115-551: Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was the result of a merger in 1937 between Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company. The union of these two companies was brought about as a result of a condition made by George W. Mason prior to his appointment as CEO of Nash. The company manufactured cars and refrigerators as well as aeronautic components and helicopters during World War II. In 1954, the company merged with Hudson Motors to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). The founder of Nash Motors, Charles W. Nash , now serving as chair of
230-405: A pawl is engaged, the reel locks and the strap restrains the belted occupant in position. Dual-sensing locking retractors use both vehicle G-loading and webbing payout rate to initiate the locking mechanism. Seat belts in many newer vehicles are also equipped with "pretensioners" or "web clamps", or both. Pretensioners preemptively tighten the belt to prevent the occupant from jerking forward in
345-442: A safety belt or spelled seatbelt , is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduces the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts with interior strike hazards, by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum effectiveness of
460-503: A 20-US-gallon (75.7 L; 16.7 imp gal) tank of gasoline. It would achieve 30 miles per US gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 36 mpg ‑imp ). The 600 models used an unusual steering/front suspension system with extremely long kingpins . Inadequate lubrication became a problem for these systems, commonly resulting in premature failures. The design of the cars was improved by new front ends, upholstery, and chrome trim from 1942 through 1948. The larger Ambassador models shared
575-441: A Borg-Warner overdrive transmission. Power was provided by a six-cylinder engine that was now bored out to 252 cubic inches (4.13 L). Using its Kelvinator refrigeration experience, the automobile industry's first single-unit heating and air conditioning system was introduced by Nash in 1954. This was a compact, affordable system for the mass market with controls on the dash and an electric clutch. Entirely incorporated within
690-699: A Rambler-based two-seater coupe called the Palm Beach, which may have been intended as a successor to the Nash-Healey. However, the project only progressed to a concept car . For European endurance racing , Healey and his staff designed and built three special Nash-Healeys with lightweight aluminum racing bodies. These competition versions entered four consecutive Le Mans races and one Mille Miglia . At Le Mans, they achieved fourth overall in 1950, sixth overall and fourth in class in 1951, third overall and first in class in 1952, and eleventh overall in 1953. In
805-404: A conventional front suspension and steering system. Postwar Nashes were six-cylinder only; eight-cylinder engines did not return. The large Ambassador engine thus was the seven main bearing, overhead-valve, 234-cubic-inch (3.83 L), six-cylinder developing 112 bhp (84 kW; 114 PS). Nash was considering the potential of offering a pickup truck and developed a prototype built on
920-469: A crash occurs, the bladder inflates with gas to increase the area of the restraint contacting the occupant and also shortening the length of the restraint to tighten the belt around the occupant, improving the protection. The inflatable sections may be shoulder-only or lap and shoulder. The system supports the head during the crash better than a web-only belt. It also provides side impact protection. In 2013, Ford began offering rear-seat inflatable seat belts on
1035-420: A crash. Mercedes-Benz first introduced pretensioners on the 1981 S-Class . In the event of a crash, a pretensioner will tighten the belt almost instantaneously. This reduces the motion of the occupant in a violent crash. Like airbags, pretensioners are triggered by sensors in the car's body, and many pretensioners have used explosively expanding gas to drive a piston that retracts the belt. Pretensioners also lower
1150-585: A kit to "convert" their Ajax into a Nash Light Six. This kit, supplied at no charge, included a set of new hubcaps, a radiator badge, and all other parts necessary to change the identity of an Ajax into that of a Nash Light Six. This was done to protect Ajax owners from the inevitable drop in resale value when the Ajax marque was discontinued. In this way, Nash Motors showed high value for its customers' satisfaction and well-being. Most Ajax owners took advantage of this move, and "unconverted" Ajax cars are rare today. Nash
1265-547: A limited set of models, such as the Explorer and Flex . Seat belts that automatically move into position around a vehicle occupant once the adjacent door is closed and/or the engine is started were developed as a countermeasure against low usage rates of manual seat belts, particularly in the United States. The 1972 Volkswagen ESVW1 Experimental Safety Vehicle presented passive seat belts. Volvo tried to develop
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#17327940812941380-423: A measure of safety not available when these cars were new. However, modern BIS systems typically use electronics that must be installed and connected with the seats and the vehicle's electrical system in order to function properly. Five-point harnesses are typically found in child safety seats and in racing cars. The lap portion is connected to a belt between the legs and there are two shoulder belts, making
1495-599: A merger between AMC and Packard-Studebaker were cut short when Mason died on 8 October 1954. A week after his death, Mason's successor, George W. Romney , announced "there are no mergers under way either directly or indirectly". Nevertheless, Romney continued with Mason's commitment to buy components from Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Although Mason and Nance had previously agreed that Studebaker-Packard would purchase parts from AMC, it did not do so. Moreover, Packard's engines and transmissions were comparatively expensive, so AMC began development of its own V8 engine , and replaced
1610-471: A more modern, squared-off look than did the 1949 through 1951 models, which were often compared to inverted bathtubs. Nash contracted Battista "Pinin" Farina of Italy to design a body for the new Golden Airflyte. Management wanted a better design, and the result was a combination of an in-house design and Pinin Farina's model. Also in 1952, Nash began offering automatic transmissions, either a GM Hydramatic or
1725-523: A passive three point seat belt. In 1973, Volkswagen announced they had a functional passive seat belt. The first commercial car to use automatic seat belts was the 1975 Volkswagen Golf . Automatic seat belts received a boost in the United States in 1977 when Brock Adams , United States Secretary of Transportation in the Carter Administration , mandated that by 1983 every new car should have either airbags or automatic seat belts. There
