Grand Fatherd In

[bosco200]

Has anyone ever heard this term for older trucks and cars.....its where your truck is so old you dont have to wear seatbelts in it....is this true for our trucks?

[fuzzy23]

If the car did not come with seatbelts, they can't make you put them in. It's a Grandfather clause.

[bucketObolts]

Get paperwork, if that is the case. Remember not all cops are car guys. Ive gotten two tickets for no inspection sticker on my Dodge 3500 that I had to take off work to fight. Now I have a letter from the dmv, stating the truck is a 1 ton diesel and that it is exempt. (even though it shows the GVWR right on the door tag!!)Then again, NJ seems to be way more strict than some states.

[jcis4me]

Had a "rookie" pull me over because I had blue lights shining to the rear, when pulled over he stated that my tail light were blue and illegal in Hawaii. I explained to him that I was on my way to the trans shop for repairs, BTW my wife was following me and the cop cut her off to pull me over. Needless to say he wrote me up for no shoulder harness, even though I explained to him that it was an option for 1972. Short story when I got to the shop my wife says to me "hey did you know you had an extra set of lights on?" My reverse lights were stuck on and the bulbs were purple! Dumba$$ cop didnt even know the difference between reverse lights and tail lights? So after a lost day from work I showed the judge evidence that the seat belts were an option and explained that the reverse lights were stuck on etc etc, and suggested that the ocifer needed some schooling on tail light ediquet!! ha ha ha she agreed and dismissed the ticket!
Every state's cops have their own rules they follow!!!
Aloha
Marty

[71gmcburb]

I got pulled over in my 1966 Ford Econoline becouse the cop didn't see a shoulder belt I told him that the van wasn't built with seatbelts I even showed him the passanger floorboard to show there are no provisions for them and the cop told me I had to install 3 point seatbelts into it to legaly drive it on the road. I reminded him that it was built before they were mandated by the feds and was therefore was "grandfathered in" and doesn't need to be modified to be street legal.

Long story short I got a no seatbelt ticket and he made me tow the van home. I contested the ticket and won and had to sue the county to get repaid for the tow fees and the cop had to appoligize to me! lol

bottom line is if the rig was built without some things that are standerd today like seatbelts, side markers, high back seats or even 2 taillights they are still street legal and don't have to be modified from stock to be on the road

[PanelDeland]

Ask LHM about no shoulder belts.He has a good story on that one.

[Boog]

Could you imagine them trying to make you put in a 3 point belt in a Model T?

[oldgold70c10]

That is one nice thing about the small back window: it makes it nearly impossible for cops to tell you've not got a shoulder belt. In my burb, and the truck when it had a big back window I've been pulled over twice for things that weren't broken, because the cop thought he could get me for not wearing a seatbelt because they are so used to looking for the shoulder belt.

[674x4ton]

Here in MO i think it is 67 and older vehicles you don't have to have a seat belt.

[Longhorn Man]

since all 67 - 72 pickups came with seatbelts, it's a safe bet that you are required to wear them.

Now, on to my seatbelt story. I wasn't going to post it, but since it was requested...

Back in the late 90's when I was stationed at fort hood, and right after I got my first truck (70 CST/20 Longhorn) on the road, I was cruising down the road, wondering if I was doing the speed limit (no speedometer) since I saw an MP in my rearview mirror. The MP got up beside me, and a female MP was driving. She looked over to me as I was looking at her, and she politly hooked her thumb onto her seatbelt and pulled it out and mouthed the word seatbelt to me... as in to tell me to put mine on. Without even thinking, I held my hand up where she could see it, smiled and pointed down into my lap 3 times, then turned my head back to the traffic in front of me.
Bad move.
She stomped on the brakes, got behinde me, went full lights and siren on my butt. I pulled over honestly not knowing what happened. She already had her door open before throwing her car in park and was stomping and cussing all the way up to my truck, talking about sexual harasment and more cussing.
She was beside my truck yelling at me and I was trying to get a word in and finally had to shout for her to shut up. (not smart since she not only out ranked me, but was an MP on top of that) She stopped yelling at me and said, "What did you say to me?" I was able to tell her at that point "I was pointing at my lap belt back there in traffic, please, open the door and see for yourself."
She was actually laughing once she saw it and realized what happened.

A few years ago, I was told by a city cop (here in columbus) that I was required to update to a 3 point seatbelt. I had to explain to this young officer that not only was he wrong, but he was telling me to do something that was ILLEGAL by FEDERAL DOT REGULATIONS. He told me I was wrong and was about to cite me for improper safty equipment. That's when I went into smart ass mode and asked him if I was required to install an air bag in the wheel, 5 MPH bumpers, and remove the steel dash and install a plastic one that won't break my legs in an accident. He told me to stop being silly. Thats when he realized how 'silly' he was being.

