, so this is more of a concourse-correct question. Many thanks for your replies.
     
  2. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
    Owner

    Apr 17, 2005
    1,165
    Santa Fe, NM
    Full Name:
    Lowell Brown
    Here what I did

    Cessna Airplane Seat Belts

    When I showed the car at the FCA National in Monterey in in 2004 they did not
    deduct points for the belts.
     
  3. peterp

    peterp F1 Veteran

    Aug 31, 2002
    6,510
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Peter
  4. johngtc

    johngtc Formula Junior
    Owner

    Mar 4, 2005
    817
    Yorkshire, UK
    Full Name:
    John Gould
    My UK market 1968 330 GTC has British made Britax belts, which are fixed rather than inertia reel,

    I suspect that the belts were fitted by the importer (in my case Maranello Concessionaires) rather than during manufacture.

    In Europe the fitment of seatbelts only became mandatory in 1965 and in the UK it was not until 1983 that legislation was passed requiring their use!
     
  5. Jumprun

    Jumprun Karting

    Feb 7, 2012
    227
    Southern California
    Full Name:
    T. Martinez
    1968 GTC #11157, Red/Black, came with Irvin belts with dark blue webbing. They are very cool looking belts, striking a personal chord with me as I used be a serious sport skydiver/parachutist. I basically bought the car because I liked the seat belts! The use of these belts is another story...they are terrible. They depend on a certain amount of tension to stay hooked together, this requires they be tight around your body but this prevents any kind of freedom of movement, and if you loosen them a little they sort of flop around and easily come undone. Also, the shoulder harness tends to pull the lap band up to your belly, very awkward indeed. I suppose an inertia reel would help but I'm loath to start poking holes in original vinyl, leather and carpet.

    I'm glad their parachute equipment is better engineered because every jumper in the history of parachuting has jumped either their equipment or designs.

    BSBD --Tom
     
  6. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Seat belts, as long as they appear more or less period correct, are not a deduction at a concours. Safety items like tires and seat belts (which need to be in good working order to provide safety,) as long as they look correct and are the right size, are not a deduction.

    However, if you're in the running for a silver or gold where there can be only one winner, and your car has replacement belts and the other car has original belts, it could serve as a tie breaker, all other points issues being equal.

    Same for tires. If you have new but correct type Michelins, and another guy has the correct size but they are goodyears, then you may win because your tires are more correct.

    There is a good company to restore your originals if you need it. SSnake-oil.com I think.

    D
     
  7. Zarathustra

    Zarathustra Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    May 7, 2006
    863
    Hawaii
    Full Name:
    Gary Robinson
    Thanks Gentlemen!
    After looking into it further, the Irvin belts are correct for the 330 GTC and the same period 275 cars. The Daytona and 365 GTC had Klippan belts.
    And yes, points may not be deducted, but some of us prefer to go beyond the lax rules of the concourse.
     
  8. coryh

    coryh Karting

    Nov 26, 2011
    104
    #9 coryh, Sep 15, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Can anyone verify if these are correct belts for a Ferrari. They say "Bang" on the leather stitched onto the woven belt. The buckle reads "Lever Pour Ouvrir" and appears cad plated. When the buckle is opened it reads "bang Aiglom 341M3 MADE IN FRANCE". They came out of a 1964 330GT. They have the correct mounts that thread into the chassis but I cant seem to find any info on "bang".
    Thank You Cory
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  9. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
    3,001
    London UK
    Full Name:
    Graham
    Hi, is anybody still watching this thread?
    I have a GTE which has no belts.
    My wife and child refuse to get in without them.
    The car is for enjoying rather than concours , so we have to put non original belts.
    There is a chap in the UK who fits retro looking belts.
    He can fit lap belts, fixed 3 point belts or possibly even hide inertia reels beneath the trim.
    Any recomendation on what to go for? The inertia belts are the least original if you like but the most comfortable and least noticable when retracted. The other options are in the case of lap belts, not much use in a crash whilst the fixed 3 point belts leave a lot of straps hanging around the car.
    Perhaps the best way to reduce visual imact is to match the belt colour to the leather (red) or would grey webbing look more original.
    Its tough, I want to keep us all safe(ish) but not destroy value.
    Any advice welcome
     
  10. steve meltzer

    steve meltzer Formula 3

    Sep 18, 2004
    1,036
    with Enzo 8995
    My GTC, #8995, has the Irvin "paratrooper" type belt. I wasn't crazy about the fit...i'm pretty skinny and they barely fit. I remedied that when I had new webbing put in by a parachute manufacturer on the west coast (can't remember who off hand). When I got the car, the webbing was worn, sun-faded and sort of aqua blue. Now black and safer. steve
     
  11. peterp

    peterp F1 Veteran

    Aug 31, 2002
    6,510
    NJ
    Full Name:
    Peter
    It wasn't until 1961 that cars were required to have seat belts in the US, so no seat belts may be "correct" for some models. It would be best to look at what was used in the GTE for cars that had them fitted originally (by factory or dealer). The 330 GT original belts are made by "Klippan" and are pretty ordinary looking, so my guess is that your installer's "vintage" belts would be pretty close except the labeling. In contrast, the 330 GTC had the very cool Irvin belts, which your installer's vintage set would probably not match.