1840-578: A patent application on March 31, 1955, for an automotive seat belt and was awarded U.S. patent 2,855,215 in 1958. This was a continuation of an earlier patent application that Sheren had filed on September 22, 1952. The first modern three-point seat belt (the so-called CIR-Griswold restraint ) commonly used in consumer vehicles was patented in 1955 U.S. patent 2,710,649 by the Americans Roger W. Griswold and Hugh DeHaven . Saab introduced seat belts as standard equipment in 1958. After
1955-620: A pioneering aviator with the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps , so he might remain at the controls during turbulence. The Irvin Air Chute Company made the seat belt for use by professional race car driver Barney Oldfield when his team decided the daredevil should have a "safety harness" for the 1923 Indianapolis 500 . A lap belt is a strap that goes over the waist. This was the most common type of belt prior to legislation requiring three-point belts and
2070-762: A plant in Kenosha began in 1902. The 1917 Nash Model 671 was the first vehicle produced to bear the name of the new company's founder. Sales for 1918 were 10,283 units. More models were added in 1919, and sales rose to 27,081. The decades of success enjoyed by Nash were said to be due to its focus on building cars "embodying honest worth [at] a price level which held out possibilities of a very wide market." The four-wheel drive Jeffery Quad truck became an important product for Nash. Approximately 11,500 Quads were built between 1913 and 1919. They served to move material during World War I under severe conditions. The Quad used Mehul differentials with half-shafts mounted above
2185-587: A potential collision and assist in placing the occupants in a more optimal seating position. The electric pretensioners also can operate on a repeated or sustained basis, providing better protection in the event of an extended rollover or a multiple collision accident. The inflatable seat belt was invented by Donald Lewis and tested at the Automotive Products Division of Allied Chemical Corporation . Inflatable seat belts have tubular inflatable bladders contained within an outer cover. When
2300-447: A safety performance improvement in vehicles with seat-mounted belts versus belts mounted to the vehicle body. Belt-in-Seat type belts have been used by automakers in convertibles and pillarless hardtops, where there is no "B" pillar to affix the upper mount of the belt. Chrysler and Cadillac are well known for using this design. Antique auto enthusiasts sometimes replace original seats in their cars with BIS-equipped front seats, providing
2415-506: A scenario, the occupant may be thrown from the vehicle and suffer greater injury or death. Because many automatic belt system designs compliant with the U.S. passive-restraint mandate did not meet the anchorage requirements of Canada (CMVSS 210)—which were not weakened to accommodate automatic belts—vehicle models that had been eligible for easy importation in either direction across the U.S.-Canada border when equipped with manual belts became ineligible for importation in either direction once
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#17327940812942530-460: A seat belt reduced the risk of fatalities or incapacitating injuries and increased the probability of no injury: Seat belts were invented by English engineer George Cayley , to use on his glider , in the mid-19th century. In 1946, C. Hunter Shelden opened a neurological practice at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California . In the early 1950s, Shelden made a major contribution to
2645-597: A seat belt. Their work was presented to Swedish manufacturer Volvo in the late 1950s, and set the standard for seat belts in Swedish cars. The three-point seat belt was developed to its modern form by Swedish inventor Nils Bohlin for Volvo, which introduced it in 1959 as standard equipment. In addition to designing an effective three-point belt, Bohlin demonstrated its effectiveness in a study of 28,000 accidents in Sweden. Unbelted occupants sustained fatal injuries throughout
2760-504: A six-point harness in response. Aerobatic aircraft frequently use a combination harness consisting of a five-point harness with a redundant lap belt attached to a different part of the aircraft. While providing redundancy for negative-g maneuvers (which lift the pilot out of the seat), they also require the pilot to unlatch two harnesses if it is necessary to parachute from a failed aircraft. The purpose of locking retractors (sometimes called ELR belts, for "Emergency Locking Retractors")
2875-494: A sudden braking or collision event—causes the reel to lock, restraining the occupant in position. The first automatic locking retractor for seat belts and shoulder harnesses in the U.S. was the Irving "Dynalock" safety device. These "Auto-lock" front lap belts were optional on AMC cars with bucket seats in 1967. A vehicle-sensitive lock is based on a pendulum swung away from its plumb position by rapid deceleration or rollover of
2990-468: A technology partnership with Renault . In 1987, Chrysler Corporation made a public offering to acquire all shares of AMC on the NYSE. The shareholders approved the offer, and AMC became a division of Chrysler Corporation. Since the early days, Nash vehicles were exported as complete cars or in knock-down kit form for local assembly to many countries around the world including right-hand-drive markets such as
3105-452: A thermostat to its "Conditioned Air System", and thus the famous Nash Weather Eye heater was introduced. The 1939 and 1940 Nash streamlined cars were designed by George Walker and Associates and freelance body stylist Don Mortrude. They were available in three series - LaFayette, Ambassador Six, and Ambassador Eight. For the 1940 model cars, Nash introduced independent coil spring front suspension and sealed beam headlights . Introduced for
3220-430: A total of five points of attachment to the seat. A 4-point harness is similar, but without the strap between the legs, while a 6-point harness has two belts between the legs. In NASCAR , the 6-point harness became popular after the death of Dale Earnhardt , who was wearing a five-point harness when he suffered his fatal crash. As it was first thought that his belt had broken, and broke his neck at impact, some teams ordered
3335-611: Is a three-point harness with the shoulder belt attached to the seat itself, rather than to the vehicle structure. The first car using this system was the Range Rover Classic , which offered BIS as standard on the front seats from 1970. Some cars like the Renault Vel Satis use this system for the front seats. A General Motors assessment concluded seat-mounted three-point belts offer better protection especially to smaller vehicle occupants, though GM did not find
