Federal mandate was January 1, 1968 Ford and Chrysler both offered them as options in 56, very few people ordered them
Don Thanks. I was thinking that it was prior to that but probably because that by then a lot of cars just had them.
Don't think so. This is a list from Chevrolet of the options for 1955 1955 Chevrolet 150, 210, Bel Air Options: Models w/manual transmission: 235.5 cid inline six engine, 123 hp @ 3800 rpm Models with Powerglide transmission: 235.5 cid inline six, 136 hp @ 4200 rpm Turbo-Fire Base V-8: 265 cid V8, 162 hp @ 4400 rpm, 2 barrel carb. Turbo-Fire Optional V8: 265 cid V8, 180 hp 4600 rpm, 4 barrel carb 3-speed manual transmission with column shifter was standard on all models Overdrive available on standard transmission models Powerglide 2 speed automatic transmission Power Steering Power brakes Power windows Power seats Turn signals Heater and defroster Air conditioning White sidewall tires Locking gas cap Continental tire kit Outside sun visor Self-de-icing wiper blades Wiring junction block Electric clock Comp*** Seat covers Accelerator pedal cover Wire wheel covers Tissue dispenser Exhaust extension License plate frame Glare-shields Grille guard Fender guard Door edge guard Gasoline filler guard Tool kit Back-up lights Courtesy lights Cigarette Lighter Electric shaver Floor mats Outside rearview mirrors Inside non-glare rearview mirrors Manual Radio Push-****on Radio Signal-seeking Radio Rear speaker Fender antenna Automatic top riser armrests Wheel trim rings Safety light with mirror Sport lamp Parking brake signal Door handle shields Front fender shields Vent Shades Inside sun visor Vanity visor Traffic light viewer Electric windshield wipers Food-operated windshield washer Vacuum-operated windshield washer No Seat Belts.
My 59 Edsel had the original optioned seat belts all 2 of them yes a 9 p***enger wagon with 2 seat belts. And you wouldn't want to use them anyway... they are the thick webbing with a cam over latch, a very early and primitive design, and definitely NOT car seat friendly. Just install them yourself like items 1-3 on the list, oh and look at the longroof thread lots of cool family cruisers, beats a regular 4 door. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2240&highlight=edsel Seat belts http://www.julianos.com/ Heat AND A/C http://www.vintageair.com/
They were an option in 1956, part of a "safety package" that included a padded dash as well. I remember looking at a cherry black and white 56 Victoria (not Crown Victoria, I hate those things) at a used car lot in about 1967 that had that option. First time I'd seen a padded dash on a car that old. They were asking the outrageous price of $395. Too bad my 1951 Custom Tudor was only worth about $100, and I was making $1.10 an hour, so it was way out of reach for me.
My '55 Chrysler New Yorker had Mopar seat belts in if from day 1 (we knew the original owner). They were probably an option then, as I haven't seen others with them installed.
While Mother Tucker installed seatbelts in his cars, Nash offered them as a Option in 1949. So whatever car you buy slap on some seatbelts. As for AC, your wife can roll down the window. Cold? Wear a jacket.
HAHA thanks guys very informative Im not a big fan of 60's cars so I will be buying the said list items and getting a car I like and adding them on I thought is was mid 50's was I off
Well, yeah, maybe. And that's exactly the point. You see, the reason for safety equipment in an accident is to reduce the force transmitted to the driver. The act of ripping through the floorboard will cushion the driver a bit more than if the belt did NOT rip through the floor. That is why some of the last belts before SRS had 'teeth' on the mount that would slow the belt more gradually than just mounting it to one point. So, do exactly that, mount with large washers, so that the belt will rip through the floor. But securely enough so that the force will dissipate gradually. Cosmo
My 62 Comet doesn't have them but does have the threaded plates in the floor for them. Must have still be optional (like the backup lights) that year.
Iowa's law required(s) them for vehicles newer than 67. Not sure if that is the federal mandate also.
I remembered them being in cars earlier than 1968. My uncle's 63 Oldsmobile had them. It was always a big deal in our family to ride in the new cars that family members bought. A Google search shows that Wisconsin required lap belts in the two front seat positions in 1961. Federal law required them in the front seats in 1963. I remember two uncles having new cars in 1965, An Impala and a Cutl*** that had lap belts. My dad bought a new 66 AMC Amb***ador that had lap belts. Lap and shoulder belts were required in the front seats and lap belts in the rear seats in 1968. My Grandparents bought a new 68 Impala that had the front shoulder belts that used a separate buckle than the lap belts so there were 3 buckles on one side and 2 on the other. In 74 Federal law required a 3 point combined seat and shoulder belt.
My 63 Galaxie had the seat belt anchors in the floor but no belts in it. It also has the padded dash that very few I have ever seen have had. I never knew about the 2 being a option that went together.
True. But, technically some of their safety adds were options, not standard equipment. The deep-dish, safety steering wheel was standard equipment, so were padded visors, recessed knobs, etc....seat belts were an extra cost option. My Dad had a '57 Ford Fairlane 500 and it had the padded dash, visors, deep-dish wheel,recessed knobs, etc., but no seat belts. Jonnie King www.legends.thewwbc.net
I bought a new 1955 Chevy 210 two door post and no seat belts offered or provided. Then i went back and bought a new '57 Bel Air two door post and they were an option. My next ride was a '60 Pontiac Bonneville and they were in the car as built. Normbc9
Seat belts were mandated by the Federal Government starting January 1, 1965. Most older cars can be retrofitted. Some have done a nice job of retrofitting the more modern 3-point harness used in most current cars. They were in my '64 Studebaker Daytona. As for the 4-door part, be cool and get a wagon. The original SUV. Or maybe an old Suburban.
Directly from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, or FMVSS, THIS is when seat belts were required by Federal Law: Standard No. 209 - Seat Belt ***emblies - P***enger Cars, Multipurpose P***enger Vehicles, Trucks, and Buses (Effective 3-1-67) This standard specifies requirements for seat belt ***emblies. The requirements apply to straps, webbing, or similar material, as well as to all necessary buckles and other fasteners and all hardware designed for installing the ***embly in a motor vehicle, and to the installation, usage, and maintenance instructions for the ***embly. Now, far as when seat belts were available, the question arises as to they were FACTORY, or a dealer-installed option. The above states when they were required by law. though I've owned Dodge, GM and Ford trucks and cars each that had them in 1963.
Hey, don't laugh, during the Clinton Administration, the then-Dept of Transportation Joan Clayburgh wanted to mandate seat belts for motorcycles, and fought for that for several years. Thankfully, common sense won the day and her cause was for naught.
My '62 T-bird has optional, factory seatbelts.... front only... Retail cost?? $16.60 http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac93/espo35/?action=view¤t=tbirdbroadcast.jpg
Juliano's sells the special rectangular floor "washers" that are correct to use with belts. Just sending someone out with the vague description of a "large washer" is recipe for disaster. How large a washer? How thick? How strong of steel? When that belt rips thru the floor, you get impaled on the column. I want my belts to hold me in tight, even if I get strap bruises!
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