I went thru 32 pages in the 1966 category of this Forum and 15 pages in the Concours category, and couldn’t find a thread on 1966 seatbelts. So I may have missed it, but here goes...
My understanding of seat belts has always been this: that 1965 to mid-1966 cars had Ray Brown belts and that mid-to-late 1966 cars had Impact belts. The “Definitive Shelby Mustang Guide 1965-1970” seems to concur, stating on page 62, “3-inch competition seat belts replaced the standard 2-inch Mustang straps again in 1966, with Impact replacing Ray Brown as the supplier later in 1966 production.” On the same page it also states, “In the absence of a manufacturer’s tag, Ray Brown belts can usually be identified by short attachment hooks at the floor end of the belt; Impact belts had longer hooks.”
We all know the impossibility of distilling broad terms like “mid 1966” and “later 1966 production” into actual chassis numbers. But page 108 of the same book contains an attempt: “Late cars: Traction bars changed to underride style” - as an example of the evolution of just one component of a “late car.” Page 84 states that overrides were discontinued, “About midway through production.” The Registry states that is about 920 cars.
So we all know that there are exceptions to every Shelby rule, and I’m sure that will be the case here with seat belts as well. But generally speaking, is the above narrative concerning 1965-1966 GT350 seatbelt suppliers generally considered correct? And is there a rough ballpark number of late cars that were believed to have been equipped with the Impact belts?
Thanks, Kieth