3450-419: Is also credited with helping design the flow-through ventilation used since then in nearly every motor vehicle. Introduced in 1938, Nash's Weather Eye directed fresh, outside air into the car's fan-boosted, filtered ventilation system, where it was warmed (or cooled), and then removed through rearward placed vents. The process also helped to reduce humidity and equalize the slight pressure differential between
3565-665: Is applied to household appliances and scientific refrigeration systems. Nash Motors Nash Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1916 until 1937. From 1937 through 1954, Nash Motors was the automotive division of Nash-Kelvinator . As sales of smaller firms declined after 1950 in the wake of the domestic Big Three automakers’ (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) advantages in production, distribution, and revenue, Nash merged with Hudson Motors to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Nash automobile production continued from 1954 through 1957 under AMC. Innovations by Nash included
Nash-Kelvinator - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-593: Is found in older cars. Coaches are equipped with lap belts (although many newer coaches have three-point belts), as are passenger aircraft seats. University of Minnesota professor James J. (Crash) Ryan was the inventor of, and held the patent for, the automatic retractable lap safety belt. Ralph Nader cited Ryan's work in Unsafe at Any Speed and, following hearings led by Senator Abraham Ribicoff , President Lyndon Johnson signed two bills in 1966 requiring safety belts in all passenger vehicles starting in 1968. Until
3795-461: Is to provide the seated occupant the convenience of some free movement of the upper torso within the compartment while providing a method of limiting this movement in the event of a crash. Starting in 1996, all passenger vehicles were required to lock pre-crash, meaning they have a locking mechanism in the retractor or in the latch plate. Seat belts are stowed on spring-loaded reels called "retractors" equipped with inertial locking mechanisms that stop
3910-607: The Saab GT 750 was introduced at the New York Motor Show in 1958 with safety belts fitted as standard, the practice became commonplace. Vattenfall , the Swedish national electric utility, did a study of all fatal, on-the-job accidents among their employees. The study revealed that the majority of fatalities occurred while the employees were on the road on company business. In response, two Vattenfall safety engineers, Bengt Odelgard and Per-Olof Weman, started to develop
4025-473: The airbag (if equipped), and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle in a crash or if the vehicle rolls over . When in motion, the driver and passengers are traveling at the same speed as the vehicle. If the vehicle suddenly stops or crashes, the occupants continue at the same speed the vehicle was going before it stopped. A seat belt applies an opposing force to the driver and passengers to prevent them from falling out or making contact with
4140-524: The "Statesman". A five-position "Airliner" reclining front passenger seatback was optional for both models. The stroke on the Statesman engine was increased 1 ⁄ 4 in (6.4 mm), giving 186 cubic inches (3.05 L) and 85 hp (63 kW), and the Ambassador received a new cylinder head that increased power to 115 hp (86 kW). Changes for the 1951 model Airflytes were to
4255-525: The 1920s. As was the practice for all car brands during the early 20th Century, the chassis and engines were imported, and Australian coach builders locally built the bodies. Early distributors were Wilsford Limited for New South Wales, Richards Brothers for Victoria and the Riverina, Peels Limited for Queensland, Eric Madren Motors (later Nash Cars (W.A) Limited) for Western Australia, and Northern Motors for Tasmania. The recovery period following
4370-453: The 1941 model year, the Nash 600 was the first mass-produced unibody construction automobile made in the United States. Its lighter weight compared to body-on-frame automobiles and lower air drag helped it to achieve excellent fuel economy for its day. The "600" model designation is said to have been derived from overdrive-equipped examples of this car's ability to travel 600 miles (966 km) on
4485-582: The 1952 model year. They were promoted as the Golden Airflytes in honor of Nash Motors' 50th anniversary as an automobile builder because the company was counting the years of the Thomas B. Jeffery Company as part of their heritage. Therefore, "Great Cars Since 1902" became one of the company's advertising slogans. Nash was the only American car manufacturer besides Ford Motor Company to introduce an all-new 1952 model. The new Golden Airflytes presented
4600-579: The 1980s, three-point belts were commonly available only in the front outboard seats of cars; the back seats were often only fitted with lap belts. Evidence of the potential of lap belts to cause separation of the lumbar vertebrae and the sometimes-associated paralysis , or " seat belt syndrome " led to the progressive revision of passenger safety regulations in nearly all developed countries to require three-point belts, first in all outboard seating positions, and eventually in all seating positions in passenger vehicles. Since September 1, 2007, all new cars sold in
4715-477: The 1995–96 Ford Escort / Mercury Tracer and the Eagle Summit Wagon , which had automatic safety belts along with dual airbags. Automatic belt systems generally offer inferior occupant crash protection. In systems with belts attached to the door rather than a sturdier fixed portion of the vehicle body, a crash that causes the vehicle door to open leaves the occupant without belt protection. In such
Nash-Kelvinator - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-581: The Automatic Vacuum Shift (supplied by the Evans Products Company) had a small gear selector lever mounted on the dashboard, immediately below the radio controls. In 1936, Nash introduced the "Bed-In-A-Car" feature, which converted the car's interior into a sleeping compartment. The rear seatbacks were hinged to go up, allowing the back seat cushion to be propped up into a level position. This also created an opening between
4945-962: The Hudson franchise since 1939. Hudson was the more recognized brand in Australia, so they were initially sold as Hudson. The Nash Metropolitan was not sold in Australia. The first Rambler-badged vehicles were imported in 1957. This first shipment consisted of 24 cars, 10 of which were Rambler station wagons. Small numbers of Rambler Sixes were imported into Australia up until 1960. AMC made a new deal with Port Melbourne vehicle assembler Australian Motor Industries (AMI) in 1960 to build AMC vehicles from knock-down kits, production of which ran from 1961 until 1976. AMI eventually became Toyota Australia. From 1935, Nash motor vehicles were assembled in New Zealand by Christchurch company Motor Assemblies Limited . The plant also made Studebaker and Standard vehicles and
