what a hassle. im having to learn this and run through wires and schematics now because i thought my dad had a kill switch on his 74 firebird. hilarious setup, but they tried back then for safety lol
For all the discussion in the video about the front seat belt systems, GM (and Ford, Chrysler, AMC) persisted in using lap only belts in the rear seat, well into the eighties. Whilst not required by USA legislation, three point belt were being installed in the outboard rear seat positions in vehicles made in other countries (Australia, for example), from 1971 onwards.
I never saw that seat belt warning system in operating condition. By the 1980s they were all disabled. Occasionally I would see a GM vehicle that still had that push button override relay under the hood on the firewall.
The one good thing was making the lap and shoulder belt one piece. I had cars with separate lap and shoulder belts and it was a pain stowing the shoulder belt after use that I stopped using it. The rest of this system was garbage that was soon disconnected by the owner/dealership.
The 1970 Chevy Bel Air that I had as my first car had the separate lap and shoulder belts . I hated it and most of the time I simply used the lap belts since the shoulder belts were a pain to stow when not being used.
Yes, the separate lap and shoulder belts in my 1970 Buick Electra were a pain to use, but it made sense to do so and I wore them religiously. Stowing the shoulder belt back on the headliner in those metal clips was an aggravation, but since I was going to buckle it up when I got back in, I usually just let the belt hang down when I exited the car. In a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1972, the belts did their job and let me walk away with just bruises from the belts and minor scrapes. At that point, all the aggravation and hassle was well worth it.
@@glennso47 You are to be commended for at least wearing the lap belt back then as hardly anyone used seat belts in those days. Lap belts alone provided protection for only the lower body and the addition of the shoulder belt offered the best protection.
I by far prefer this system to the automatic chest seats in cars in the late 1980's. My 1974 Caprice was born with this, but when I bought it in 1985, it was disconnected. My 1975 Mark IV (my current car) does have a fasten seatbelt light on the dash, but it neither works nor do I know the history of it. It is a PA car.
@@theemulsionalchemist5688 I remember testing a early model Saturn car that had the automatic chest seat belt and it scared the daylights out of me. I was very glad to get out of that car.
Those automatic belt systems were put in vehicles just before they became equipped with airbags. At first, only the driver’s side had an airbag. In those vehicles, the driver had a regular manually fastened lap & shoulder belt. The passenger would still have the automatic belt. Those were a pain to use. The shoulder belt was automatic and always attached to the door, but you still had to manually fasten the lap belt. You could unlatch the shoulder belt from the door in some vehicles, but that meant latching 2 belts each time you got in the car.
@@bobwigg761 That was how the lap and shoulder belts worked in some cars in the late 60s and early 70s . You had to fasten the lap belt and separately fasten the shoulder belt and the shoulder belts were stored above you on the ceiling of the car when you were not using them. My 1970 Chevy Bel Air had seat belts like that. I hardly ever used the shoulder belts because they were a hassle to use.
@@glennso47 I remember those types of belt systems well. There were metal clips above the doors to store the shoulder belts when not in use. Common in GM cars from late ‘60s - early ‘70s. They didn’t have a retractor, so when you fastened them tightly, you could not move freely in the seat. No wonder hardly anyone used them back in the day,
Really a great video. I don’t mind that the government mandated this system because it arguably saves lives. The huge difference between wearing a mask and wearing a seatbelt is that when the going gets rough you do NOT take off your seatbelt. But when you’re dining in a public place you do take off your mask. Thus seatbelts give great protection while driving, but masks are a joke (and they’re not effective anyway). I think in 1974 there were people who could see through the ridiculousness of putting on a mask between bites while eating or leaving it off the whole meal. Today we have no freedom to say this.
@@theemulsionalchemist5688 I was that rare baby boomer that did buckle up back then. In 1970, I was a 22 year old sales rep with Phillip Morris and I had a 1970 Buick Electra with the separate lap and shoulder belts. I covered two states and was on the road five days a week. I buckled up both the lap and shoulder belts every time I drove that car. Those belts let me walk away from a head on collision with a drunk driver. I had bruises from the belts and a few minor scrapes. Far better than it would have been if I hadn't been buckled up.
Another case of messed up government regulation. Just can't imagine all the complaints and hassles dealers went through trying to educate, then listening to complaints about the car not starting, almost got in an accident, missed a wedding, etc. Fortunately, this system was removed in years to come. Most of those cars had the system bypassed as well.
what a hassle. im having to learn this and run through wires and schematics now because i thought my dad had a kill switch on his 74 firebird. hilarious setup, but they tried back then for safety lol
For all the discussion in the video about the front seat belt systems, GM (and Ford, Chrysler, AMC) persisted in using lap only belts in the rear seat, well into the eighties. Whilst not required by USA legislation, three point belt were being installed in the outboard rear seat positions in vehicles made in other countries (Australia, for example), from 1971 onwards.
you know how the big 3 were. they weren't going to do anything until they were forced too
Seat belts became law in ontario Canada in 1976
Me gustan esos carros
I never saw that seat belt warning system in operating condition. By the 1980s they were all disabled. Occasionally I would see a GM vehicle that still had that push button override relay under the hood on the firewall.
