'65 Biscayne.....no belts but had threaded holes for them. '66 Tempest Custom....no belts but had threaded holes for them. '67 Impala #1 No seat belts.....but.... '67 Impala #2 had seat belts. Impala # 2 appeared to be stock but the car also came from New York while Impala # 1 was an Ohio car all it's life. '68 Impala had belts in everyone I have ever seen Another GM tidbit.....'66 bucket seats are a one year oddity. They have no release ****on to get in the back seat of your 2 door, because the seat backs do not lock! Stand on the brakes hard enough on a 66 A-body and the p***enger seat (with no p***enger) will fold forward! Locking seat backs were standard equipment in '67
Locking seat backs were a Federal requirement in 1968. All of my bucket-seat Mopars I had ever owned from the 1967 model year and earlier were as you described, as well. The '68s and newer have the locking seat backs.
A buddy of mine has a '63 Galaxie which he states was before they were mandated which is one of the reasons he picked that year of car. I believe trucks were much later. Best info I have. Maybe get what you want and if it doesn't have them, install your own? My truck didn't come with them but has ones I installed.
My '56 T-Bird has factory installed seat belts, they are on the build sheet under options. My '57 T-Bird does did not have seat belts, they are not listed on the factory build sheet.. I added them shortly after buying the car in 1973. I purchased a new Olds in '63, it had air cond, PS, AT, etc.. no seat belts. My '65 Chevy had no seat belts, I added them myself in a couple of years. My '70 Chevy El Camino had seat belts. I think they became mandatory equipment in all vehicles, in lieu of an option, in 1968...
Reading this thread makes me remember that as a child in the 60s, people didn't seem concerned about seatbelts in cars. Mothers would hold their baby or tot on their(mothers) lap. There would be like 5 or 6 kids in the back seat of a sedan (the rear seat was designed for 3 people) goofing around. I used to stand up in the middle of my brothers 56 Corvette while he was driving, with the top off. What I really miss is riding in the back of a open pickup bed. I am glad that I had the chance to experience that. Life was so much simpler then.
My 64 Ford did not have factory belts but did have inserts in the floor for them I added a set after I bought the car . I think in 66 they became standard
I can't believe the answer to this question has gone on for four pages. Buy the car you want. If it doesn't have seat belts, install them. If it doesn't have A/C, install it. As far as the four doors, Buy a Suburban or wagon and call it a day.
Since you mention it, the most unsafe thing about seats is until recently was that they were not strong enough to support the weight of a p***enger if the vehicle was hit from behind. I think Mercedes was the first to fix this on modern cars. In the old days, if you got crashed from the rear, the seat back collapsed under your weight and you literally flew backwards, horizontally, into the back seat (or worse) UNDER and out of the seat belts. Gary
My 56 Ford does not have padded sun visors nor recessed knobs. I was shocked to find an aftermarket seat belt on the p*** side only when I removed my seat. It's obviously not factory. Very early, judging by the belt material and the extruded aluminum buckle but not factory. It does have the in line belt retracters. No holes for the drivers side. I wish that I had a pair. The early optional Ford seat belts bring good money for the restorers. They have Rotunda stamped into the buckle I believe. Being 12 at the time I remember the big ad campaign for the optional safety features on TV for the 56 Ford. I never knew why they always specified the 56 Ford truck steering column and box for the early Ford hotrods. Much later I realized that the column was shorter for the deep dish steering wheel and therefore more desirable to use in an early Ford.
That's great....It will slightly slow you, before ejecting you from your windshield. Seat belts are not meant to rip through the floor. Sorry.
Non retractable front seat belts were standard on all Mustangs since day one. Retractable fronts or retractable front and rear were optional.
I have been told that installing three point seat belts in a vehicle that doesn't have high back seats or head rests is illegal. Anyone know about this?
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