5060-731: The Mille Miglia, they finished ninth overall in 1950 and seventh overall, as well as placing fourth in class in 1952. In January 1954, Nash announced the acquisition of the Hudson Motor Car Company as a friendly merger, creating American Motors Corporation (AMC). To improve the financial performance of the combined companies, all production, beginning with the 1955 Nash and Hudson models, would happen at Nash's Kenosha plant. Nash would focus most of its marketing resources on its smaller Rambler models, and Hudson would focus its marketing efforts on its full-sized cars. One of
5175-622: The Nash Quad under license and Nash patents. Nash became the leading producer of military trucks by the end of World War I. After the War ended, surplus Quads were used as heavy work trucks in fields such as construction and logging. Charles Nash convinced the chief engineer of GM's Oakland Division, Finnish-born Nils Eric Wahlberg, to move to Nash's new company. The first Nash engine introduced in 1917 by Wahlberg had overhead valves , which Nash had learned about while working for Buick. Wahlberg
5290-487: The Nash or Hudson brands, became a make unto its own in 1957, as did the Rambler. By this point, Rambler sales comprised most of AMC's volume, so George Romney decided to phase out the Nash and Hudson nameplates and focus solely on Rambler. This move would pay off the following year when an economic recession struck the United States and created a strong demand for economical compact cars. Nash and Hudson production ended with
5405-508: The Nash-Healey did little to enhance showroom traffic as Nash sales fell steadily from 1951 onward. The Airflyte had initially sold well in the postwar "seller's" market. Still, its bulbous styling, rooted in 1940s design trends, quickly became passé, and its underpowered six-cylinder engine proved to be a significant liability against GM's new OHV short-stroke V8s. Like fellow independents Hudson, Studebaker, and Packard, Nash charged higher prices for their cars than Ford and GM, which benefited from
5520-456: The U.S. require a lap and shoulder belt in the center rear seat. In addition to regulatory changes, "seat belt syndrome" has led to a liability for vehicle manufacturers. One Los Angeles case resulted in a $ 45 million jury verdict against Ford; the resulting $ 30 million judgment (after deductions for another defendant who settled prior to trial) was affirmed on appeal in 2006. While lap belts are exceedingly rare to spot in modern cars, they are
5635-532: The U.S. variants obtained automatic belts and the Canadian versions retained manual belts, although some Canadian versions also had automatic seat belts. Two particular models affected were the Dodge Spirit and Plymouth Acclaim . Automatic belt systems also present several operational disadvantages. Motorists who would normally wear seat belts must still fasten the manual lap belt, thus rendering redundant
5750-734: The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. International production for both the Nash and Hudson Marques was consolidated after the merger of Nash and Hudson to form American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1954, after which international-bound operations were conducted at the former Nash factory in Kenosha and the Brampton plant in Canada until 1957, when both the Nash and Hudson Marques were retired. Several distributors for each Australian state built and sold Nash vehicles in
5865-650: The all-new postwar design were the most "alarming" in the industry since the Chrysler Airflow . It was built at one of two new factories in El Segundo, California , where the factory is still being used, having been re-purposed as the Boeing Satellite Development Center , immediately south of Los Angeles International Airport , on Nash Street. A one-piece curved safety glass windshield was used on both models. Wide and low,
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#17327940812945980-1027: The auto industry, dropped the mandate; the decision was overruled in a federal appeals court the following year, and then by the Supreme Court . In 1984, the Reagan Administration reversed its course, though in the meantime the original deadline had been extended; Elizabeth Dole , then Transportation Secretary, proposed that the two passive safety restraints be phased into vehicles gradually, from vehicle model year 1987 to vehicle model year 1990, when all vehicles would be required to have either automatic seat belts or driver side air bags. Though more awkward for vehicle occupants, most manufacturers opted to use less expensive automatic belts rather than airbags during this time period. When driver side airbags became mandatory on all passenger vehicles in model year 1995 , most manufacturers stopped equipping cars with automatic seat belts. Exceptions include
6095-408: The automation of the shoulder belt. Those who do not fasten the lap belt wind up inadequately protected only by the shoulder belt. In a crash, without a lap belt, such a vehicle occupant is likely to "submarine" (be thrown forward under the shoulder belt) and be seriously injured. Motorized or door-affixed shoulder belts hinder access to the vehicle, making it difficult to enter and exit—particularly if
6210-487: The automobile featured more interior room than its 1948 predecessor, although its height was 6 inches (150 mm) lower. Due to its enclosed front fenders, Nash automobiles had a larger turning radius than most other cars. The 600 models used a 112-inch (2,800 mm) wheelbase while the Ambassador models stretched to 121 inches (3,073 mm). Both shared the same bodies. Coil springs were used on all four wheels. Both models offered Three trim lines: Super, Super Special, and
6325-506: The automotive industry with his idea of retractable seat belts. This came about from his care of the high number of head injuries coming through the emergency room. He investigated the early seat belts with primitive designs that were implicated in these injuries and deaths. Nash was the first American car manufacturer to offer seat belts as a factory option, in its 1949 models. They were installed in 40,000 cars, but buyers did not want them and requested that dealers remove them. The feature
