re: 73 GTV progress

[Dana Loomis <dloomis@domain.elided>]

richard welty is wondering why his presumably USA-model '73 GTV doesn't
have rear seat belts:
> i never went looking for rear belts or rear belt mounting points before. 
>in checking this afternoon, i couldn't find any. i would have thought that 
>a car with rear seats in 1973 would have had to have had rear lap belts 
>in the US market. 

A car with rear seats would have been required to have "passenger
restraints" for them, but that upolstered area in the rear of a GTV is not
a seat.  When the car was new, there was a sticker bearing ARI part numbers
in the middle of what appears to be the seat back, which said "Not to be
occupied while vehicle is in motion."  It really did.   A GTV I bought
years ago still had that sticker, and also had both rear ash trays crammed
with cigarette butts; I'm sure the driver crawled back there to smoke in
the parking lot.

In spite of the lack of seat belts, the car should have factory mounding
points for them.  Lift up the bottom cushion of the rear seat and you
should find the inboard ones on the tunnel.  The outboard mounts are harder
to find.  Look and feel around on the rounded wheel housing just next to
the upholstered quarter panel: the mount should be there, but may be
covered by the vinyl trim or seam sealer.

Good luck,
Dana Loomis
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