[19stepSide72]

That MP story is a classic.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Longhorn Man]

she had me scared a little. I had already gotten way too many tickets on post. My commander saw me pulled over and came to the motorpool to personally rip me a new one. He found it pretty amusing.

[treveiger]

Longhorn Man you won the best story award. Im going to have to put lap seat belts into my truck for me so when cops do that to me. The best part was she was just being nice warning you then she thought you told her "you didnt care" in a hand gesture

[bosco200]

So does this count for my 72 C20?

[treveiger]

Our 59 ford galaxy doesnt have belts and we're not reqiured to put them in. I think it was after the early 70's when they made seatbelts standard and anything before that law came into effect was grandfathered in but your state laws may have changed over the years.

[csa daddy]

all vehicles made after 1965 came with atleast lap belts. an most cops are real asses an dont care as long as they get to write a ticket. around here in va even if your case is dismissed the dics still make you pay court costs. im fighting them over a factory tint on my front windows from the factory ducks unlimited package sub. its a 01 by the way

[too much stuff]

Originally Posted by csa daddy

all vehicles made after 1965 came with atleast lap belts. an most cops are real asses an dont care as long as they get to write a ticket. around here in va even if your case is dismissed the dics still make you pay court costs. im fighting them over a factory tint on my front windows from the factory ducks unlimited package sub. its a 01 by the way

I believe this is correct. 65 was the last option year for lap belts. 66 and newer you need to wear belts that should be in it.

[chvtrkman]

I'm not a lawyer,so anything that I post here should not be mis-construed as legal advice....my truck has lap belts. I use 'em but have noticed on more than one occasion when seen by a state trooper, they'll give me a second look, do a quick u-turn, and follow me for a few miles, but I've never been pulled over. (at least, not for not having a 3 point belt anyway)..I'm not really 100% certain what the law states in PA., however,I stick to the age old wisdom that says, "never argue with a man that has a gun".

[too much stuff]

I "think" legally, if it came with belts, you need to wear em. As i say, i think 65 was the last option year. So for the 67-72 trucks, you have to wear them if it is lap or shoulder belts...

[Ironhorse]

Not a truck or lap belt story but reminds me back in early '70 when I had just returned from 'Nam and purchased a 1952 Harley Davidson "K" model, (kinda like an early Sportster) 750 cc. flathead and hardtail frame. Me and a Bud (riding a '53 K model) were riding in town one evening and were pulled over for: loud and inadequate exhaust, in-correct handle bar height, and no turn signals. I explained to John Law my bike was mfgd. before July 1957 and there fore by Kansas law was not required to have turn signals mounted. That's when he got really fussy and actually measured my handle bar height of the King & Queen styled seat front portion to the lowest portion of the "Z" bar styled handles I had. 15 1/2", out of legal limit by 1/2". I took the handle bars and with big downward shove moved them down nearly an inch. (Thank goodness they weren't clamped as tight as they should have been.) He then proceded to write me on the loud and inadequate exhaust. That one I had to choke down since all I had was two angled back down ward chrome tubes coming off the header exhaust. No mufflers at all, but damn that Harley sounded righteous rollin' down the street ! Cost me back then I think about $65 ticket and court costs.

[ChevLoRay]

In North Little Rock, AR, cops wrote tickets for loud pipes on the then-new '65 Mercury Comet Cyclones. They came with glass pack mufflers and were louder than the stockers that granny drove.

In '71, I bought a new VW Super Beetle. I had an EMPI extractor exhaust system on it and got a ticket on a parking lot. It only had 6K miles on it, but it was loud! Had to put some cheesy EMPI muffler on it to get it inspected, but then I put the old EMPI back on it and drove it for 2 more years.

At ALCOA, we used to have seat belt inspections around Memorial Day. I have long used seat belts, so when they stopped me in my '69, then told me if I had been wearing my belt they'd have given me a silver dollar....I had to educate them about old trucks and no shoulder harnesses.....like LongHornMan. BTW, his story is priceless.

But, just because someone has an education, doesn't mean that they can't learn something new.

[71gmcburb]

Originally Posted by csa daddy

all vehicles made after 1965 came with at least lap belts.

both my 66 and 67 Econolines did not have seatbelts from the factory I have retrofitted a set of 3 point belts into the 66 tho and am planning on the same for the 67 once it is done at the body shop becuse with these vans you are the first one at the sean(sp) of the accident lol

GM might have made them standered in 66 but Ford still had them as optional at least till 67

BTW Longhornman that is funny as he** lmao as I read it still am

[kcsa75]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

But, just because someone has an education, doesn't mean that they can't learn something new.

Are you insinuating that cops are educated?

[60ratrod]

i remember going through the gate on base in my 72 and when me and my buddies(driving behind me) had the gate guards ask them if i had seatbelts and if i was wearing one and they told them yeah. it amazes me at how observant gate guards can be.