6440-548: The basis of the modern and more sophisticated automatic climate control systems." The Anglo-American Nash-Healey sports car was introduced in 1951. This was a collaborative effort between George Mason and British sports car manufacturer Donald Healey . Healey designed and built the chassis and suspension and, until 1952, the aluminum body, which another British manufacturer, Panelcraft Sheet Metal Co. Ltd., fabricated in Birmingham West Midlands. Nash shipped
6555-409: The belt from extending off the reel during severe deceleration. There are two main types of inertial seat belt locks. A webbing-sensitive lock is based on a centrifugal clutch activated by the rapid acceleration of the strap (webbing) from the reel. The belt can be pulled from the reel only slowly and gradually, as when the occupant extends the belt to fasten it. A sudden rapid pull of the belt—as in
6670-620: The best chance of reaching a larger market by building small cars. He directed Nash towards developing the first compact of the post-war era, the 1950 Nash Rambler , which was marketed as an up-market, feature-laden convertible. Mason orchestrated a contract manufacturing arrangement with Austin of the UK to build Nash's new subcompact car, the Metropolitan . It was introduced in March of 1954. The full-size Nash Airflytes were wholly re-designed for
6785-402: The board, wanted George W. Mason for his expertise as a production engineer for several car manufacturers before being appointed president of Kelvinator in 1928. To have Mason, Nash had to buy Kelvinator, a leading manufacturer of refrigerators. The merged company began on 2 January 1937 with no debt and $ 50 million in cash assets. Mason then served as president of Nash-Kelvinator until 1954 when
6900-413: The car. A longtime proponent of automotive safety, Nash was among the early mid- and low-priced cars that offered four-wheel brakes. The Nash was a success among consumers, which meant for the company, "selling for a long time has been 100% a production problem... month after month, all the cars that could be produced were sold before they left the factory floor." For the 1925 model year, Nash introduced
7015-469: The economies of scale. The independents also lacked the Big Three's extensive dealer network or advertising budget. Low-profit Rambler sales gradually made up more and more of Nash's total production. In 1953 and 1954, Ford and GM also waged an all-out price war on each other, further damaging the independents' sales. Mainline Nashes also lacked body styles; despite introducing a hardtop coupe in 1952, there
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#17327940812947130-553: The end of World War II saw a lull in car manufacturing, petrol rationing, and currency shortages. Some cars were imported in the late 1940s and 1950s despite these factors. In 1950, a few Nash trucks were assembled by Davies Pty Ltd in Launceston, Tasmania. After the Nash-Hudson merger in 1954, AMC's new Rambler vehicles were imported into Australia and distributed by Ira L. & A.C Berk Pty Ltd which had previously held
7245-403: The engine bay, the combined heating and cooling system had cold air for passengers enter through dash-mounted vents. Competing systems used a separate heating system and an engine-mounted compressor with an evaporator in the car's trunk to deliver cold air through the rear package shelf and overhead vents. The alternative layout pioneered by Nash "became established practice and continues to form
7360-617: The entry-level marque Ajax . The Ajax was produced in the newly acquired Mitchell Motor Car Company plant in Racine, Wisconsin . Mitchell was the manufacturer of Mitchell-brand automobiles between 1903 and 1923. Sales of Ajax automobiles, while quite respectable, were disappointing. It was believed that the same car would sell better if it were called a Nash. Thus, the Ajax became the "Nash Light Six" in June 1926, and sales improved as expected. In an unusual move, Nash Motors offered all Ajax owners
7475-400: The event an actual collision occurs. Pre-emptive systems generally use electric pretensioners, which can operate repeatedly and for a sustained period, rather than pyrotechnic pretensioners, which can only operate a single time. Webclamps stop the webbing in the event of an accident and limit the distance the webbing can spool out (caused by the unused webbing tightening on the central drum of
7590-580: The existing chassis with a modified 600 front end and cab along with an outsourced cargo bed. For the 1946 model year, Nash introduced the Suburban model that used wood framing and panels on the body. It was similar to the Chrysler Town and Country and Ford Sportsman models. Suburbans were continued in 1947 and 1948, with 1,000 built over the three years. In 1948, the Ambassador convertible returned with 1,000 made. The aerodynamic 1949 Nash "Airflyte"
7705-428: The expertise shared between Kelvinator and Nash. This was the first hot-water car heater to draw fresh air from outside the car and is the basis of all modern internal combustion engine car heaters in use today. Also in 1938, Nash, along with other car manufacturers Studebaker and Graham , offered vacuum-controlled shifting, an early approach to removing the gearshift from the front floorboards. Automobiles equipped with
7820-756: The firm merged with Hudson Motors . Nash-Kelvinator ranked 27th among United States corporations in the value of World War II production contracts. As part of the Arsenal of Democracy , the company shifted its factories to make a large variety of military components and aeronautic assemblies. The company expanded its facilities to produce the Hamilton Standard propellers to become the largest manufacturer of this type of propeller with more than 158,000 units made with an additional over 85,000 spare blades, assembling nearly 17,000 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder, air-cooled aircraft engine, making
7935-542: The first things Mason did as CEO of the new company was to initiate talks with James J. Nance , president of Packard, for parts-sharing arrangements between AMC and Packard. At this time, AMC did not have its own V8 engine, and an agreement was made for the new 320 cu in (5.2 L) Packard V8 engine and Packard's Ultramatic automatic transmission to be used in the 1955 Nash Ambassador and Hudson Hornet models. In July 1954, Packard acquired Studebaker to form Studebaker-Packard Corporation , however, further talks of
8050-428: The interior of the car (especially preventing contact with, or going through, the windshield ). Seat belts are considered primary restraint systems (PRSs), because of their vital role in occupant safety. An analysis conducted in the United States in 1984 compared a variety of seat belt types alone and in combination with air bags . The range of fatality reduction for front seat passengers was broad, from 20% to 55%, as
