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Location: Eastern Iowa, USA | What year did Chrysler make front & rear seat belts standard equipment in its auto lines?
Best regards, |
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Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | i'm thinkin 68 -------------------------------------------later |
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Location: Hickory, NC | Depends on the state. North Carolina mandated seatbelts for all new cars built after Jan. 1964 for the front seat. So all new cars sold in this state needed two front lap belts.
It was federally mandated in 1968. |
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Location: Fairfax, Minnesota | PlymouthFury - 2015-08-24 11:37 PM Depends on the state. North Carolina mandated seatbelts for all new cars built after Jan. 1964 for the front seat. So all new cars sold in this state needed two front lap belts. It was federally mandated in 1968. Too many moonshine runnners getting hurt. |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Royal Oak, MI | Does anyone know when (in what year) seat belts were available as a dealer-installed accessory?? |
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Location: Indiana |
they were available in '56 Ford Fairlanes as a "Life Guard" package...
Fords sales DECLINED because the public thought "if they need safety features, i should get the Chevy instead"...
Ford shifted its ad campaign and chose NOT to offer seat belts in '57...
Chrysler and Buick had seat belts available as an option in '56 - but nobody bought them, roughly only 1% according to here - http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/seat-belt-historya.cfm |
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Expert
Posts: 1819
Location: Vancouver, BC |
Chrysler started offering lap seat belt packages with the 1955 models. The front package included belts and mounting hardware for two belts while the rear package was for one belt. So, you can say Chrysler started offering dealer-installed belts in 1955. I have a copy of the pocket-size 1961 Plymouth Price Guide with seat belts listed as a dealer installed option.
Front lap belts were optional on Chrysler Corporation cars for 1962, sales code 413. All 1962 models had the seat belt anchors installed on the floor during assembly, so anyone, including the dealer, could easily install belts on cars that were not ordered with them. The factory could also place a set of lap seat belts (loose) in the trunk for installation later by the dealer (sales code 410) instead of installing the belts during assembly.
These sales codes were invalid with the 1964 models and their standard front belts, although front belts with retractors were available (sales code 419). The 1964 belts, as offered standard, just hung loose when not in use. Retractors were standard for 1965, but you could get the old style loose belt with sales code 618. 1965 also had a seat belt delete option - 460.
Back then Chrysler offered a Safety Group as an option - power seats, padded instrument panel, windshield washers and variable speed wipers. But no seat belts.
Front seat belts became standard on 1964 models (around November, 1963) and rear belts for 1966. Studebaker had made front belts standard in March, 1963. The decision mandating the installation of belts was done by the Automobile Manufacturers Association which is why only American-built cars had them, although their Canadian subsidiaries followed suit. There were no federal safety regulations at that time as the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act were not enacted until 1966. The Department of Transportation was formed after that.
Shoulder harness belts for driver and right front passenger were required on cars built on or after January 1, 1968. The shoulder belts were not connected to the lap belts and clipped onto the lap belts instead. The 1974 models were required to have one-piece shoulder/lap belts, again for driver and right front passenger. Which is the easiest way to tell a 1974 Sebring, Barracuda, Charger or Challenger from a 1973 model.
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Expert 5K+
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Both my 1960 Saratoga and my former 1962 300 had front seat belts installed in the same mounting location, with the same chrome buckles and the same webbed material. Both cars were sold new in southern California, but not built at the same assembly plants. I've since switched out the front belts in the Saratoga with aluminum "Forward Look" buckles that were made in Canada. These are the "Forward Look" Buckles, made by Davis in Canada for the Forward Look era. Maybe Bill knows something about these!
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: jersey | Tucker had them in '48. |
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | These are what was on the Saratoga when I bought it. The same type with the same webbing were on my 62 300 when I owned it, other than the webbing was tan color.
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Expert
Posts: 1819
Location: Vancouver, BC |
Ah, yes. That old 1956 Ford chestnut - Ford sold safety and Chevrolet sold cars. Not a word of truth in it. Just more propaganda from American car manufacturers against car safety equipment.
1956 was an off year following 1955 which was a record year. Virtually all car makers saw their production fall for the 1956 model year. Three bucked the trend for 1956 - Lincoln (50,322 to 72,222), Cadillac (140,778 to 154,631) and FORD - 1,451,157 up to 1,468,734. Chevrolet dropped from 1,766,013 in model year 1955 to 1,617,398 in 1956. Ford's chunk of the US car market in the 1956 model year was 23.4%, up 3.1 percentage points from 20.3% in 1955. Chevrolet was also up, to 25.7% of the market. But Chevrolet's increase was less than Ford, 0.9% higher than 1955's 24.8%
Also, seat belts were optional, not standard, on the 1956 Ford. Ford promoted its Lifeguard design as providing protection 1) against occupants being thrown from the car, 2) passengers striking the windshield, and 3) when the driver is thrown against the steering wheel. The Lifeguard design included a deep-centre steering wheel (standard) to cushion the driver against the steering column, double-grip door latches (standard) to prevent doors from springing open, a double-swivel inside mirror (standard), a padded instrument panel (optional), padded sun visors (optional) - the three to protect passengers being thrown forward, and, the last, OPTIONAL seat belts.
Ford pushed the floor-anchored aspect of the seat belts and also the strength of the belts. But most of all, the fact they were optional, not standard, so you did not have to buy a car with seat belts.
