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66 Satellite Front Seat Question

66 Sat

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Hey guys, can someone tell me if the front seats on a 66 Satellite tip forward to allow access for rear passengers without disengaging any lever? Mine simply tip forward when pulled - I can't even see any locking mechanism.
The reason I ask is I'm just about ready to register the car and have started worrying about the lap belts only. The rear seat isn't so bad as I can fabricate some shoulder harnesses for the kids, but I don't want 3 point seatbelts up front as they are ugly and I don't want to remove the headlining to install mounts. I was thinking of some four point harness that attached to the back of the seat itself and tucked away out of sight when not in use, but that isn't going to work if the seat back just flies forward in a collision. Surely they would lock somehow?
The seats are as per the attached pic (not mine unfortunately)
661323_257315_134629_045_zpspvjhqmmu.jpg
 
I do not remember any locks. Lap belts only. Shoulder belts where an extra. Remember 1966 was the first year seat belts were required in all 50 states. The bench seat satellite was considered a 6 passenger vehicle. With buckets 5 passenger.
Had buckets from a 66 300 in my bel still no seatback lock.
As far as seat belts for kids check with your inspection place most state have equipment requirements online. Thats precious cargo do whats right.
I dont know about Australia but here they can not make us put in what was not standard equipment for that year.
 
Thanks for the info. Australia is a bit silly in that they won't pass you if you put seatbelts in that don't have an Australian Design Rules approval number stamped on them, but if you took them out altogether (and they weren't standard equipment) then they will pass you.
So if there are no locks on the seatbacks, then would the empty passenger seat tip forward during an emergency stop? The old drums wouldn't ever stop hard enough to try but I have discs up front now.
You're right about having to make the back seat safe, the kids won't be able to go in the car otherwise.
 
Yes the seats just fold forward when pushed, no locking mechanism.
 
Yeah the latches came out later 60's I have none in my '63 Plymouth convert. I added headrests to the buckets as I've had neck surgery and doc says whiplash could be a real bad thing for me. Added rear seat belts. Funny story related to no seat latches: My dad took me out to practice driving in mom's 60 T-Bird. They had buckets no latches of course and he made the mistake of sitting in the passenger seat angled toward me so his arm was over the seat back with his other arm crossed over holding his upper arm for support. Well I hit the brakes pretty hard and he ends of banging his head on the dashboard when the seat back flipped forward...yeah those latches were a nice addition!
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. I was really hoping the pivot point of the seat had been designed so they wouldn't tip forward in a crash but it seems like the Thunderbird's certainly didn't. I'll have to test it once I get it on the road. Those seat backs are heavy, so I'll be the meat in the sandwich between the seat flying forward and the non-collapsible steering column spearing toward me....
I wasn't even thinking about safety until I saw that recent Charger crash, but once you know about something it seems like tempting fate not to try to do something about it. Oh well, it's probably no more dangerous that riding my mountain bike down hills at 50 mph, and what else am I going to do - stay in bed all day and hope for the best? That's not living.
 
Your concern about being in the sandwich is what drove the "regulators" to require shoulder straps and the collapsible steering column & eventually air bags. Don't impact anything & you're good.
 
My seat backs are pretty light even with the added headrests on them the bottoms are much heavier as I've had the seats in and out of my car a dozen times. If you're in a crash I'd say the least of your worries is the seat back. I added a lot of safety upgrades like the headrests, discs, radials, dual reservoir, sway bar, firm-feel steering, that makes the car drive better than new. I'd say those would be things to have concern with for the safety of you and passengers.
 
67 Charger, same seat. I have never seen a lock at all. Rears lock though (buckets). Same rules in Canada, if it’s stock it passes. Sometimes it’s a very liberating feeling, but in a real accident, it would be a poor outcome. A friend’s 64 Polara has no rear belts (stock). Legal, not what most would wives would like to see for belts for their kids. But as kids we rarely wore belts on long trips- especially in station wagons!
 
Yeah...my folks had a '57 T-Bird the two-seater, we would drive to IL to visit relatives four of us...the folks, my older bro, and me. As I was the youngest/smallest I'd lay in the back deck getting a great view of traffic thru the rear window...I wondered why that decision was made since we had a sedan at the time; but my dad hated to drive as it wasn't fast enough for him. It was a short stint though as he kept that sedan like five months before getting rid of it for a '60 Bird with four seats. My folks loved T-Birds.
 
yes a panic stop in a stock 66 will tip an empty seat back forward
 
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