1957 Seat Belts

[lancemb 872]

Does anybody have a picture or reference of what the original correct 1957 seat belts look like?

[dei 3,229]

Hey Lance,

I'm guessing you mean what aftermarket seat belts would look like as they were not offered originally right?

My Limited has seat belts in it that were there when I bought the car back in the 80's.

I could take a few pictures of those if you like.

[lancemb 872]

7 hours ago, dei said:

Hey Lance,

I'm guessing you mean what aftermarket seat belts would look like as they were not offered originally right?

My Limited has seat belts in it that were there when I bought the car back in the 80's.

I could take a few pictures of those if you like.

Hi Doug, no I am referring to the rare factory accessory seatbelts!

[dei 3,229]

Wow! I'll bet they are rare...

I just found out I'm not too old to learn something yet. 

I knew they became optional in the mid 60's before they became mandatory but hadn't realised they were available in the late 50's.

 

Will be interested to see any that are so equipped also.

Thanks for the lesson Lance.

[lancemb 872]

1 hour ago, dei said:

Wow! I'll bet they are rare...

I just found out I'm not too old to learn something yet. 

I knew they became optional in the mid 60's before they became mandatory but hadn't realised they were available in the late 50's.

 

Will be interested to see any that are so equipped also.

Thanks for the lesson Lance.

They are shown in the accessories guide, but can't really tell what they're supposed to look like.  My coupe has them and trying to confirm whether or not they are original accessory.  If they are, I will have them restored.  Otherwise I'll just buy new ones, which look very similar.  I imagine 58 ones are the same.

[Roadmaster75 62]

Lance

 

I was very pleased with the color and buckle selection I made at Julianos

for my 58 Roadmaster.  It had the leather and  cloth silver interior.

 

They nailed the silver belt webbing and matched to a period correct chrome 

“airliner” style buckle.  They are not the cheapest but I felt they had the greatest range

of options for my car.   Looked factory.

 

No longer own the car or  i’d send pics.

 

Mike

 

[Bloo 970]

This won't be definitive, every 50s GM I have seen with "factory" (dealer installed?) seat belts looked like the same ones. The buckle looks like the one in this picture. Only the buckle, I don"t recognize anything else here. The seat belt webbing had a much coarser weave, more like burlap, but silky smooth.

 

[Caballero2 229]

I have one somewhere in my stuff.  I will look for it.  But, when we restored the '57 Caballero, I found the factory installed option in a salvage yard.  The Buckle was exactly the same as those used by the airlines of the time in DC-3s.  It was the old slip through type that appears very similar to the one below.  I found a full set in an aircraft parts and salvage operation near Denver. The BCA judges have never questioned them.

11 hours ago, Bloo said:

This won't be definitive, every 50s GM I have seen with "factory" (dealer installed?) seat belts looked like the same ones. The buckle looks like the one in this picture. Only the buckle, I don"t recognize anything else here. The seat belt webbing had a much coarser weave, more like burlap, but silky smooth.

 

 

[TG57Roadmaster 247]

This is how they appear in the '57 Facts Book.

 

TG

[dei 3,229]

Went into my '58 Limited and took these pictures.

You be the judge if they are of any help or not.

I bought this car in 1980 which had been off the road with transmission troubles for some time.

These seat belts were in it and as you can see, have not done anything to the car.

They look like the ones Bloo posted.

 

 

[dei 3,229]

cont'd...

[dei 3,229]

cont'd...

 

Edited May 13, 2018 by dei (see edit history)

[Bloo 970]

9 minutes ago, dei said:

Went into my '58 Limited and took these pictures.

You be the judge if they are of any help or not.

I bought this car in 1980 which had been off the road with transmission troubles for some time.

These seat belts were in it and as you can see, have not done anything to the car.

They look like the ones Bloo posted.

 

 

 

Yep, that's the buckle. The other half (tongue?) looks right as well. I stand corrected on the webbing. That webbing looks like the kind still used, and will be much easier to find.

[dei 3,229]

I can tell you than sitting in the car all these years they are still supple and smooth.

Those wrinkles will come out once I leave them on the seat. They were on the floor under the seats for the longest time...

 

So, would these be the later aftermarket ones?

The buckle / latch looks different from the '57 accessory book picture.

[Bloo 970]

1 hour ago, dei said:

So, would these be the later aftermarket ones?

The buckle / latch looks different from the '57 accessory book picture.

 

I don't know. I think you have the right ones.

[lancemb 872]

4 hours ago, dei said:

 

The buckle / latch looks different from the '57 accessory book picture.

A lot of things do.  That's why I don't use these illustrations as reliable sources of what's "correct".  It's a rendering, not a photograph, and is often done pre-production, so actual sourcing can vary.  I think these look like the ones that came in my car, but I'll have to dig them out and see.

[TG57Roadmaster 247]

"This is how they appear in the '57 Facts Book."

 

4 hours ago, lancemb said:

A lot of things do.  That's why I don't use these illustrations as reliable sources of what's "correct".  It's a rendering, not a photograph, and is often done pre-production, so actual sourcing can vary.  I think these look like the ones that came in my car, but I'll have to dig them out and see.

 

 I only mentioned what the belts looked like in the Facts Book, not that they were "correct."

[lancemb 872]

9 hours ago, TG57Roadmaster said:

"This is how they appear in the '57 Facts Book."

 

 I only mentioned what the belts looked like in the Facts Book, not that they were "correct."

My response was not to your comment, it was to dei's, "The buckle / latch looks different from the '57 accessory book picture"

 

I wanted to point out that this doesn't necessarily mean his are not original.

[Roadmaster75 62]

For what its worth.........

 

Dei’s pic shows exacrly the same weave and buckle style I got from Julianos.

Good automotive archeology going on here!

 

 

[lancemb 872]

I will dig mine out.  I am guessing they are original.  At the least they are from the 1960's or older as that's the last time the car was on the road.  I'm pretty sure they have the thicker weave as described earlier.

[Caballero2 229]

I have not located my originals at this time.  I do remember that the webbing for the original was almost twice as thick as the modern and with a course weave. Also, the end that threaded through the buckle had a thin stainless steel cap crimped over the end cut.  I transferred those to the belts in the Caballero.  (Which had the thin webbing but a good color)

Dan

Edited May 11, 2018 by Caballero2 (see edit history)

[KongaMan 988]

2 hours ago, lancemb said:

My response was not to your comment, it was to dei's, "The buckle / latch looks different from the '57 accessory book picture"

 

I wanted to point out that this doesn't necessarily mean his are not original.

 

FWIW (which may not be much), I've got a set of belts with buckles that look like those in the book.  While I cannot confidently assert their provenance, I do know that a) they go back well over 50 years, b) Dad had a 57 Buick, and c) it had seatbelts in it from the jump.

[Caballero2 229]

Pretty nice seating for a DC-3, don't you think?

 

[dei 3,229]

With that last picture it got me to thinking if the Limited "parts car" had seat belts (or what would be left of seat belts) so went out and dug inside. 

 

The hardware appears to be similar but the material is different from my other car.

 

[dei 3,229]

Just to be clear, 

This now parts car my Dad bought in 1969 and he did not put those seat belts in.

My other Limited I purchased in 1980 and again did not put those seat belts in. 

 

Can't imagine that much difference between 1957's and 1958's if this helps any Lance.