Floyd Clymer conducted one of his Owners Reports for the 1956 Ford, published in the July, 1956, issue of Popular Mechanics. 10.3% of the owners reporting stated they liked the safety features. On seat belts, 21.9% of those who had seat belts claimed they wore them all the time, 35.4% most of the time, 25.0% some of the time and 18.7% none of the time. When asked why they purchased a new, 1956 Ford, 5.4% reported the safety features were the main reason.
Also, of the owners surveyed, 48.0% had the padded dash and visors, 15.7% had seat belts, front only, and 0.0% reported having front and rear seat belts, but that may mean the total number is less than 0.05%, and may not be zero.
The reports always have quotes from owners on the likes and dislikes of their new car. Most of the comments on the safety features were positive, although one owner claimed, "I do not have belts because of fear of ridicule."
The author of the quoted article on safety equipment does not understand the term "delete option". When Studebaker made seat belts standard in 1963, they did not make them a "delete option". No seats belts was the "delete option" when seat belts were installed as standard equipment, ie., installed on all cars, unless otherwise requested.
He was also a little off on the front seat belts in 1966. The Department of Transportation was formed in 1966, and probably did not get things together for a few months. Or, basically, about the time production ended on the 1966 models. Besides, all 1966 model cars built in North America came with front and rear seat belts, padded sun visors, padded instrument panel, outside left rear view mirror, back up lights, heater / defroster and 4-way flashers as standard equipment.
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Location: Indiana | Chrycoman - 2015-08-25 9:50 PM
"I do not have belts because of fear of ridicule."
too funny... |
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Location: Royal Oak, MI | Lots of great info, Chrycoman, thanks! |
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Bill do you know anything about those Forward Look belts made by DAVIS, in Canada? I pulled them out of a 1962 Canadian built Windsor parts car.
Edited by imopar380 2015-08-26 12:10 PM
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Location: Williams California | FwdLk56 - 2015-08-25 1:04 PM
they were available in '56 Ford Fairlanes as a "Life Guard" package...
Fords sales DECLINED because the public thought "if they need safety features, i should get the Chevy instead"...
Ford shifted its ad campaign and chose NOT to offer seat belts in '57...
Chrysler and Buick had seat belts available as an option in '56 - but nobody bought them, roughly only 1% according to here - http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/seat-belt-historya.cfm[/QU...
Not nitpicking, but this was not entirely the case. Ford did still offer seatbelts in '57, as I've had a number of them with factory belts, both Ford and Mercury. Fords still had a Lifeguard design decal in the driver's side door jam in '57. |
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Location: Colo Spgs | I have a 1962 Imperial Division car that has Front Seat Belts with The Material Colour - the same as The Interior Colour. They have sewed on MoPar Part Number
2428330 ( the buckle end and 2428331 the clip end ) on them ( I bet this can be found on many MoPars ).
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1961 ...... $12.50
1962 ...... unk
1963 ...... $18.75
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The Beechcraft Model 18 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Model_18 ) appearing buckle's are stamped with a Hickory Engineering Seal ( of Michigan )
and P.G 12171 .
Rodger & Gabby
Colo Spgs |
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Location: Eastern Iowa, USA | Thanks all for the information!
Best regards,
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| yep. A lot of people forget that was one of Tucker's major marketing tools. He even said at a press conference that the big three should be indicted for manslaughter for not putting seat belts in their cars. Yeah, he wasn't too good at making friends. The movie about his story was fascinating though...30 minute drive train swap and you drove to work with a "loaner engine" from the dealership while they fixed yours. Crazy stuff. |
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Location: Under the X in Texas | Boris56 - 2015-08-25 1:00 PM Does anyone know when (in what year) seat belts were available as a dealer-installed accessory?? MoPar accessory seat belts became available mid year 1955. Very few were sold or installed by dealers. I have seen a '55 300 with them recently -- car owned by son of the original purchaser. The '55 belts had cables under the floor pan as part of the installation. |
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Location: Hay Lakes, Alberta, Canada | imopar380 - 2015-08-25 7:21 PM
These are what was on the Saratoga when I bought it. The same type with the same webbing were on my 62 300 when I owned it, other than the webbing was tan color.
Ian, I have two parts cars here with the same belts as you. A '59 Chrysler Windsor with brown belts, and a '57 New Yorker with green belts. Unfortunately the buckles are so rusted, that I'm not sure it would be worth redoing them... |
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Posts: 2519
Location: central Illinois | Is there any information on where manufacturers recommended drilling for the anchor mount? I ask because I want to drill the holes before the dynamat goes in and the front seat is at the upholsterers shop. |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
Location: Ponder, TX | FWIW, seat belts were not standard in US built Mopars in '64. I worked for a C-P dealer in '64 and most cars did not have belts from the factory unless special ordered. They all had anchors for front belts, but not for the rear. My '64 Valiant convertible did not have belts, but I installed them front and rear. The front anchors had a plug installed in the bolt hole.
Edited by GaryS 2016-09-17 8:09 PM
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Location: Fairfax, Minnesota | b5rt - 2016-09-17 6:26 PM Is there any information on where manufacturers recommended drilling for the anchor mount? I ask because I want to drill the holes before the dynamat goes in and the front seat is at the upholsterers shop. Here are two photos that may help. Back seat mountig points. There are dimples to show mounting points. I don't remeber, but I am sure the front had the dimples also. The second photo is a warning. This is how close I came to drilling through a line when I drilled at the recommended points.
Edited by Ray 2016-09-17 9:02 PM
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Posts: 1497
Location: Fairfax, Minnesota | I just found this.
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Location: central Illinois | That's awesome Ray! Thanks! |
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Seat Belts in Chrysler automobiles