8165-546: The introduction of an automobile heating and ventilation system in 1938 that is still used today, unibody construction in 1941, seat belts in 1950, a U.S.-built compact car in 1950, and an early muscle car in 1957. Nash Motors was founded in 1916 by former General Motors president Charles W. Nash , who acquired the Thomas B. Jeffery Company . Jeffery's best-known automobile was the Rambler whose mass production from
8280-572: The job: Nash would acquire controlling interest in Kelvinator, which at the time was the leading manufacturer of high-end refrigerators and kitchen appliances in the United States. As of 4 January 1937, the resulting company was known as Nash-Kelvinator . As a brand name, Nash continued representing automobiles for the merged firm. This was the largest merger of companies in two different industries until then. In 1938, Nash introduced an optional conditioned air heating/ventilating system, an outcome of
8395-494: The last Hornet made on 25 June, 1957. From 1958 until 1962, Rambler and the Metropolitan were the only brands of cars sold by AMC. By 1965, the Rambler name would begin to be phased out, and AMC would take over as the brand name until the 1988 model year. In 1970, American Motors acquired Kaiser Jeep (the descendant of Willys-Overland Motors ) and its Toledo, Ohio , based manufacturing facilities. In 1979, AMC established
8510-415: The late 1920s and 1930s was "Give the customer more than he has paid for," and the cars lived up to it. Innovations included a straight-eight engine with overhead valves, twin spark plugs, and nine crankshaft bearings in 1930. The 1932 Ambassador Eight had synchromesh transmissions and free wheeling, automatic centralized chassis lubrication, a worm-drive rear end, and its suspension was adjustable inside
8625-427: The laws. Some cut seat belts out of their cars. The 'belt' part of the typical seatbelt seen in vehicles worldwide is referred to as the 'webbing'. Modern seat belt webbing has a high tensile strength , about 3000-6000lbs, to resist tearing at high loads such as during high-speed collisions or while restraining larger passengers. While nylon was used in some early seat belts (and is still used for lap belts), it
8740-490: The load-bearing dead axles to drive the hubs through hub-reduction gearing. In addition, it featured four-wheel steering. The Quad achieved the reputation of being the best four-wheel drive truck produced in the country. The newly formed Nash Motors became the largest producer of four-wheel drives. By 1918, capacity constraints at Nash meant the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company began to assemble
8855-738: The mechanism). These belts also often incorporate an energy management loop ("rip stitching") in which a section of the webbing is looped and stitched with special stitching. The function of this is to "rip" at a predetermined load, which reduces the maximum force transmitted through the belt to the occupant during a violent collision, reducing injuries to the occupant. A study demonstrated that standard automotive three-point restraints fitted with pyrotechnic or electric pretensioners were not able to eliminate all interior passenger compartment head strikes in rollover test conditions. Electric pretensioners are often incorporated on vehicles equipped with precrash systems ; they are designed to reduce seat belt slack in
8970-553: The merger with Nash, were considered an upmarket brand of household appliances. In 1954, Nash-Kelvinator acquired Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit , Michigan, in what was called a mutually beneficial merger that formed the American Motors Corporation . It was the largest corporate consolidation to date. Kelvinator continued as a wholly owned division that was focused on the production and marketing of major home appliances and refrigeration equipment within
9085-593: The new Toyota Cressida became the first car to offer motorized automatic passive seat belts. A study released in 1978 by the United States Department of Transportation said that cars with automatic seat belts had a fatality rate of .78 per 100 million miles, compared with 2.34 for cars with regular, manual belts. In 1981, Drew Lewis , the first Transportation Secretary of the Reagan Administration , influenced by studies done by
9200-495: The new company. Seeking to focus on the automobile market, the rights to the Kelvinator brand was sold by AMC to White Consolidated Industries in 1968, which brought the product under its corporate appliance group, joining the White-Westinghouse , Gibson , and Frigidaire appliance brands. The appliance division of White Consolidated Industries is now part of Sweden 's Electrolux Corporation. The Kelvinator brand
9315-656: The newly introduced Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and becoming one of the largest suppliers of binoculars in the world with over 200,000 delivered to the U.S. Army. Starting in late 1944, the company began to work on new car designs and by 1945 it completed new proving grounds in Wisconsin. In 1955, Kelvinator introduced the Kelvinator Food-A-Rama Side-by-Side Refrigerator, one of the earliest modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerators. Kelvinator consumer products, before and after
9430-466: The outboard front seating positions of many vehicles in the North American market starting at the inception of the shoulder belt requirement of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 's (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 on January 1, 1968. However, if the shoulder strap is used without the lap belt, the vehicle occupant is likely to "submarine", or slide forward in
9545-439: The outside and inside of a moving vehicle. Another unique feature of Nash cars was the unequal wheel tracks. The front wheels were set slightly narrower than the rear, thus adding stability and improving cornering. Wahlberg was also an early proponent of wind tunnel testing for vehicles and, during World War II , worked with Theodore (Ted) Ulrich in the development of Nash's radically styled Airflyte models. Nash's slogan from
9660-545: The outsourced unit by mid-1956. For the 1955 model year, all the large Nash and Hudson automobiles were based on a Nash-derived shared unitized body shell using styling themes by Pinin Farina , Edmund E. Anderson , and Frank Spring. Each had individual powertrains and separate, non-interchangeable body parts. This mimicked the longtime practice Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) that allowed for maximum manufacturing economy. Anderson set up separate design studios for Nash, Hudson, and Rambler. George Romney ordered
9775-469: The passenger compartment and the trunk. Two adults could sleep in the car with their legs and feet in the trunk and their heads and shoulders on the rear seat cushions. In 1949, this arrangement was modified so that fully reclining front seatbacks created a sleeping area within the passenger compartment. In 1950, these reclining seatbacks were made to lock into several intermediate positions. Nash soon called these "Airliner Reclining Seats". In 1939, Nash added
