For sale: 1974 Buick Riviera with Air cushion restraint system (air bags). Both units are intact with all brackets and wire harness. Will sell parts or whole car. Overall condition of car is bad with some rust and body damage. Asking $2500.00 will consider serious offers. Car located near Seward, NE. Phone 402 643 5058 ask for Monte Possible delivery.

[Shaffer]

The airbag option was rare. Only 10,000 GM cars from 1974-1976 had the option. Was only available on full-size Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs. My grandmothers old 1974 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham had this air-cushion restraint (airbag) option. It finally rusted down to the road as well, and that was back in the mid 1980s.

Hello Mr. Shaffer. I was told less than 1000 GM cars from 74' -76' had this option, and only four Rivs had this in 74'. If you are correct, the car I have may not be as rare as I first thought. [img]images/icons/confused.gif" border="0[/img] Can you tell me what you think these parts are worth? As a side note, I do have a 73' Grand Safari wagon for sale. No engine or transmission, but straight and fairly rust free. Asking $1000.00. All for now.

[Shaffer]

Maybe it was 1,000. Someone here on the site had said 10,000, so I am not sure. I am not sure what the parts would be worth. I know people on the wagon group with 74-76 Oldsmobile and Buick wagons and they may want the airbag parts, I will post about them there. My grandmothers old 74 Oldsmobile Toronado was the only one I have actually ever seen with the option, so I guess it is very rare these days to find one equipped. I would have liked the 73 Grand Safari you mentioned, but I am looking for a drivable car. They are very rare cars as well. I have looked for a complete and good 71-76 Grand Safari for a long time. I know someone needing parts for a 73 Safari. What other details do you have on the wagon? Does it have woodgrain? 2 or 3-seat? Any power options? How are the 1/4 panels? Thanks.

not as rare as you think. do you remember a couple years ago when the guy who plays al bundy on married with children did commercials for 1800callatt (before carrottop)? he drove around in a white 75 chevy 4dr with a forest green interior, accosting people at fone booths?<P>that car had the restraint system too. which got me thinking that it must have been swapped in, so i started asking around, and found a handful of people online who had owned chevies with this option. so maybe not so rare afterall.<P>allan

[my3buicks]

I knew a woman that was in a horrific accident in her brand new 76 Caddy, investigators said that the airbags saved her life. Sadly 4 died in the 72 New Yorker. [img]images/icons/frown.gif" border="0[/img]

[Shaffer]

Someone on here once mentioned to us on a previous post about early airbags and they said some of the 73 Chevrolets (full-size) was equipped, but I think it was not factory, but rather another company installing and testing airbags. Perhaps that lasted until about 75-76 on the Chevrolets.

[Philippe Racicot]

I would be interested to buy the bumper impact detector and wiring if it's in good condition and maybe the sensor recorder. Thanks to Tony for giving me the information.

[Philippe Racicot]

I have seen a few cars with this option over the years. Iremember having seen a 1974 Caddy Fleetwood a 75 olds 88 sedan a 75 Park Avenue and my 75 electra ltd. Asfar as I know 1000 1973 experimental Chevrolets were equipped with air bags (from"Buick a complete history")and the option was available on all full size Buicks Olds and Caddilacs exept wagons and convertibles. Cars with air bags so not have shoulder belts or starter interlock, they do not have seat belt warning light and buzzer and they do not have tilt steering. Their lower dash pads are also different and incorporates a knee restraint on the driver side and a large cushion for the center and right passengers. The passenger cushion have two levels of deployment depending of the speed of the crash.

[rocketraider]

I have a copy of Oldsmobile's 1974 ACRS dealer brochure with picture of the dash and steering wheel. The lower dash is different, has a larger padded shelf from extreme left side to the area under the radio. Ashtray is moved to the upper section of dash and took up part of what was normally glovebox. Steering wheel is a four-spoke soft vinyl piece with an "Air Cushion Restraint System" emblem at lower right of the pad.<P>The advertising push was that you didn't have to mess with the seat belt/starter interlock or shoulder harness, which y'all may recall was quite unpopular and was quickly discontinued, with a government approved factory issued procedure to disable it. Guess public outcry and rage could influence the Federal nannies then. <P>Ballyhoo? "ACRS... a space age engineered passive restraint system"<P>The brochure seems to validate the 1000 experimental Chevys also- "one thousand ACRS equipped cars have also been driven nearly 40 million miles in actual on-the-road service". That may be where the 1000 cars produced figure came from.<P>Seems like I have a copy of the 1976 ACRS service manual supplement too, but I can't start it here at the house. Probably in the Regency. If I find it I'll post more.