Riviera63 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Hi, I am looking to buy a pair of nice male seat belt ends for the Brownline/Eberhart 500 series seat belts that were used in the 1963/1964, preferably in black. Please PM me if you have some you would like to sell. I have attached pictures of what I need. Thanks. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 The belts that you've pictured, with the Sept. 63 date, are in fact the factory belt for the '64 model. Most seat belts that you find in '63's are something that the dealer installed. Federally mandated seat belts were law in Jan. of '64. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 Hi Ed, I understand that these are actually 64 belts. It's one of those things where I like the design/look better than maybe not being absolutely correct. My car was manufactured without seatbelts. Isn't it possible these could be technically correct as an owner of a non-seat belt 63 comes in later and has seat belts installed, wouldn't these have been the belts installed? Thanks. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozzie Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 I have a 64' and it actually has the plain belt. I'm pretty sure they are original as they are very old and the correct color to match the interior. No Buick emblems though - just a universal belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) Depends on the build date. If you car was built on or before Dec. 31, 1963, it could have dealer installed belts in it. Check the build date on the data plate. OPGI shows male seat belt ends in their catalog but I don't see them online. I'd also check with Ssnake Oyl to see what they may have or recommend. Edited December 17, 2015 by RivNut (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 From what I have read on other threads that dealt with seat belts/seat belt retractors there was also a "deluxe" belt for 1964 that had a plain non-chrome buckle. The chrome buckles were labeled as "custom" belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted December 17, 2015 Share Posted December 17, 2015 From what I have read on other threads that dealt with seat belts/seat belt retractors there was also a "deluxe" belt for 1964 that had a plain non-chrome buckle. The chrome buckles were labeled as "custom" belts.Would you furnish the links to those other threads? I'd like to read what was said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted December 17, 2015 Author Share Posted December 17, 2015 Hi Ed, Below are two links. The first one describes the custom versus deluxe but, there is some question as to whether the deluxe buckle is plain or has a Fischer Body emblem. The second link clarifies that the deluxe buckle was plain. Go to the 3rd page towards the bottom, Eric's.64.Superwildcat discusses his 64 seat belt code and has a picture of the deluxe belt that was in his 64. http://forums.aaca.org/topic/214452-show-me-you-64-seat-belts/?hl=%2Bseat+%2Bbelt+%2Bretractors#entry1104845 http://forums.aaca.org/topic/230047-1963-riviera-help/page-3?hl=+seat+belt +retractors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 Hi Ed, Below are two links. The first one describes the custom versus deluxe but, there is some question as to whether the deluxe buckle is plain or has a Fischer Body emblem. The second link clarifies that the deluxe buckle was plain. Go to the 3rd page towards the bottom, Eric's.64.Superwildcat discusses his 64 seat belt code and has a picture of the deluxe belt that was in his 64. http://forums.aaca.org/topic/214452-show-me-you-64-seat-belts/?hl=%2Bseat+%2Bbelt+%2Bretractors#entry1104845 http://forums.aaca.org/topic/230047-1963-riviera-help/page-3?hl=+seat+belt +retractorsYes Bill, I believe the plain plastic buckle without any logo is the standard belt for Jan 1st `64 and later `64 cars. Hard to see in the pics but the embossed like pattern in the plastic matches the Seville grain pattern of the `64 vinyl material. I have now encountered this buckle design in quite a few `64 cars including a `64 which was retrofitted with belts made in `67 with the plain plastic `64 buckle. Obviously by `67 the seat belt buckles had a logo on them and Buick was not using a Seville grained pattern so the belts were manufactured in `67 to match the `64 design. Interesting to note we now have a 3rd seat belt manufacturer of `64 belts. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loren@65GS.com Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) Not to be argumentative, but federal mandate took place in 1968. I do know from a '65 dealer facts book that seat belts could be deleted and save the buyer a few dollars. Here is what I found about the Federal Mandate: Most seat belt legislation in the United States is left to the states. However, the first seat belt law was a federal law, Title 49 of the United States Code, Chapter 301, Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, which took effect on January 1, 1968, that required all vehicles (except buses) to be fitted with seat belts in all designated seating positions.[1] This law has since been modified to require three-point seat belts in outboard seating positions, and finally three-point seat belts in all seating positions.[2] Initially, seat belt use was not compulsory. New York was the first state to pass a law which required vehicle occupants to wear seat belts, a law that came into effect on December 1, 1984 Loren Edited December 19, 2015 by Loren@65GS.com (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted December 19, 2015 Author Share Posted December 19, 2015 The earlier federal mandate made seat belts mandatory in the front only. The later mandate for cars manufactured after January 1,1968 expanded this to include the rear and what type of belts, shoulder harnesses, etc. This is stated in the U.S. Department of Transportation Uniform Vehicle Code section 12-412. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Curran Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I believe that every GM car beginning with the 1967 models had front seat belts as standard equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riviera63 Posted December 24, 2015 Author Share Posted December 24, 2015 I have decided not to pursue this path as far as seat belts go. I will not need the male seat belt ends. Thanks. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now