9890-616: The plant built Rambler vehicles from knock-down kits until 1971. CMI eventually became "Toyota New Zealand". Following World War II, Nash motor vehicles were assembled in South Africa by a newly built assembly operation in East London Car Distributors and Assemblers (CDA). The plant also built Packard, Renault, and Standard motor vehicles. CDA was eventually taken over, first by Chrysler, and finally by Peugeot. Seat belts A seat belt , also known as
10005-503: The powertrain components to England, and Healey assembled the cars, then shipped finished vehicles to the U.S. In 1952, the Italian designer Battista Farina restyled the body, and its construction changed to steel and aluminum. High costs, low sales, and Nash's focus on the Rambler line led to the termination of Nash-Healey's production in 1954 after 506 automobiles had been produced. While a welcome attempt to improve Nash's stodgy image,
10120-436: The probability of death in any given accident, mandatory seat belt laws have little or no effect on the overall number of traffic fatalities because seat belt usage also disincentivizes safe driving behaviors, thereby increasing the total number of accidents. This idea, known as compensating-behavior theory, is not supported by the evidence. In case of vehicle rollover in a U.S. passenger car or SUV, from 1994 to 2004, wearing
10235-465: The rear fenders, elongated to incorporate vertical taillights, a new conventional dashboard replacing the Uniscope mounted on the steering column, and a new upright bar grille with horizontal parking lights as well as the addition of GM Hydramatic as a Statesman option. The three best sales years for Nash up to that time were 1949, 1950, and 1951. Nash-Kelvinator's president, George Mason, felt Nash had
10350-443: The removal of the front fender skirts on Nashes and Ramblers for the 1955 models. Customers disliked this feature, yet it was reportedly demanded by George Mason, who liked their appearance. Even with the merger forming AMC, they were held to a total of about four percent of the market and thus were under pressure to lower expenses and tooling costs for new models, perhaps by innovation. The Nash Metropolitan , marketed under either
10465-520: The risk of "submarining", which occurs when a passenger slides forward under a loosely fitted seat belt. Some systems also pre-emptively tighten the belt during fast accelerations and strong decelerations, even if no crash has happened. This has the advantage that it may help prevent the driver from sliding out of position during violent evasive maneuvers, which could cause loss of control of the vehicle. These pre-emptive safety systems may prevent some collisions from happening, as well as reduce injuries in
10580-438: The same bodies with the 600 but placed this unibody structure on top of a conventional frame, resulting in a robust design. Post- World War II passenger car production resumed on 27 October 1945, with an Ambassador sedan first off the assembly line. There were a few changes from the 1942 models. The extended, slimmer upper grille bars and a projecting center section on the lower grille were most noticeable. The 600 models featured
10695-525: The seat and out from under the belt, in a frontal collision. In the mid-1970s, three-point belt systems such as Chrysler's "Uni-Belt" began to supplant the separate lap and shoulder belts in American-made cars, though such three-point belts had already been supplied in European vehicles such as Volvo, Mercedes-Benz , and Saab for some years. A three-point belt is a Y-shaped arrangement, similar to
10810-481: The separate lap and sash belts, but unified. Like the separate lap-and-sash belt, in a collision, the three-point belt spreads out the energy of the moving body over the chest, pelvis, and shoulders. Volvo introduced the first production three-point belt in 1959. The first car with a three-point belt was a Volvo PV 544 that was delivered to a dealer in Kristianstad on August 13, 1959. The first car model to have
10925-529: The standard in commercial airliners. The lift-lever style of commercial aircraft buckles allows for the seatbelt to be easily clasped and unclasped, accessible quickly in case of an emergency where a passenger must evacuate, and fulfills the minimum safety requirements provided by the FAA while remaining low-cost to produce. Furthermore, in case of any collision, a passenger in economy class has only around 9 inches for their head to travel forward, meaning restraining
11040-402: The thread density. Modern seatbelt weaves also feature snag-proof selvedges reinforced with strong polyester threads to prevent the wear and tear, while remaining flexible. The weave features about 300 warp threads for every 46mm wide webbing, leading to around 150 ends per inch of webbing. Accident investigators often examine the webbing of a seatbelt to determine if an occupant of a vehicle
11155-476: The three-point seat belt as a standard item was the 1959 Volvo 122 , first outfitted with a two-point belt at initial delivery in 1958, replaced with the three-point seat belt the following year. The three-point belt was developed by Nils Bohlin , who had earlier also worked on ejection seats at Saab . Volvo then made the new seat belt design patent open in the interest of safety and made it available to other car manufacturers for free. The Belt-in-Seat (BIS)
11270-415: The top-line Custom. Power was provided by an 82- horsepower (61 kW), 176-cubic-inch (2.88 L) flathead I6 cylinder in the 600 and a 112- horsepower (84 kW) OHV , 234-cubic-inch (3.83 L) I6 in the Ambassador. In 1949, Nash became the first American car with seat belts as a factory option. They were installed in 40,000 cars, yet buyers did not want them and had dealers remove them. There
11385-495: The torso and head is relatively unnecessary as the head has little room to accelerate before collision. A "sash" or shoulder harness is a strap that goes diagonally over the vehicle occupant's outboard shoulder and is buckled inboard of their lap. The shoulder harness may attach to the lap belt tongue, or it may have a tongue and buckle completely separate from those of the lap belt. Shoulder harnesses of this separate or semi-separate type were installed in conjunction with lap belts in
11500-409: The vehicle. In the absence of rapid deceleration or rollover, the reel is unlocked and the belt strap may be pulled from the reel against the spring tension of the reel. The vehicle occupant can move around with relative freedom while the spring tension of the reel keeps the belt taut against the occupant. When the pendulum swings away from its normal plumb position due to sudden deceleration or rollover,
