yamaha wrote:
My '65 Mustang didn't have reverse lights(they were optional though), I believe that wasn't standard until the late 60's.
If I had to make a guess, it would have been 1968 model year when they were mandatory. A lot of things we take for granted today were mandated for '68, like safety glass, collapsible steering columns, dual-stage brake hydraulics...
The neat ones are the big caddys of te 70's with the fibreoptic system that illuminated in a pod on top of the front fins if your turn signal, parking lights, or high beam were on.
They used that up until at least 1987, possibly later. I know the ones from the 90s just use LEDs.
My 66 Pontiac has a red high-beam indicator. Its also shaped like the little Pontiac Indian... um Native American... uh indigenous human.
64 elky has red. 70 duster had green.
My dads '64 Corvair has a small line in the middle of the speedometer under the 50 mph mark. I can't remember if its red or green.
My '68 Monza has a Corsa gauge cluster in it. It's got a small aluminum trimmed hole at the top that has the high beam light. IIRC, it's green or blueish-green.
yamaha
PowerDork
9/3/13 1:37 p.m.
Knurled wrote:
If I had to make a guess, it would have been 1968 model year when they were mandatory. A lot of things we take for granted today were mandated for '68, like safety glass, collapsible steering columns, dual-stage brake hydraulics...
That'd make sense, at some point in there they mandated seat belts.....my '65 didn't have them at all either.
Back up lights became mandatory in 1966. They were optional earlier. Side marker lights came along in 1968.
Front 3 point seat belts became standard in '68 as well.
Well actually the shoulder belt was a "sash" and it tucked up over the door with a clip. It wasn't the true 3-points we have today.
Shoulder belts were required in '74 for the front of passenger vehicles.
Kramer wrote:
Remember the Pontiac Indian head high beam indicator?
Just getting ready to mention that. Also, my grandmother had a huge Mercury with one of those 'ribbon' speedometers, it had a white bar and pulled a red 'ribbon behind it. It had a red high beam indicator too.
My Jensen has a green light in the opening for the oil pressure gauge which mystified me, the earlier cars didn't have it. This light comes on with the instrument lights. Found out later that around mid 1974 the Feds mandated an illuminated emergency flasher switch. This was Jensen's cheapass way of meeting that regulation, it points directly at the flasher switch.
