AK1 RPO Option

[JeremyT]

I was looking over the RPO sheet for one of my GTA Notchbacks and comparing it to another GTA's RPO sheet, when I noticed my GTA does not have an RPO option.

The RPO option is AK1.

According to Frankie's information, it's:
AK1 -- Seat Belts, Custom FR and RR -- 8,002

With 9,765 being total GTA production, the RPO option above was quite common.

Does anyone know exactly what AK1 is? The description is vague. My GTA does not have it, but I have the same "GTA/Ultima" style seats and same front seat belts as other GTAs, especially the one I was comparing my RPO sheet with, which does have the AK1 option.

Anyone know exactly what it is?

[HARRYS91GTASLP]

Originally Posted by JeremyT

I was looking over the RPO sheet for one of my GTA Notchbacks and comparing it to another GTA's RPO sheet, when I noticed my GTA does not have an RPO option.

The RPO option is AK1.

According to Frankie's information, it's:
AK1 -- Seat Belts, Custom FR and RR -- 8,002

With 9,765 being total GTA production, the RPO option above was quite common.

Does anyone know exactly what AK1 is? The description is vague. My GTA does not have it, but I have the same "GTA/Ultima" style seats and same front seat belts as other GTAs, especially the one I was comparing my RPO sheet with, which does have the AK1 option.

Anyone know exactly what it is?

AK1 : DELUXE BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS

[JeremyT]

Originally Posted by HARRYS91GTASLP

AK1 : DELUXE BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS

That is the description I received from an RPO decoder I have.

Still, what exactly is that? My GTA Notchback does not have that code, but it has the exact seat belts as the GTAs that I see that do have the AK1 option. I've never seen any GTA with a different seatbelt style. Have you?

Plus, with only 1763 of 9,765 not having this option (per Frankie's figures), I'm curious what the difference is as it apparently was a common option.

It does not appear to have anything to do with the Notchback option, as I have an RPO sheet from another Notchback that happens to have the AK1 RPO option.

Outside of color, I have never seen a different style of seatbelts on the GTA.

[HARRYS91GTASLP]

Originally Posted by JeremyT

That is the description I received from an RPO decoder I have.

Still, what exactly is that? My GTA Notchback does not have that code, but it has the exact seat belts as the GTAs that I see that do have the AK1 option. I've never seen any GTA with a different seatbelt style. Have you?

Plus, with only 1763 of 9,765 not having this option (per Frankie's figures), I'm curious what the difference is as it apparently was a common option.

This addresses the Camaro, but may apply to the Firebird:

There were two option codes that covered deluxe lap and shoulder belts in 1968 - AK1 and ZK3. AK1 was used pre-January, with ZK3 replacing it. Why? The current CRG theory, based on 1983 Parts Manual RPO Table designations, is that AK1 was the normal GM code for deluxe lap and shoulder belts in BOTH front and rear. The 1968 Camaro engineers misused this definition at the start of that model year - having deluxe shoulder belts in the front only. To correct this inconsistency a new code was created for a combination of deluxe lap front and rear and deluxe front shoulder only, and AK1 was replaced, for Camaro use, with ZK3, starting in January 1968.

std standard lap belts: 2 front with buckets, 3 front with bench,
2 rear 67, 3 rear 68-69
AK1 Aug-Dec 67 coupe deluxe lap belts and front harness, replaced by ZK3
AS1 standard front harness (coupe used ended Dec 67)
A68 standard rear center belt (67 only - only for short period)
A39 deluxe lap belts (no harness) (coupe use ended Dec 67)
AL5 deluxe rear center (67 only - only for short period)
A85 deluxe front harness (coupe thru Dec 67 only)
AS4 68-69 deluxe rear harness
AS5 68-69 standard rear harness
ZK3 Jan 68-69 coupe deluxe lap belts and front harness; supercedes AK1
YA1 69 dealer ordering code for custom belts (A39 or ZK3 as appropriate)
YA2 69 dealer ordering code for rear harness (AS4 or AS5 as appropriate)
YA3 69 dealer ordering

[HARRYS91GTASLP]

Originally Posted by HARRYS91GTASLP

This addresses the Camaro, but may apply to the Firebird:

There were two option codes that covered deluxe lap and shoulder belts in 1968 - AK1 and ZK3. AK1 was used pre-January, with ZK3 replacing it. Why? The current CRG theory, based on 1983 Parts Manual RPO Table designations, is that AK1 was the normal GM code for deluxe lap and shoulder belts in BOTH front and rear. The 1968 Camaro engineers misused this definition at the start of that model year - having deluxe shoulder belts in the front only. To correct this inconsistency a new code was created for a combination of deluxe lap front and rear and deluxe front shoulder only, and AK1 was replaced, for Camaro use, with ZK3, starting in January 1968.

std standard lap belts: 2 front with buckets, 3 front with bench,
2 rear 67, 3 rear 68-69
AK1 Aug-Dec 67 coupe deluxe lap belts and front harness, replaced by ZK3
AS1 standard front harness (coupe used ended Dec 67)
A68 standard rear center belt (67 only - only for short period)
A39 deluxe lap belts (no harness) (coupe use ended Dec 67)
AL5 deluxe rear center (67 only - only for short period)
A85 deluxe front harness (coupe thru Dec 67 only)
AS4 68-69 deluxe rear harness
AS5 68-69 standard rear harness
ZK3 Jan 68-69 coupe deluxe lap belts and front harness; supercedes AK1
YA1 69 dealer ordering code for custom belts (A39 or ZK3 as appropriate)
YA2 69 dealer ordering code for rear harness (AS4 or AS5 as appropriate)
YA3 69 dealer ordering

Basically, the AK1 may signify "Color-coded" seatbelts.

AK1 DELUXE BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS
AK1 RESTRAINT SYSTEM, FRT, CTR, RR SEAT, FRT SHLDR,

[JeremyT]

Originally Posted by HARRYS91GTASLP

Basically, the AK1 may signify "Color-coded" seatbelts.

AK1 DELUXE BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS
AK1 RESTRAINT SYSTEM, FRT, CTR, RR SEAT, FRT SHLDR,

I think it is due to the interior color option. I see that Frankie's figures show the following:
19D -- Trim Combination, Black Cloth -- 1,231
192 -- Trim Combination, Black Leather -- 532

Add those two up and you get a total of 1763 GTAs with black interior, the same amount of GTAs that apparently don't have the AK1 option figure.

So apparently any other color besides black interior was referred to as deluxe, seabelt color wise.

[HARRYS91GTASLP]

Originally Posted by JeremyT

I think it is due to the interior color option. I see that Frankie's figures show the following:
19D -- Trim Combination, Black Cloth -- 1,231
192 -- Trim Combination, Black Leather -- 532

Add those two up and you get a total of 1763 GTAs with black interior, the same amount of GTAs that apparently don't have the AK1 option figure.

So apparently any other color besides black interior was referred to as deluxe, seabelt color wise.

I guess we had only black seat-belts early in the manufacture of the F bodies