Federal law made seat belts installation by manufacturers mandatory, Jan 1, 1968 under the safe motor vehicle standards. Many car companies installed them as options. I think Europe enacted safety laws, like seat belts, before the Federal Gov./ DOT.

I had a '63 VW bug that had seat belts that would fall out the door like you described, then my wife had a '67 VW with retractable seat belts. My dad had a '67 Dodge Dart that did have seat belts.

JrBuzz,
I have a '49 standard 8, 23 series. I did a lot of searching, even Ebay, ended up buying my wiring harness from Harnesses Unlimited. I'm almost finished with it and am very pleased with the way its turned out. It would have been easier if I didn't run into other problems that were not really related to the wiring.

Be advised that he does not have these harnesses sitting on the shelf. He makes each one to order. Tell them about ALLthe interior and trunk lighting or electrical. He does send along additional wire in case you forgot to tell him about a light like I did. Easy enough though to figure out. Take lots of photos!

Also, there are wires that run along the roof to the truck(taillights, license plate light and gas tank sending unit) so you will need to drop the headliner.

All in all, there harness was pretty straight forward and easy to install. Great instructions and he will answer the phone when you call.

http://www.harnessesunlimited.com/

All the best.

Excellent suggestions! I knew you guys would have some answers. Thanks very much for the pointers.

I'm looking for a source or an idea for replacement for the headliner bow grommets. Previous owner(s) must have had the same problem when I took the headliner down to replace the wiring. The headliner bows were held in place with bailing wire.

I have emailed Steele Products as there is thread about replacing a headliner in a '49 coupe on The Packard Club website. The author said he got his grommets at Steele.

I can't locate them on the Merritt website or catalog nor at Kanter's. Also have done a variety of searches on the net, nothing found so far.

GM has a nylon and rubber backed, part # 10351052 upon further inspection I don't see how this one would fit.

Any ideas or suggestions? Photos below are the best grommet in the car which I removed to photo.

Thanks!

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Thought this '53 would be a good start for someone who wants a 2 door.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5510722390.html

I've seen the '54 in San Luis Obispo, its a Fred Flintstone if anyone cares. I know it starts and drives well. Seller is very nice but the car does need some work.

So this is my part number question.
the 1st column has the part number then the next column has the car model number. After the car model number is a series of 2 digits numbers with dashes, what do they mean?
As an example; Group is 4.16012 "Reinforcement-taillight to fender mounting" Part # 422088 2301-02-06-22-32-33
IF! I find a pair (Including part # 422089) will they fit my 2392?

Thanks!

Oh Great idea! I have an old nail bar I can grind down.
Don't worry you explanation was just perfect.
I'll try this this afternoon.
Thanks Howard!
Barry

Bought new hood lever to cowl grommets as mine are missing.
Took some arm loose got the retainer washer off and then decided everything looks dirty. Took it apart, both arms and the rod. Cleaned and painted them. Got the new grommet in place, the washer went back on with a little persuasion. Here is the frustration, I had a heck of time compressing the spring enough to get back into place. Used a treaded rod with lots of washers. Have some really tough, waxed string and was able to get the rear one on (Of course made a big mess of my paint job). Tried the same thing with the front spring, but it won't be tied! Made a mess of that paint job too!
Any ideas? I have tried cable ties down through the coils, but they won't hold either. How in the heck do you get them back in there?
Thanks,
Barry
The arrow shows the new cowl grommet

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I don't recall a change in colors but an uncle had possibly a Pontiac (?) that had a speedometer that changed colors the faster you went. I remember standing in the back looking over his shoulder watching the speedometer tube change colors as he drove faster. No needle, just a painted tube.

It was similar to the Saab speedometer I found on line

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I'd like to drive each one of them!