A buddy of mine had an old Ford Escort that had automatic shoulder belts that had an electric motor to slide them towards you. If I remember correctly they didn't work quite right.
Seatbelts in 1968
- Thread starter dishdude
- Start date
With regards to school bus they're not needed due to the narrow row spacing and the relatively low speed at which theses vehicles travel. Probably the same for metro bus.
Read the FMVSS 208 of 1968.
Yes, I had a 1981 Toyota Cressida with that system, but it never failed to work properly.
You have never seen the movie "Duel" when Dennis Weaver puts on the shoulder harness in the Valiant?
In the ‘80’s I had a ‘68 Fury III 318 in the same color as the one in the vid. No shoulder belts either. My car was in VG condition and I sold it to a kid who took it back to Germany. I’ll try to find a pic.
The first car my family had that included seat belts was a '65 Cutlass. Lap belts only on the front buckets. We played with them for a while. My nine year old self imagined buckling in for a space shot. After a while, Dad either removed them or stuffed them under the seats as I never saw them again.
My '68 Chevy Impala had the separate lap and shoulder belts for the outboard positions in the front.
The middle position in the front, and the three in the back, had lap belts only.
I always used both the lap and shoulder belts, and figured that when properly adjusted they provided better protection than the 3-piece seat belts that succeeded them.
The middle position in the front, and the three in the back, had lap belts only.
I always used both the lap and shoulder belts, and figured that when properly adjusted they provided better protection than the 3-piece seat belts that succeeded them.
A lot of states do have seat belt laws for school buses. It works with the little kids but physically impossible to buckle in 3 middle or high schoolers. The district where I worked ran the buses full, 3 students in every seat regularly. With high school kids the center isle disappeared as they hung off the edge of the seat. A lovely experience on a triple digit degree day with no AC.
My 1965 VW Beetle has shoulder and lap belt in the front seats and lap only in back. it was brought over from England so that may be why.
Kind of sketchy, although back then metal was metal. Just like building a roll cage, if that roof collapses or moves in the right way it could actually pull too tight and crush you.
For the same reason I've always thought the best shoulder belts were integrated into the seat rather than running to the b-pillar.
For the same reason I've always thought the best shoulder belts were integrated into the seat rather than running to the b-pillar.
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
IMO that Poncho dash is not as attractive as the one in the '65s. My Dad had a 1965 Tri-Power Grand Prix. It had one of the best looking dashboards ever. The one in this picture doesn't have AC.There were additional rules that all major controls had to be reachable while your non-retractable shoulder belt was fastened. That brought us "wraparound" or "cockpit" styled dashes like this 69 Grand Prix:
By the mid 1970's the "Volvo style" 3-point belts were required with retractors and a lot of companies just had them in on the roof, not at the base of the B-pillar like we're now accustomed. The '77 Pontiac driven by Buford T. Justice is a great example, at least in the first half of the movie before he shears the roof off.(Also there were still hard-top style "pillarless" sedans made though they were on their way out, probably due to safety regs.)
My Dad's GP looked just like this but was a metallic sky blue, or whatever they called it. At age 12 he took me out for two burnouts. I'll never forget looking out the back window and seeing a massive cloud of tire smoke.
Scott
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
Never gave it a second thought in 1968 in my 68 Cougar and now also my 68 Mustang. However, the automatic one, in the 91 Mazda, I give a second thought every time I get out of the car. I just can't pop out unless I want the belt around my neck. I still move faster than the belt.
Is that picture real? Why are there two radios?
The motorized shoulder belt was a requirement for one year only. It needed to be automatic to give some protection to people who had no initiative to put a belt on. Actually the rule allowed the manufacturer to provide an air bag instead as passive protection, but that was a lot more expensive.
Another one year requirement (actually 1/2 year, it was so unpopular) was in 1974. There was an interlock so the car could not start without the belt(s) fastened.
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Kids LOL. The one on the left is the HVAC controls. I had a '65 Bonneville.
Lap belts were great back in day to keep you from sliding across the bench seat when making aggressive lefts.
Lap belts were great back in day to keep you from sliding across the bench seat when making aggressive lefts.
My buddy has a pretty cherry '72 Roadrunner with the Air Grabber hood. There is one belt that is attached to the ceiling when not in use. Shoulder belt I presume. I haven't ridden in it since he converted it to a manual behind the built 440. I feel bad for his tire budget.
I had a hand-me-down 1991 Mercury Tracer Wagon (Ford Escort’s corporate twin) with that system. Never had problems with the seat belts. The seat material wore like iron, too… the automatic transmission, not so much.
My 1963 Cadillac has (factory or dealer-installed) front lap belts (only) and they were an option. The buckle mechanism reminds me of airplane seat belts.
