I saw another post where someone said that all Mavericks and Comets had both shoulder and lap belts. Is this true? I see a lot of for sale ads were the vehicles are missing the shoulder belts.
federal safety requirements included lap and shoulder restraints for outboard front seat seating positions on passenger vehicles made after January 1, 1968, convertibles were exempted, light trucks built after July 1, 1971. So every Maverick and 70's Comets requires them.
Do a lot of people take the shoulder belt out then? I found it curious how so many I see for sale seem to be missing it.
If they don't use them the elastic that would hold it above the window stretches and they flap in the wind. So those I would bet get removed, and you have to take them out to put in a headliner. I personally have seen too many people kiss the steering wheel not to use one no matter how much of a pain it is that it does not let you reach everything in the car while driving.
The shoulder belt was a separate assembly for 1970-1973. It tucks up next to the headliner when not in use....so in a picture it may look like the car has no shoulder belts at all.
If you are tall and that elastic looses its strength, you tend to get beaned in the head with the buckle getting in and out of the car. You can either use that a reminder to buckle up, or take the miserable thing out of the car, like I did to both of mine. Running with just a lap belt .... not the best idea. I am adapting retractable 3 point belts this time around.