Factory or Aftermarket Option?

My friend just bought a 71 Skylark convertible with some rear seat belts that I've never seen before in all my 68 years of life around Buicks. See enclosed pictures and chime in if you have ever seen these or know anything about these seat belts...
NOTICE the receiver clip on the lower part of the armrest below the rear courtesy light to store the seat belt buckle release when the seat belt is not in use.
Thanks,
Eric

 

I just bought a pair of those clips & had no idea where they went or how they worked. Now I do! Thanks! It may have been a dealer installed option. Hopefully others will chime in. I was wondering why I even bought them but now glad I did.

Looks like it has the (rare?) J5 option: "Color Coordinated Custom front and rear seat belts with front and rear shoulder belts." I believe @TimR has this option in his '72 GS convertible and IIRC the front shoulder belts on convertibles attached in some strange manner.

 

That belt is part of the front shoulder belt for a convertible.

Look how the belt is attached behind the rear panel.


.

 

Factory option. They came on the 71 Stage 1 convertible Zone Demonstrator cars. You can see them in these pics on my car.

 

Ok...now we're getting somewhere!
My brother had a 71 Stage1 vert zone car too and now I kind of remember those belt clips now. I will find a picture of it and post it soon. Thanks for jogging my brain cells.

 

Receiver holder is interesting, but the idea that the shoulder belt in the beck seat of a convertible would even function is boggling and looks goofy. Like an after thought.

 

I have those in my 69. They are ungainly but they can keep you or your passenger from eating the wheel or the dash in the event of an accident. I am VERY happy to have them.

 

Were the clips shown by the OP factory as well & used to hold the shoulder harness for the front?

 

The receiver clips are factory, and yes were there to "hold" the front harnesss when not in use.
Duane

 

Thanks!

Since my car didn't have this option, I have a pair of the clips that I don't need in case anyone does.

 

In 71 some of the deluxe interior cars came with them. My 71 GSX has them.
Duane

 

Oh, misunderstood then. I thought they were just for the convertible w/the shoulder belts option. Are they to hold the rear shoulder belts in both hardtop & convertible?

 

Dano,
The only 71 convertible I had came with the optional shoulder harnesses, so I cannot speak for them. They are the belts that went to James Weinman’s car in his pics.

As far as 71 Coupes, both my 71 SB GSX & my Stage 1 GSX came with deluxe front bench seat interiors and both had those “plastic receivers” for the belts. Both cars had the traditional set-up for seat belts.

That is all I know about this.
Duane

 

Interested...

 

I had them in a 69 Stage 1 convertible I had. Still have the belts somewhere.

 

My clips are toast / disintegrated, and I have some others somewhere but I wouldn't mind another set.

 

I have to imagine those are hard to find. IIRC I just have the belts, no clips or anything else were left. The belts had been pushed back behind the seat and I found them when the seat was removed.

 

Yeah when you have the shoulder harness option for a convertible the entire back seat is basically “covered” in seat belts. It can be a real PITA.

Also I never remember ever seeing those receivers in a 70 car, just 71’s. They may also have been in the 72 cars, but I never had any to look at.
Duane

 

Thanks!

 

So here's what I have - 1 single & one double clip. I guess one of the singles is missing. Was the double one for the center rears or does this setup attach to the front seat the way the brackets are angled? Honestly, I didn't even know what I was buying but was buying a bunch of misc. stuff from a guy and he had these & offered them to me. I thought I'd remembered seeing something like this in a dealer installed accessory catalog h was intrigued so I bought 'em. Have the orig. screws too.

If interested, make me an offer I can't refuse. Always open to trades too.