    I'm guessing the GTE would be more like the 330 GT belts, but that's just a guess. If it were me, among the choices you have, I would choose 3-point (for safety) and non-retracting for correctness. Non-retracting are kind of a pain to use and I agree they look a bit messy when not in use, but retractable would just look wrong to my eye.

    On the other hand, belts should be very reversible (you should confirm that with your installer), so you shouldn't lose any value by fitting retracting. Since you don't plan to show it and it is (presumably) reversible, then maybe retractible belts are a better choice for you given your concerns about fixed belts.
     
  12. ForzaV12

    ForzaV12 Formula 3

    Sep 15, 2006
    1,818
    Laguna Niguel
    Full Name:
    Steve
    here are the belts in my GTC

    [​IMG]
     
  13. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
    3,001
    London UK
    Full Name:
    Graham
    Thank you Peterp for the advice.
     
  14. machineryhill

    machineryhill Karting

    Nov 11, 2011
    59
    Seattle, WA
    Full Name:
    Dan
    This is an old thread but for those of you with 60's Ferrari with Irvin belts installed: Are they 2 or 3 point belts?

    I have a pair of 2-point Irvin belts that I'll be installing in my 330 GTC to replace some later aftermarket parts. The Maserati Ghibli part book shows 2-point belts for the early interior used '67 to maybe '69.

    Thanks
     
  15. steve meltzer

    steve meltzer Formula 3

    Sep 18, 2004
    1,036
    with Enzo 8995
    My GTC, 8995 uses a three point belt, but, as I recall my Ghibli 115-616 had two point belts. I'm pretty confident that the Ghibli was very original. steve
     
  16. DWR46

    DWR46 Formula 3
    Honorary

    Jun 19, 2012
    1,810
    Dan: The original Irvin belts (paratrooper belts) were a two-point diagonal belt from the outside shoulder to the inside floor. Their main use was to make it easier for the ambulance people to find the bodies.
     
  17. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
    3,001
    London UK
    Full Name:
    Graham
     
  18. John B

    John B Formula 3

    May 27, 2003
    1,564
    NJ
    The Irvin Paratrooper belts in my GTC are three point, covering both sides of the lap plus the outside shoulder.
     
  19. calder1

    calder1 F1 Rookie
    Sponsor Owner

    Aug 26, 2006
    2,829
    Redondo Beach
    Full Name:
    Craig
    Hi,

    I'm looking for a set of Irvin belts if anyone knows of a set for sale.

    Craig
     
  20. Vintage V12

    Vintage V12 Formula 3

    Aug 11, 2004
    1,444
  21. machineryhill

    machineryhill Karting

    Nov 11, 2011
    59
    Seattle, WA
    Full Name:
    Dan
    Man, A friend of mine had an old Mercedes with diagonal 2-point belts and it didn't make me feel very good.

    I can use the Irvin hardware but convert to 3-point, and can even sew in the cool old Irvin tags on the webbing. Was kind of hoping to hear that there were period 3-point belts used though.

    Thanks very much,
    Dan
     
  22. cheesey

    cheesey Formula 3

    Jun 23, 2011
    1,921
    find the hardware ( buckle and mounting ) you like and don't worry about the webbing or its' color... the webbing is universal...it can be easily sourced in the color you like and sewn to your hardware...

    when new the nylon webbing should be soft and pliable... old webbing gets stiff and hard as it ages, especially when exposed to UV... (nylon is very sensitive to UV exposure ) it also loses its' strength...
     
  23. Vintage V12

    Vintage V12 Formula 3

    Aug 11, 2004
    1,444
    I found a good webbing from Strapworks in Oregon
     
  24. steve meltzer

    steve meltzer Formula 3

    Sep 18, 2004
    1,036
    with Enzo 8995
    Just confirming, my car, #8995 ('66), does indeed have a three point Irvin belt. With a nod to Jumprun, the webbing was re-done by drag chute maker, Deist. s
     

Share This Page