On Mon, 25 Feb 2002, James Tabor wrote:
> Well, not sure about the dates on legal US DOT seat belt issues.
> i suspect it was more like 72 or 73 when three point/shoulder harness became
> manditory. my reasoning is this: the 1971 chevy blazer i used to own came
> from the (US) factory with lap belts only.
I stand corrected.
I know cars had them prior to '72 because several of the cars from my
mis-spent youth had shoulder belts installed (but not used). GM cars used
to have them "clipped" to the headliner. I know my '69 Olds had shoulder
belts - I even used them a few times!
So they must have been "optional" safety equipment prior to 72.
However, your Blazer was a Truck and therefore covered under different
safety requirements than passenger cars.
I just spent a bunch of time trying to find the appropriate information at
the DOT web site. But I can't find a definitive time-line regarding
seatbelt mandates.
I did find a reference to the "backlash" of the seatbelt interlock mandate
that came into effect in '74. I remember that one and how my brother went
into the dashboard of the TR6 and "fixed" that. There's still an annoying
wiring problem in that car because of that activity.
Oh well.
Bottom line: it's probably not a bad idea to fit "proper" three point
belts into the older cars, especially if you are involved in a complete
restoration. But that's just my opinion.
Later,
rml
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Lang Room N42-140Q | This space for rent
Consultant MIT unix-vms-help |
Voice:617-253-7438 FAX: 617-258-9535 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|