11615-527: The whole speed scale, whereas none of the belted occupants was fatally injured at accident speeds below 60 mph. No belted occupant was fatally injured if the passenger compartment remained intact. Bohlin was granted U.S. patent 3,043,625 for the device. Subsequently, in 1966, Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act , requiring all automobiles to comply with certain safety standards. The first compulsory seat belt law
11730-454: Was "heated debate despite increasing scientific research" about their value and the option was "met with insurmountable sales resistance" with Nash reporting that after one year "only 1,000 had been used" by customers. The few changes for the 1950 Airflytes were a wider rear window, concealed fuel filler cap, some dashboard features, and the addition on Ambassadors of a GM Hydramatic automatic transmission option. The 600 models were renamed
11845-570: Was "met with insurmountable sales resistance" and Nash reported that after one year "only 1,000 had been used" by customers. Ford offered seat belts as an option in 1955. These were not popular, with only 2% of Ford buyers choosing to pay for seat belts in 1956. To reduce the high level of injuries Shelden was seeing, he proposed, in late 1955, retractable seat belts, recessed steering wheels , reinforced roofs, roll bars , automatic door locks, and passive restraints such as air bags be made mandatory. Glenn W. Sheren, of Mason, Michigan , submitted
11960-629: Was acquired by Standard Motors in 1954. Production was then moved to Auckland company VW Motors at their Volkswagen plant in Otahuhu, Auckland until 1962. New Zealand saw the Nash Ramblers and the British-built, right-hand-drive Nash Metropolitan. In 1963, AMC struck a deal with Thames company Campbell Motors to build a new vehicle assembly plant for AMC vehicles, which began production in 1964. Renamed Campbell Motor Industries (CMI),
12075-511: Was no convertible or station wagon, although the Rambler lineup featured all of these versions. In addition, while Nash had profited from military contracts during the Korean War , that conflict ended in mid-1953. At the same time, the new Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson , ex-GM president, began steering defense contracts to his former employer at the expense of the rest of the automotive industry . Mason commissioned Farina to design
12190-474: Was put in place in 1970, in the state of Victoria , Australia , requiring their use by drivers and front-seat passengers. This legislation was enacted after trialing Hemco seat belts, designed by Desmond Hemphill (1926–2001), in the front seats of police vehicles, lowering the incidence of officer injury and death. Mandatory seat belt laws in the United States began to be introduced in the 1980s and faced opposition, with some consumers going to court to challenge
12305-494: Was reintroduced in 1934 as a lower-priced companion to Nash. LaFayette ceased to be an independent marque with the introduction of the 1937 models. From 1937 through 1940, the Nash LaFayette was the lowest-priced model, replaced by the new unibody Nash 600 for the 1941 model year. Before retiring, Charles Nash chose Kelvinator Corporation head George W. Mason to succeed him. Mason accepted, but placed one condition on
12420-451: Was replaced by 100% polyester due to its better UV resistance, lower extensibility and higher stiffness. Nylon was also prone to stretching much more than polyester, and was prone to wear and tear, with tiny abrasions drastically reducing tensile strength causing a lack of reliability in one of the most important safety measures in a vehicle. Seat belts are commonly 46 or 48 mm wide with a 2/2 herringbone twill weaving pattern to maximize
12535-438: Was strong lobbying against the passive restraint requirement by the auto industry. Adams was criticized by Ralph Nader , who said that the 1983 deadline was too late. The Volkswagen Rabbit also had automatic seat belts, and VW said that by early 1978, 90,000 cars had sold with them. General Motors introduced a three-point non-motorized passive belt system in 1980 to comply with the passive restraint requirement. However, it
12650-416: Was the first car of an advanced design introduced by the company after the War. Its aerodynamic body shape was developed in a wind tunnel. A "radically aerodynamic" format was first proposed around 1943 by two independent designers, Ted Pietsch and Bob Koto, to Nash's vice president of engineering, Nils E. Wahlberg. The resulting all-new 1949 production cars were similar to the proposed sketches. The objective
12765-652: Was the principal stockholder in LaFayette Motors , a company started in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1920. It later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin , and became the producer of a large, powerful, and expensive luxury car. Other significant stockholders were Charles W. Nash and his friends and business associates. However, the LaFayette cars did not sell well. In 1924, Nash absorbed LaFayette and converted its plant to produce Ajax automobiles. The LaFayette marque
12880-453: Was the range of major injury, from 25% to 60%. More recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has summarized these data by stating "seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about half." Most malfunctions are a result of there being too much slack in the seat belt at the time of the accident. It has been suggested that although seat belt usage reduces
12995-405: Was to reduce the automobile's body's drag coefficient by using a smooth shape and enclosed front fenders. Closed fenders were conceived by Nash engineers also in the exploration for added strength of unibody construction. In contrast, Hudson, a close competitor, incorporated an actual unibody frame section into its closed rear wheel openings at about the same time. The "cutting-edge aerodynamics" of
13110-473: Was used as an active lap-shoulder belt because of unlatching the belt to exit the vehicle. Despite this common practice, field studies of belt use still showed an increase in wearing rates with this door-mounted system. General Motors began offering automatic seat belts on the Chevrolet Chevette . However, the company reported disappointing sales because of this feature. For the 1981 model year,
13225-500: Was wearing their seatbelt during a collision. The material of the webbing may contain traces of the occupant's clothing. Certain materials such as nylons may become permanently affixed or melted onto the fabric as a result of heat produced by friction, whereas fiber based clothing leaves no remains on modern webbing. A two-point belt attaches at its two endpoints. A simple strap was first used March 12, 1910, by pilot Benjamin Foulois ,
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