Looking for seat belts for my 64 Rivi

[atencioee]

Hello Everyone!

I'm looking for seat belts for two seats in my 64 Rivi (I'm looking for the bolts that hold rhem in place too). I'm looking for the black belts & black buckles like this one pictured. Please let me know...thank you! 

[RivNut]

Bolts can be purchased from most any supplier of reproduction parts, especially Chevy suppliers.  The belts you pictured are either an aftermarket product or something taken from something non-GM.  64 Buick seat belts are unique, chrome latch with Buick trishield.

[atencioee]

2 minutes ago, RivNut said:

Bolts can be purchased from most any supplier of reproduction parts, especially Chevy suppliers.  The belts you pictured are either an aftermarket product or something taken from something non-GM.  64 Buick seat belts are unique, chrome latch with Buick trishield.

I'm very certain these belts came with the car. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there were a few different seat belts/buckles used in 64 and I have seen other Rivieras with these same belts/buckles.

[RivNut]

You probably have seen other Rivieras with these belts but that are not the belts that were installed at the factory. Maybe Dealer installed but not factory parts.  The factory belts that were factory installed were one of two. Each from a different supplier but with the same general design.  Factory belts were color coded to match the interior and had chrome latches

 

Here's a set of four that I have for my 64

 

[KongaMan]

IIRC, there are two different styles of belts for 64 (from different companies).  Each has a chrome latch.  If you do a search on here, you can find a more detailed discussion and pics of disassembled buckles.

 

If you're looking for bolts, remember that the factory belts had a 1/2" hole while many (most?) aftermarket belts have a 7/16" hole.  The bolts all have a 7/16" thread, but the factory bolts have a short 1/2" shoulder beneath the head.  IOW, they're not a good match for the aforementioned aftermarket belts -- and the aftermarket belts are really bad fit for the stock bolts.  All of which is to say: get bolts that work with your belts.

Edited June 16, 2020 by KongaMan (see edit history)

[telriv]

The belts in my '64 are similar in style to '64 belts BUT they have an Olds logo on them.  So they must have been installed by the selling dealer.  This I KNOW because I'm the one who ordered the car & am the original owner.

Picked up an NOS pair of belts that has the correct latch.

GM didn't come out with the plastic (which are what are pictured I believe) until around the early/mid 70's.

 

Tom T.

[RivNut]

Wesco has the correct shoulder bolts and an attachment plate to go with it. The attachment plate is to be welded to the bottom side of your floor pan.  It's fairly big and sturdy.

[abandg]

I have a re chromed set of 64 buckles. !50 plus 10 to ship. The chrome is beautiful. Gene.

[atencioee]

29 minutes ago, abandg said:

I have a re chromed set of 64 buckles. !50 plus 10 to ship. The chrome is beautiful. Gene.

Those are purrrdy!!! Wow! Woyld you happen to have another set? The reason why I'm looking for another set in addition to what I have is so I can install seat belts for my back seats. They didn't come with them.

[1965rivgs]

14 hours ago, atencioee said:

I'm very certain these belts came with the car. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there were a few different seat belts/buckles used in 64 and I have seen other Rivieras with these same belts/buckles.

  YOU ARE CORRECT...the belt you pictured is the standard seat belt which would have been installed in a `64 Riv which was built after Jan 1st, 1964 when front seat belts became mandatory equipment. There were also 2 different suppliers for chrome buckle versions of the seat belts in `64.

  Pretty sure I have NOS versions of both styles if you are interested, please send a PM

Tom Mooney

[dr914]

37 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

  YOU ARE CORRECT...the belt you pictured is the standard seat belt which would have been installed in a `64 Riv which was built after Jan 1st, 1964 when front seat belts became mandatory equipment. There were also 2 different suppliers for chrome buckle versions of the seat belts in `64.

  Pretty sure I have NOS versions of both styles if you are interested, please send a PM

Tom Mooney

Totally agree.  My Dad's car had these same ones installed when we picked up the car at the dealer.  These were the mandatory ones front only as required by the DOT Car purchased May 28th 1964

[1965rivgs]

1 hour ago, dr914 said:

Totally agree.  My Dad's car had these same ones installed when we picked up the car at the dealer.  These were the mandatory ones front only as required by the DOT Car purchased May 28th 1964

Hi George,

  Yours is actually a later version of the plastic buckle belts in `64. The first ones were plain like the buckle atencioee pictured above. The later `64 plastic buckle is like the one pictured here:

Tom M

[KongaMan]

Sounds like Buick cheaped out once they couldn't charge extra.  

[atencioee]

5 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

  YOU ARE CORRECT...the belt you pictured is the standard seat belt which would have been installed in a `64 Riv which was built after Jan 1st, 1964 when front seat belts became mandatory equipment. There were also 2 different suppliers for chrome buckle versions of the seat belts in `64.

  Pretty sure I have NOS versions of both styles if you are interested, please send a PM

Tom Mooney

Hi Tom,

I just sent you a pm.

Gene (atencioee)

[XframeFX]

I will quite likely contradict facts above. This is because Seatbelts varied a lot for 1st Gen. Riv's. I spent way too much effort trying to be correct with my '63. What I've found is 1965 production is when GM started with in-house sourced standard seatbelts (Fisher Division?)

