68 B body shoulder belts?

Did these cars come equipped with shoulder belts like the 69's did or were they even available? If they were available, are they the same as the 69 version. Thanks

Shoulder belts were available as early as 1966 and optional into the 1969 model year (I believe Jan 1, 1969 was the mandatory date).

shoulder belts were optional up to 1/1/68 mandatory after
head rests were optional up to 1/1/69 mandatory after

Yes 69 and 68 are the same.
They have a clasp near the sunvisor, and an anchor nut under the headliner, with a snap a few inches forward of the anchor bolt hole.

do you need a set?

I always thought both were mandated at the same time. So shoulder belts were 68 and headrest were 69, that answers one question I've had for awhile. Thanks

i have them in my 69 but cant find the point to snap them in to the lap belt.am i missing a peice?

Yes, you should have 2 separate receiver belts attached to at the hump bolt.

Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 208 making shoulder belts mandtory 1 January 1968


A "sash" or shoulder harness is a strap that goes diagonally over the vehicle occupant's outboard shoulder and is buckled inboard of his or her lap. The shoulder harness may attach to the lap belt tongue, or it may have a tongue and buckle completely separate from those of the lap belt. Shoulder harnesses of this separate or semi-separate type were installed in conjunction with lap belts in the outboard front seating positions of many vehicles in the North American market starting at the inception of the shoulder belt requirement of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 on 1 January 1968. However, if the shoulder strap is used without the lap belt, the vehicle occupant is likely to "submarine", or slide forward in the seat and out from under the belt, in a frontal collision. In the mid-1970s, 3-point belt I systems such as Chrysler's "Uni-Belt" began to supplant the separate lap and shoulder belts in American-made cars, though such 3-point belts had already been supplied in European vehicles such as Volvos, Mercedes, and Saabs for some years.

Also, shoulder belts were not seen until the middle of the model year of 68. My GTS had a build date of December 27th, 1967 and didn't have a provision for a shoulder harness.

Checked my broadcast sheet and it was an option that could be checked off. Anyone have broadcast sheet after December 67 showing shoulder belts as an option?

On a related topic, has anyone received a ticket for not using the shoulder belt? I've never used them in the older cars and can't remember seeing anyone else use them either. My Demon has them hanging in their original position, probably never taken down.

Thanks for your replies. I have a complete set for a 69 bench seat car that I'm getting ready to sell and I didn't want to label them as 68-69 if they weren't the same.

i have been pulled over many times for various things in my 69 i always have my seat belts on but not my SH.never got a warning or ticket for that.i guess if you give them enough other stuff to look at the SH is over looked.

In the 69 & 70 300's I have owned over the years, I never wore the shoulder belt - too confining if you tighten it up !!! Also, there were many a night drive where when you weren't wearing the shoulder belt, all of a sudden the shoulder belt comes down and "taps" you on the shoulder - scared the CRAP out of me !!! LOL . . . .

"Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 208 making shoulder belts mandatory 1 January 1968"

That explains why my 68 Newport Custom (build date September of 1967) did not have shoulder belts and my 68 New Yorker (build date February 1968) did have shoulder belts.
Thanks!

FYI,three point harness seatbelts did not become mandatory until model year 1974.
I still do not use the shoulder belts in my 73 wagon and cops do not bother me.