Dashboard Warning Lite---YES or NO?

[mac]

I'm replacing the dashboard in a '73 and can either install with or without the Fasten Seat Belt Warning Light.

It's been disconnected since the tenth day of dealer delivery.  So it's never been "on".   Never missed it. 

 

On BAT, originality. seems to be the "order of the day"

Stock says "yes", subtle mods says "No". 

 

What do you think? 

 

Mac. 

 

 

[Bob D.]

Can I have a conditional vote, depending on the situation? My view is:

 

If car is a keeper--no, as personally I don't love the look or BMW's approach to weird '70s U.S. safety mandates.  

 

If car will be owned for a limited duration/will encounter nitpickers at shows/aspires to a future BaT appearance--yes. 

[John76]

Just my couple of thoughts on the matter....

 

* If "USA correct" is really needed, can't the Seat Belt pod be added at any time. I doubt the BMW dash vendor molded separate dashes for the US.

 

* If you go with the drilled dash and don't use or care about the Fasten Seat Belt light, convert the pod to something useful such as a back-lit LCD display of time or outside temperature, etc. Make it easy to convert back to stock if needed.

 

* If you enjoy the car and the "personal" mods you have done, then "damn the torpedoes" of the critics.

 

* Try to make anything you change....reversible.  BaT bidders are usually keen to see what can be done "easily" to restore originality.

 

John

[Mark92131]

Mac:

 

If you decide not to install your Pod, I would like to buy it.  So my vote is NO!, don't install that ugly, unsightly POD!

 

Mark92131

[Conserv]

Fortunately, Mac, I have some extremely accurate polling results, based on thousands of respondents, that should allow you to make an informed decision:

 

1. 97.00% of potential BAT buyers would not notice a missing seat belt pod if it jumped off the dash and bit them in the nose. When asked for additional comments, a typical respondent said, “Ya know, the factory upgraded all ‘02’s to 15” rims in 1973!”

 

2. 2.97% of potential BAT buyers would notice but responded with something akin to “Who gives a rat’s a**?”

 

3. 0.03% of potential BAT buyers would notice and responded with something akin to “Sh*t, but it’s not going to change my bid one cent!”

 

(In case you were wondering, I was in the third group of 0.03%... ?)

 

Shocking findings, no doubt. But the numbers don’t lie!

 

Good luck!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

[BarneyT]

Steve you left out the 75% who would want to know what Delia Wolf had to say...

[Mike Self]

FYI, removing the pod will leave a fairly good-sized hole (about 1x3 inches) in addition to the two screw holes.  I took advantage of that and fastened a 3 gauge pod there, drilled to use the existing screw holes, and to pass the wires through the large hole.  Great for gauge visibility (right in your line of sight while driving), and it can always be returned to stock if necessary. 

 

FYI, if fuse 11 starts blowing on your '73 and you can't figure out why, it's the seat belt sensor in one of your front seats that's the problem--and that bit of wiring isn't in the shop manual wiring diagram.  I learned this about 15 years ago after puzzling over the problem for a couple of weeks.

 

mike

[mac]

So, will completely ignore the BAT peanut gallery opinions. 

 

Mac. 

[calw]

100% of the many people that I didn't pole don't care at all about the seatbelt warning pod.

 

On my car, I installed a "pod" containing antennas- for the GPS speedometer, Android Radio GPS, and Android Radio amplified AM/FM antenna.  I also included threaded holes in case I want to attach something atop that pod later.  When installing my pod which is not even close to the shape of the seatbelt sign, I included a layer of squishy synthetic rubber stuff between it and the dashboard top to hopefully avoid marking it up.  

 

Not exactly original or period.

 

The steel armature inside the dashboard is quite stout, so attaching things at that location shouldn't be a problem.  Getting to the underside of the hole to feed wires through is also not hard.

 

Other ideas that I've seen discussed include-

Tablet, phone,  or GPS mounting point

Meters, Meters, more meters, digital or analog

Knight Rider LED flashing light thingie

digital clock

blinking LED alarm simulator light

dashcam mount

Switches- the factory pod will hold 3 mini toggle switches if you ditch the light bulb holder parts

[Son of Marty]

Mac if I understand your op you have a new dash with out the holes for the pod? If that's so IMO you'd be crazy to cut it to fit the pod again just my opinion none of the US required gear add to the car's looks in anyway. If the holes are already there you need to cover them up and the ideas here for other options are good.

[TobyB]

hell no, don't do it.

 

ever.

 

Cover the hole with a bobblehead Sam Perkins doll, if you have to.

 

t

Smooooth.

[ray_]

11 hours ago, mac said:

 

 

What do you think? 

 

Mac. 

 

 

Why do you care what we think? It's not our car.

 

[conkitchen]

Well, if left as-is and you get pulled over for a click-it ticket you could argue the car did not tell you to fasten your seat belt.  Be like all of today's hipster youths and assign accountability to everyone other than yourself.  

 

But what do I know, except maybe Ray is having a bad day. Perhaps no ice cream? 

[ray_]

15 minutes ago, conkitchen said:

Well, if left as-is and you get pulled over for a click-it ticket you could argue the car did not tell you to fasten your seat belt.  Be like all of today's hipster youths and assign accountability to everyone other than yourself.  

 

But what do I know, except maybe Ray is having a bad day. Perhaps no ice cream? 

IS THAT YOUR BUSINESS??

 

[jp5Touring]

10 hours ago, ray_ said:

Why do you care what we think? It's not our car.

 

 

This,  When people ask me why I did this or that,or why this color ?

I explain I build my cars for Me not for You.  ?