For my '63, they outsourced like we do the aftermarket today. 1964 appears to be a mixed bag where divisions like Cadillac had their own buckles. Factors such as 1) option code or 2) Dealer installed complicate GM's logic even more.

 

So matching the Buckle pictured? Want to have a matching set for the rear? Black should be easy.

 

What I know now is that I should've purchased universal seatbelts from my local vendor and saved $$$.

 

Aftermarket:

The original 7/16" bolt with has been deemed "un-safe" by all the places I consulted (Pix). The 1/2" shoulder is too big for the 7/16" in aftermarket seatbelts. However, the original bolt can be purchased from places like OPGI. Only a 7/16" grade-5 bolt is approved by suppliers.

Frustrating to shop on-line for aftermarket seatbelts. Their images usually show the belt BUCKLED! What help is that!

 

John  B.

[KongaMan]

14 minutes ago, XframeFX said:

Frustrating to shop on-line for aftermarket seatbelts. Their images usually show the belt BUCKLED! What help is that!

 

Don't most people buckle their belts when they use them?  

[1965rivgs]

  First use of the Fisher carriage logo was late `64 model year. The late `64 and `65 Fisher carriage belt buckles look very similar but there are subtle differences in the shape of the buckle. I can pick off the `64 and `65 belts at a glance due to the differences....and the date codes confirm this.

Tom

[abandg]

The re chromed buckles are sold. Thank you, Gene.

[1965rivgs]

NOS...👍

Tom

[atencioee]

5 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

NOS...👍

Tom

Hi Tom, just sent you a pm

[atencioee]

On 6/18/2020 at 1:22 PM, atencioee said:

Hi Tom, just sent you a pm

Hello Tom, I sent you a pm this morning

[1965rivgs]

3 hours ago, atencioee said:

Hello Tom, I sent you a pm this morning

Replied

Tom

[KongaMan]

Why use PMs if you're going to have the conversation here?  

[RivNut]

Same reason you ask them "why."

[RockinRiviDad]

Did any first-gen seat belt retractors have the “auto lock” when pulled to fast.
 

Not sure how to describe it. When putting on your seat belt on new cars it locks if u pull too fast which is a safety thing to keep us in our seat when/if in an accident. Is this just a new car thing?

[telriv]

In a word    NO!!!  The thing that makes them tight is on the buckle end that you cinch up.

[RivNut]

That's called an inertia reel.  Stays loose until sudden "inertia" action causes it to lock up. No, the early belts were all static.

[RockinRiviDad]

Inertia…that’s the term. Thx

 

Has there been any aftermarket retractors made with the “inertia” built in to be used as a replacement for our classic cars?

[RivNut]

Usually, the only need for an inertia reel is for a shoulder belt.  Normally you don't need movement for a lap belt.  Look at one of your newer cars and I think you'll find only the end that's part of the shoulder belt has an inertia reel. The part of the belt that attaches near the side of the seat to the buckle is static. No need for the inertia reel for a lap belt (unless you do a lot of scratching while you're driving. 🤔

Edited June 26, 2020 by RivNut
Spell check (see edit history)

[RockinRiviDad]

Yes. Your right. But for cars like our Riv’s without shoulder belts & ONLY lap belts, I would think it would help to have the inertia thing on the lap belt. Maybe not? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[telriv]

Just actually think about what your asking????   The buckle end of the seat belt is where you make your adjustment not on the end that retracts as that end is a fixed end & relatively short.  So in reality the buckle end would need the inertia

"thing" on that end which would do you no good because the buckle end is where you make the adjustment as tight or as loose as you want it to be.

Understand???

 

just my thoughts again.

 

Tom T.

[RockinRiviDad]

Ooooooh…I just sat in my Riv & figured out what u said. This brain fart was the effects of too much “Mary Jane” in my life when I was young. Kids…take note…its not worth it haha

 

carry on folks…nothing to see here 🤦🏻‍♂️😜

[telriv]

I understand & relate to where you are coming from as I relate things to just getting older

Ha Ha Ha

 

Tom T.

[RockinRiviDad]

Oh yeah…there’s that too 🤣

Edited June 26, 2020 by RockinRiviDad (see edit history)

[RivNut]

For a few of us we refer to that as a "senior moment."

A number of years ago, I thought that a pair of bucket seats from a Chrysler JXi convertible would look good in my Riviera. I liked the idea of them because the shoulder belt was an intergal part of the seat, nothing anchored to the floor boards. I found a pair and got them home.  For the life of me I couldn't get the shoulder belt to move, either way.  It took some research but I found out that the shoulder belt was always locked in place unless there was 12V running to the locking mechanism.  That required wiring to the door jamb switch which meant that you could move the seat back and the belt would extend with it when the engine wasn't running.  Once the door was shut, the 12V source came from a solenoid buried in the console.  That solenoid was on an inertia plate. Any sudden forward movent, or if the solenoid sensed a tilt of 30° the 12V source was interrupted and the locking mechanism in the back of the seat would lock the belt. Needless to say, I sold those seats pretty quickly.

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by RivNut (see edit history)