1973 C10 "The Purple Truck"

[beags86]

The buckle on my lap belt quit working. I had to crawl out from under it. Figured it was a good time to get a 3 point setup installed.

I read somewhere that in 1966 California started requiring shoulder belts. It wasn't required nationally until later, 1976 maybe. Heck I think it was 1968 before vehicles were required to have seat belts of any kind on a national level.

Trucks like this 73 not sold in CA typically had lap belts, but because they were required to have shoulder belts in CA the anchor point is there behind a plastic plug.

I'm not sure what California did in 1966, ( I mean hell, who cares what they do now) but it was national law that lap and shoulder belts be installed in 1968 per Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.

It seams that for some reason pickups were allowed to get away with lap belts only until 76.
Any shoulder belt from 68-75 was just an option

If you can find something more, I would love to see it.

 

[mrk5]

It was probably internet rumor. I only remember reading it because I have the 66 C20 and people were saying the 66 trucks were hit and miss on having the shoulder belt provisions. I don't find anything specific about trucks and seat belts.

Besides, you're contesting my assertions, so you have the burden of proof.

 

[mrk5]

I've been meaning to mention I'm disappointed with the "upgraded" A6 AC compressor. It certainly drags the engine down when it turns on. Can't tell it's any better than the factory compressor. I wish I'd spent the money on converting to a different style compressor.

 

[beags86]

It was probably internet rumor. I only remember reading it because I have the 66 C20 and people were saying the 66 trucks were hit and miss on having the shoulder belt provisions. I don't find anything specific about trucks and seat belts.

Besides, you're contesting my assertions, so you have the burden of proof.

I did I stated code 208.

Not contesting it as much as I had the same questions so was digging around trying to find out about my 67 chevelle. Lap belts, no shoulder belts.

 

[Bent77]

I did I stated code 208.

Not contesting it as much as I had the same questions so was digging around trying to find out about my 67 chevelle. Lap belts, no shoulder belts.

Did those have the auxiliary shoulder belt that was “clipped” above the window like the Camaros had? IIRC, there was a slot and pin arrangement to hook it into the lap belt

 

[beags86]

Did those have the auxiliary shoulder belt that was “clipped” above the window like the Camaros had? IIRC, there was a slot and pin arrangement to hook it into the lap belt

My car doesn't have the shoulder belts, but if it did it would be as you described.

 

[mrk5]

A few weeks ago I noticed when I had the AC going the battery voltage was slowing falling off on the drive home. When stopped at a light, the alternator wasn't even keeping up indicated by voltage dropping into the 11's.

I installed a Powermaster alternator. I don't really need the 144 amps, but it puts out 100 amps at idle which is what I was after. The only issue with the install was a larger terminal post on the back of the alternator. I already had a large gauge charging wire running from the back of the alternator to the battery to cover the higher current.






I guess this is how you know all your oil consumption is going out the tailpipe. First picture is the driveway under the engine and the second photo is the driveway under the tailpipe exit.

 

[mrk5]

I now have all LED exterior lights. I hadn't seen the lights below the headlights available in LED up until recently. I don't know if they haven't been available or I just wasn't using the correct search term.





I had tried using LED bulbs but they didn't work correctly. I guess that's because of the way GM wired the lights. I had to rewire the side markers to work. These new lights have a socket that plugs into the factory socket base.

They didn't come with the trim rings so I had to swap that over from the original lights.

 

[82355]

I like that they don't look stupid when they are turned off.

Martin

 

[folkenheath]

Why wouldn't the LED bulbs work? I put LED bulbs in all my factory sockets and they worked just fine in my 83....

I suppose if it was one of those bulbs where it is only a single element that can be installed either direction you would have to switch it to the other way if it didn't work the first way, by definition a diode(the D in LED) will only work one direction of current flow, and a regular filament bulb will work either way. So those little 194 type bulbs could just need to be flipped 180 degrees, other than that they should work unless it was a defective bulb?

You probably already know this, but it may help others...

 

[mrk5]

I like that they don't look stupid when they are turned off.

Martin

That was what I thought too. Can't really tell they are LED.

