[Chrysler300] 57 Mopar and 'non mopar?' 1962 Seatbelts

["christopher beilby" <thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Warning more 'boring detail overload' ahead, may this be my last post for a 
while, but if the following is any help, perhaps to Nancy Terry who a while 
back raised this 'what seatbelts?' topic - who I hope is getting her/their 
two 300s nearer having some real fun with them both  ?!

Today I had a look at the front seat belts that my car still has that 
might/could/should be original to my Dec 28 56 build 300C that seemingly was 
a special order to run at Daytona 57.
(the most unusual part of the build for then was it was a manual steer, yet 
it not a manual car, but an auto, which Chrysler initially refused to build 
at that time.)
Luckily it is also still fitted with most/all of everything else unusual it 
had, plus what I believe are it's front seat seatbelts installed new - 
lightish grey fine webbing, ending with a sewn in round bar that holds two 
pieces of twined galv wire that then goes to be clamped via an alloy bar 
piece through the floor into the front edge/lip of the (standard 300C) 
underfloor bracket that runs across the whole width of floor.

Apologies the digital camera I use has been lent out, but in meantime before 
knowing you might be talking of this topic before I had shots, today I did 
note the steelwork parts of them are stamped/cast  "Brown  ...... ", have an 
unchromed cast alloy lift clasp, and secure together by means of a chromed 
plated tongue that is cut out like a bloated pear in the centre.  On the 
u/side of the lift flap I noted that "Pat(ent) Pending", and address was 
California, or Beverly Hills. Stiched to both webbings is a rectangular 
white with largish somewhat crude black Mopar label/insignia, with some 
other detail on it, but I did particulary note 'no date'.

I have also scavenged from another early US car a 2nd set of near identical 
Brown belts, only now the same cast clasp is chromed, and they now use more 
traditional method of bolts into floor (I would guess using factory mounts), 
and are black, and dated Sept 1962, or/and Oct 1962.  On the back of the 
clasp there is now a Patent number, and I saw address given is now Michigan. 
This time there is no Mopar or other label sewn into webbing.

So it seems if Chrysler still wanted to use "Brown" manufactured belts in 
1962, they were little different to 1957, with the exception of chromed 
buckle topplates, and now went all the way as webbing, to where bolted to 
floor direct with a sewn in more usual today type plate, with large (bolt) 
hole through it.

On the '57 ones, the clamping through/into the floor uses a seemingly real 
fine threaded chromelike 'u clamp' means, and on seeing how they wanted to 
pickup the front lip of the u/floor bracket, as a means of the belts not 
pulling up out of floor in an accident, this was obviously deliberate, as if 
they had used a thicker means it would have been larger than the narrow 
front edge of u/floor bracket?

I do not know how common these wire cable mount belts were (Wayne/others any 
idea?), they are a bloody nuisance re rear seat users, and I doubt safety 
people would approve them in cars used for family/other normal everyday 
uses, as your feet are obstructed/tangled/blocked by wire cabling of them 
them where it is pulled into floor/carpet, plus the stray excess length of 
the cable's two ends just flop around?

Christopher in Oz where today I found out working on finishing my dad's 
100/6 Austin Healey it uses two piston front brakes, just as do/did 300Cs 
have two cylinders - hows that for trivia !!  I last drove it in '69 before 
parking it when I got the Cobra, there is some more trivia.


>From: Paul Holmgren <paulholm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: Andy Mikonis <r41hp@xxxxxxxxx>
>CC: lettercars@xxxxxxx, brandt300g@xxxxxxxxx, chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] Seatbelts
>Date: Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:43:55 -0500
>
>Andy Mikonis wrote:
> > More on seatbelts.  I have a 1961 MoPar Accessories
> > catalog dated September 1960.  The only seatbelts
> > referred to are "Composed of aircraft-type gray nylon
> > webbing."  They do look quite dark in the illustration
> > - and nubby as Gil calls it.   For " 1961-'60 Chrysler
> > "300" " they indicate a p/n 1902291 which someone
> > crossed out and wrote in " Use 2 of 2162312."
> > Interestingly, they catalog also notes "Special floor
> > reinforcements are not required.
>
> > Andy
>
> > --- lettercars@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
>
> >>Hi Brandt and All:
> >>Several weeks ago Brandt raised a question regarding
> >>the availability of
> >>colors other than black in dealer
> >>installed/aftermarket seat belts.  At  that
> >>time I think I stated all my information indicated
> >>black only.
> >>Well, I have since come across a "Mopar Accessories"
> >>bullitin which
> >>indicates otherwise---at least for a short period of
> >>time.  I cannot read  the
> >>complete date at the bottom
> >>(-----BER, 1961), but 1960, 61, and 1962 vehicles
> >>are included.  Guess  it
> >>would have to have been issued during one of the
> >>last four months of 1961  then.
> >>  At any rate, It describes a Universal Seat Belt
> >>package, PN  2298 749 for
> >>front or rear seats, all models, available in red,
> >>green, royal  blue, navy
> >>blue, maroon, black, beige, and gray.  A picture of
> >>the box is  shown and one can
> >>read "Mopar" on it, as well as "Hickok", the
> >>supplier.   The buckle is of the
> >>metal to metal type, and the fabric can be seen as
> >>the  "nubby" texture, NOT
> >>like the 1962 and later material we are familiar
> >>with.  Also specified is a
> >>grommet, PN 2161 510 which is apparently needed  on
> >>1960, 61, 62 New Yorker and
> >>300s with carpeted seat backs, as well as 1960-61
> >>Windsors with the
> >>carpeting.  Don't know what that is about.
>
> >>Now, a 2nd Mopar Accessory Announcement----the one I
> >>originally refered to,
> >>and dated March 2, 1962 seems to superceed the
> >>above.  It states that the
> >>same seatbelts NOW standard equipment on the 300H
> >>are available for dealer
> >>installation in all 300 and 300H vehicles.  These
> >>are the ones with the 300
> >>medallion on the buckle. (PN 2421 446 front and 2421
> >>447 rear)  These are
> >>specifically stated to be available in BLACK only.
> >>Perhaps the Hickok  belts continued
> >>to be available for non-300 models.  Something sure
> >>must have been.
>
> >>300ly, Gil Cunningham
>
>As far as using 'nubby' seatbelt material,  IF you are planning on
>driving the car, AND actually using the seatbelts for safty reasons,
>finding 'nubby' webbing is a real question mark in my opinion.
>
>IN my work we only used rated safety belt webbing that was current
>rated. Couldnt be over 2 years old,  even ladder tiedowns.
>
>I stumbled across some new still in box late 50's/early 60's seatbelt
>sets. They had the 'nubby' webbing.  I am using the metal hardware but
>replacing all the webbing with new. I prefer (heaven forbid it should
>ever be put to the test) fully functionable trustworthy seatbelts to the
>gamble almost 50 year old material presents over broken body parts.
>
>--
>Paul Holmgren
>2 57 300-C's in Indy
>Hoosier Corps L#6
>
>
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>




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