<VV> Why "crossed" lap belts?

[John O'Shea]

The crossed over inner lap belt use has to do with the center tunnel doesn't 
it?  If you use the inner lap belt on the same side as your seat, that belt 
is actually slightly behind the seat, not along side it.  Didn't the tunnel 
structure and internals prevent the inner seat belts from being anchored on 
the sides of the seats like in other GM cars of that time?

Someone in the past has posted a picture of a formed steel bracket that 
spans across the carpet and anchors to both inner seat belt mounts.  New 
inner belt anchors aligned along the sides the seats are part of the 
bracket.  As I recall, that bracket was designed so lap belts could be 
better used with a center console.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Wrsssatty at aol.com>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 8:00 AM
Subject: <VV> Why "crossed" lap belts?


> Interesting thread regarding GM's recommendation that the inboard, female
> (buckle as opposed to tongue) portion of the lap belts be "crossed over"
> (i.e.  driver to use the one bolted behind the passenger and vice versa). 
> I've
> always wondered about that.  The only possible explanation I could come up
> with is that maybe it was intended to minimize the likelihood that
> occupants  would slide out laterally in the likely event that the door 
> would pop
> open  in a crash in the days before Chevy put safety door latches on their
> cars  (1st done in model year '63).  Does anyone have access to official
> Chevy/GM  seat belt instructions for model years '64 and/or '65?  I know 
> that for
> my  '63s such info is not contained in the Owner's Guide but on a separate
> card that  was to be inserted in the glove box should the optional,
> dealer-installed  "Custom Feature Accessory" seat belts be purchased.  I 
> think a card
> was  likewise used for model year '64 and it might even have been a carry
> over from  previous years.  Who can tell us about '65?  Was seat belt 
> usage
> discussed in the Owner's Guide for '65 or was it still on a separate 
> insert
> card?  And what instruction was given in regard to whether the belts were
> to be crossed?
>
> ~Bill Stanley