Why wouldn't the LED bulbs work? I put LED bulbs in all my factory sockets and they worked just fine in my 83....

I suppose if it was one of those bulbs where it is only a single element that can be installed either direction you would have to switch it to the other way if it didn't work the first way, by definition a diode(the D in LED) will only work one direction of current flow, and a regular filament bulb will work either way. So those little 194 type bulbs could just need to be flipped 180 degrees, other than that they should work unless it was a defective bulb?

You probably already know this, but it may help others...

I can't remember for sure what didn't work. I think when the headlights were on, they wouldn't flash. I had found an good explanation in the past, but I can't find it now. I just remember the way the front and side marker lights are wired with the headlights and turn signals is funky. I had to rewire the side marker LED lights to work correctly.

In this era truck the bulb for under the headlights is a 198. It has the offset pegs, so you can't install in 180 out.

 

[folkenheath]

Thats strange, if it was just the blinkers/turn signals, you need an electronic flasher. The LED doesn't produce enough current to heat up the mechanical flasher. So you need an electronic one that works with near zero current. They are only about 10 bucks last I checked, its like a buy it once and forget you did it kind of thing. They actually work well for trailering too because the flasher doesn't speed up when you add trailer lights.

This rewiring you mentioned has me wondering, I have converted my 81 Buick and my 83 truck to LED bulbs, and in both I just used an electronic flasher and the factory wiring. I did add a relay to the headlights in the regal to give them full power, but I didn't touch the wiring for all the other bulbs.

 

[6872xtc]

The front sidemarker lights on GM are wired into the park light circuit and the turn signals both. They ground through whichever circuit is off. So when both circuits have power, the side light goes out, which is why they flash opposite when the park lights are on.

 

[mrk5]

I have the electronic flasher on mine, 2 actually because the hazards are a separate flasher. Based on what @6872xtc said, I think the wiring change I made was to add a ground wire for the side marker lights.

 

[kennyw]

The factory wiring has electricity flowing one direction as a marker light and the opposite direction as a turn signal. That is fine with incandescent bulbs. When both sides are connected to + voltage during a signal flash, the bulb goes out. Otherwise, the side marker is grounded through the turn signal circuit but the voltage drop across the second bulb doesn't light the forward facing turn signal bulb to full strength.

The issue is the LED bulb is a diode, electricity can only flow in one direction. Add to that the second bulb inline to ground and the voltage drop is a problem there as well.

This can be fixed with bulbs designed for this type of circuit so it functions like factory (look for a post from @sweetk30 with part numbers), changing the wiring to go directly to ground (making the bulb marker only or turn signal only), or rewiring the bulb to ground plus adding diodes between marker and turn circuits to prevent back flow of electricity to the wrong circuit.

 

[sweetk30]

yep had to get led's NON polarity sensitive . solved the side marker problem on the 194's .

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[mrk5]

yep had to get led's NON polarity sensitive . solved the side marker problem on the 194's .

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The 198's I tried in the forward (under headlight) markers were supposed to be non-polar but they still didn't work right. Might have been bad bulbs.

 

[folkenheath]

Good answers, makes sense with the changing polarity. I wonder if my Buick was the same way and I just added grounds to fix it and don't remember it? I did have the wiring tore apart for the most part, but I don't remember having that problem. I don't remember changing anything on the truck though. Now you have me curious.

 

[sweetk30]

how can you add a 3rd wire to a 194 style with only 2 wires ? ? ?

 

[folkenheath]

I may have added a double throw relay that grounded the other side when it switched, then disconnected when it wasn't. I vaguely remember doing something like that to the regal now in the front. It was over 4 years ago. LEDs that had a circuit to work either way would have been much easier. The funny thing is this conversation is bringing back stuff I forgot I even did. I now remember tracing wires and measuring power and grounds with my power probe and when I found the problem I fixed it and moved on, but I completely forgot as I rewired most of the rest of the car when I did it, complete DIS EFI, electric water pumps, fuel pumps, fans, hidden bluetooth stereo, race mode switch, transbrake, etc. It took quite a while.

Most of it is controlled by the Holley ECU so it only comes on when I want it to.