I think they were all bypassed.
My dad had that system disabled in our car.
Yeah I remember this garbage, it didn’t take long before we figured out how to disable that crash.
listen to those 300 lb doors closing ... its like a back ho bucket slammed on a concrete sidewalk
not 300lbs. if they were then I couldn't carry one out of the junk yard
اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على عبدك ورسولك محمدﷺ
5:25 that entire sequence seems confusing. How many people back then yanked this annoyance out at the first sign of trouble?
i am sure it was the number one request
The one good thing was making the lap and shoulder belt one piece. I had cars with separate lap and shoulder belts and it was a pain stowing the shoulder belt after use that I stopped using it. The rest of this system was garbage that was soon disconnected by the owner/dealership.
ear rippers
The 1970 Chevy Bel Air that I had as my first car had the separate lap and shoulder belts . I hated it and most of the time I simply used the lap belts since the shoulder belts were a pain to stow when not being used.
Yes, the separate lap and shoulder belts in my 1970 Buick Electra were a pain to use, but it made sense to do so and I wore them religiously. Stowing the shoulder belt back on the headliner in those metal clips was an aggravation, but since I was going to buckle it up when I got back in, I usually just let the belt hang down when I exited the car. In a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1972, the belts did their job and let me walk away with just bruises from the belts and minor scrapes. At that point, all the aggravation and hassle was well worth it.
@@glennso47 You are to be commended for at least wearing the lap belt back then as hardly anyone used seat belts in those days. Lap belts alone provided protection for only the lower body and the addition of the shoulder belt offered the best protection.
I by far prefer this system to the automatic chest seats in cars in the late 1980's.
My 1974 Caprice was born with this, but when I bought it in 1985, it was disconnected.
My 1975 Mark IV (my current car) does have a fasten seatbelt light on the dash, but it neither works nor do I know the history of it. It is a PA car.
Those motorized belt tracks almost took my ear off more than once
@@theemulsionalchemist5688 I remember testing a early model Saturn car that had the automatic chest seat belt and it scared the daylights out of me. I was very glad to get out of that car.
Those automatic belt systems were put in vehicles just before they became equipped with airbags. At first, only the driver’s side had an airbag. In those vehicles, the driver had a regular manually fastened lap & shoulder belt. The passenger would still have the automatic belt. Those were a pain to use. The shoulder belt was automatic and always attached to the door, but you still had to manually fasten the lap belt. You could unlatch the shoulder belt from the door in some vehicles, but that meant latching 2 belts each time you got in the car.
@@bobwigg761 That was how the lap and shoulder belts worked in some cars in the late 60s and early 70s . You had to fasten the lap belt and separately fasten the shoulder belt and the shoulder belts were stored above you on the ceiling of the car when you were not using them. My 1970 Chevy Bel Air had seat belts like that. I hardly ever used the shoulder belts because they were a hassle to use.
@@glennso47 I remember those types of belt systems well. There were metal clips above the doors to store the shoulder belts when not in use. Common in GM cars from late ‘60s - early ‘70s. They didn’t have a retractor, so when you fastened them tightly, you could not move freely in the seat. No wonder hardly anyone used them back in the day,
Really a great video. I don’t mind that the government mandated this system because it arguably saves lives. The huge difference between wearing a mask and wearing a seatbelt is that when the going gets rough you do NOT take off your seatbelt. But when you’re dining in a public place you do take off your mask. Thus seatbelts give great protection while driving, but masks are a joke (and they’re not effective anyway). I think in 1974 there were people who could see through the ridiculousness of putting on a mask between bites while eating or leaving it off the whole meal. Today we have no freedom to say this.
when I was growing up in the 70's no one wore their seat belts. today I feel naked without one
@@theemulsionalchemist5688 I was that rare baby boomer that did buckle up back then. In 1970, I was a 22 year old sales rep with Phillip Morris and I had a 1970 Buick Electra with the separate lap and shoulder belts. I covered two states and was on the road five days a week. I buckled up both the lap and shoulder belts every time I drove that car. Those belts let me walk away from a head on collision with a drunk driver. I had bruises from the belts and a few minor scrapes. Far better than it would have been if I hadn't been buckled up.
8:25 the baby should go in the back seat, never in the front seat.
Yes indeed!!!
This was before the widespread use of airbags.
The baby in a correct infant child seat is fine buckled in the front this was not one those seats front of back.
this is pre air bags
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Another case of messed up government regulation. Just can't imagine all the complaints and hassles dealers went through trying to educate, then listening to complaints about the car not starting, almost got in an accident, missed a wedding, etc. Fortunately, this system was removed in years to come. Most of those cars had the system bypassed as well.