Few pics of a rare '68 Charger with a rare option

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

At Carlisle there was a super rare optioned '68 Charger.  Two of the rare options were the rear shoulder belts and a single headrest.  Thats right in 68 you had the option of ordering a single headrest (and if I'm not mistaken it could have been either drivers OR passengers)

Here are a few shots of the rear shoulder belt option....

1. shows where the belts come through the rear of the package tray

2. shows that there is no retractor for the belts.  The only thing that retains the belt in place and acts as the "restraint" is this barbell shaped piece of metal.

3. shows the fact that the rear shoulder belt option was available in black only.....notice the black "extra" belts to connect the black shoulder belts

4. shows the whole car and you can see the single headrest


I wish I would have taken more pics of this car.   The car was fully loaded, cruise, power windows, tach, AM/FM etc... This car deserved to be in the "T" building

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

Nice car

[High Impact]

My 68 Sport Fury had those same rear seat belts!!!!!!!!!!!!!    I have never seen them till now in ANY other mopar.   Thats pretty coool

[71ChallengeHer]

Very cool.

[dkn1997]

that's not so rare, look at mine....

[dkn1997]

obviousely, I am just kidding.  I would have died for just69's pics when I was doing this.  I got a copy of the fsm drawing an could not imagine that they held the belt in that way, but I guess they did.  I used a retractor bolted to the original lap belt bolt on the floor. 

[41husk]

Wow!  I wonder why they just diddn't do all the belts in black if the rear shoulder only came in black?

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

That would be waaaay too difficult

[chargerrt]

that's crazy cool

[472 R/T SE]

I used a retractor bolted to the original lap belt bolt on the floor. 

Got a pic?

[dkn1997]

I used a retractor bolted to the original lap belt bolt on the floor. 

Got a pic?

of course I do.

[8WHEELER]

I bought a set for my car, still don't have them in yet, they are so rare I have only seen one other car that
actually had them in the car and it was this cars color combo, it was on ebay about 4years ago, could
very well be the same car, being the same exact color combo. So I have only seen or heard of three
total in 29yrs 

Thanks for the pics Chris 

Dan

[Brock Samson]

very interesting... thanks for the pics/post... sweet '68, anymore pics?..

[hemi68charger]

This is a very cool thread.... People thought I was crazy when I told them my '71 Charger could have been ordered with them.. Now, I see even as far back as '68 you could have gotten them.. Now, let see if there's any Daytonas with them.. lol

[Ghoste]

That is just the most amazing Charger thing I have seen in months!  Wow!

[tan top]

thats one unusual 68 , thanks for the picture's             

[dkn1997]

My first year at carlisle, around 99/2000, I saw a 68 r/t that same color. had a/c, cruise, power windows, etc..but no seat belts in the back..... the guy wanted 12k for it and I thought he was high!  This was a #1 car too, you could eat off of it.

[Charger_Fan]

I wonder why it wasn't an option for the later years? Maybe it was deemed impractical?

[JimShine]

Amazing!

[pettyfan43]

I wonder why it wasn't an option for the later years? Maybe it was deemed impractical?

Think about what you are talking about and how rare they are, most likely THAT is WHY they are so rare. Nobody thought they were all that neat back then.

[Nacho-RT74]

3rd gens have the cut out already made on rear shelf to that assembly. I even I did know probably were an option, never have seen one

[dkn1997]

 2nd gens have the cutout too, at least mine did. 

[resq302]

Ahhhhh..... that explains the holes on the pinch weld on the wheel housings in my truck.  I've always wondered what those holes were on each side in the trunk.

[Ghoste]

Nobody thought they were all that neat back then.

Hell, nobody wore the regular seatbelts back then.  Long before the days of mandated seatbelt use and child seats.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Heres the cut out in the package tray for the belts....pic courtesy of Bill440RT

[69_500]

I can't believe that no one else has said this yet so I will.

What were you doing taking pictures of a 68 Chris? I thought you like the 69's. Is this before or after I asked you why you aren't doing the registry for 68's as well. 

[Old Moparz]

I can't believe that no one else has said this yet so I will.

What were you doing taking pictures of a 68 Chris? I thought you like the 69's. Is this before or after I asked you why you aren't doing the registry for 68's as well. 

Chris is planning to swap his car to a '68. He bought a tail panel, grille, & side markers last week at Carlisle. 

[Charger_Fan]

I wonder why it wasn't an option for the later years? Maybe it was deemed impractical?

Think about what you are talking about and how rare they are, most likely THAT is WHY they are so rare. Nobody thought they were all that neat back then.

I wasn't thinking that people would have thought of then as neat back then, but more of an added safety feature. Car makers were advertising safety fairly heavily back then & if they made mandatory front shoulder belts, maybe they would have offered the rears optional as part of the 'package'...sorta...maybe...I dunno.  

Ghoste's right though, most people didn't even wear them. I don't think the majority of the public was a tenth as concerned about seatbelts as they are today, so rear shoulder belts were probably at the very bottom of most buyer's option thoughts.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

I can't believe that no one else has said this yet so I will.

What were you doing taking pictures of a 68 Chris? I thought you like the 69's. Is this before or after I asked you why you aren't doing the registry for 68's as well. 

You're right!  What was I thinking?!@  It must have been after a few Keith's   Troy has the 68 Registry under control

[69_500]

Hmmm, you mean the Troy who spent the whole weekend oogling over some Cuda's?   

[Ghoste]

The other thing with safety is to remember that the automakers only promoted as much as they were forced to in order to keep Nader and big brother at bay.  Front shoulder belts weren't mandatory in 69, they were just a standard feature on the Charger (I'm not sure what year they became mandatory and I'm too lazy to look it up) and by 69, they still weren't that removed from the days when they feared developing or promoting safety equipment would imply their product was dangerous.  A great deal of the safety equipment in cars was forced on the automakers by federal legislation.

[69rtcharger]

I'm restoring a 1969 Charger R/T with this option. There are 16 belts in all (10 in the rear and 6 in the front). The rear shoulder belts were improved in 1969 because the shoulder belt snapped on to itself and would drape down over the back seat. This kept the "barbell" in place and kept it from sliding out of it's pocket.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

I'm restoring a 1969 Charger R/T with this option. There are 16 belts in all (10 in the rear and 6 in the front). The rear shoulder belts were improved in 1969 because the shoulder belt snapped on to itself and would drape down over the back seat. This kept the "barbell" in place and kept it from sliding out of it's pocket.

Interesting   How far along with the resto are you?

Also if you haven't already, please register your Charger

www.1969chargerregistry.com

PS---welcome to the site

[bill440rt]

That '68 at Carlisle was an awesome car. Very nicely restored.
I thought the single headrest thing was really wacky. I kept thinking, why on earth would anyone want to order just ONE headrest??? 

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

That '68 at Carlisle was an awesome car. Very nicely restored.
I thought the single headrest thing was really wacky. I kept thinking, why on earth would anyone want to order just ONE headrest??? 

Maybe the owner wanted to off his wife?

[69rtcharger]

Hi Just 6T9 CHGR,
I'm just starting to put the seats, belts, console and other interior parts in. The drivetrain is in and running, but I still have to hang the front clip, put in the glass, etc... Progress is slow when you have a kid and little time. The Charger is Tor Red with a black interior and a custom order white stripe. I'm assuming that your car is the one in the picture by your name. It looks great! What's the story with yours?

[1974dodgecharger]

Im gonna install two shoulder belts in my 68 thx for the pics where to nail her down.