Hi, I just got a used C3 1979 corvette and it came without seatbelts.
I got a pair of C3 1979 seatbelts from corvettemods.com and when I went to install them, it seems the belts doesn't match what's on the frame to anchor them. I attach a couple of images to show. Basically, the seatbelt mount (belt1.jpg) seems to have a big hole with two additional ones, while on the frame (picture with the letter B) there is only one hole. Does anyone know how to install it? Did I get the wrong seatbelt model? I also attach a picture labelled "T" to show there is no place in the back to anchor it there.
Also, does anyone know what goes in the picture where it is written "A"?
Thank you
david.

 

David,

My name is Eric and I am the Director of Customer Service and Marketing for the seatbelt manufacture who made your seatbelts. I also handle technical support for the Corvette line. I would be glad to answer your questions regarding the installation of your seatbelts.

First, Letter A has nothing to do with the seatbelts. That is a location for a plastic hook to hold a clothes hanger.

Letter B is the mounting location for the retractor. Our aftermarket retractor unit is smaller than the factory unit but also meets todays Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) versus the requirements at the time the car was originally manufacture so the unit differs in appearance from the original. You only need to use the large hole in the top center section of the retractors. Torque spec is 25-30 ft pounds.

Install the retractor with a slight angle towards the front of the vehicle to allow the webbing material to go through the slot in the interior trim panel without any obstruction. The gold colored metal mounting anchor will use the same factory mounting hole down by the seat. After you run the anchor, chrome tongue and webbing through the trim panel you can reinstall the panel and mount the anchor, that's it.

You will find that the retractor is a web sensitive unit meaning that the speed the webbing moves at causes the retractor to lock. You will need to pull the seat belt across you a little slower than a brand new car with air bags due to it's design but should you ever need the belt it will be there to save you.

I hope this helps and if you need anything else please let me know.

Eric

 

Hi Eric, thank you so much for your help. That was very very insightful. I will do as you recommended. Thank you a lot d.

 

Eric, Great that you checked in on this thread..
I recently bought a new set of your aftermarket seat belts for my '78 SA Corvette.
They are excellently done and the instructions were excellent as well.
Installation went without a hitch.
The small advice to orient the retractor end so the unit is angled slightly forward is helpful for best retraction ..

As a note on seat belt USE for the C3 cars..
When one unbuckles the belt, before he/she exits the car, allow the belt to retract fully so it is out of the way entirely..

DON'T just let it go..
This keeps the belt from banging against the car's door frame and insures the belt isn't EVER slammed in the door.
Slamming the partially retracted belt in the door about guarantees the door jamb will be chipped-marred and the belt will get dirty and frayed....Jim

 

That retractor looks different than the one from my (wrecked) '78. Its aftermarket I'd guess?

ERIC, your thoughts?







I had a Co. on FLA redo the belts, from red to grey. I don't know if thats your Co. or not. The retractors could use a couple more "winds" of pre-load on the springs, to "retract" tighter.

 

Eric covered the different 'appearance' of their aftermarket retractor in his earlier post..
"Our aftermarket retractor unit is smaller than the factory unit but also meets todays Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) versus the requirements at the time the car was originally manufacture so the unit differs in appearance from the original. You only need to use the large hole in the top center section of the retractors. Torque spec is 25-30 ft pounds. .."
Suffice it to say the retractor supplied with the new aftermarket belts works great..and no one sees the retractor itself ..
IF the judges for best in class get so picky they need you to remove the trim to show the retractor..well..probably other more visible stuff on a '78 37 year old pristine Corvette that'd catch their eye long before this....
Lord I'd hope no one loses sleep over such things in their attempts to get their old C3 back up and functioanlly running and looking healthy & well..

Humorously and truthfully offered by one who doesn't own-drive a 'trailer queen'..Jim

 

The retractors in your photos are Factory units with the offset mounting hole and bent tab that is used as a guide. The units are also much longer than the black retractor we use. This is a good example showing the difference between the factory belts and our aftermarket ones regarding the size and use of the center hole on ours.

As far as the strength and need for additional rounds in the spring as time goes by the springs become weaker. Sometimes an extra round or two can be put in the spring but it normally doesn't make much of a difference. Most of the time new webbing on a used retractor will make a positive difference. Chances are we did the re-webbing for you but as of August of this year we closed our refurbishing department.

 

Thanks for the confirmation re my originals vs the aftermarket ones.
Yes, there appears to be quite a difference in size.

The aftermarket webbing is slightly wider than O.E. as well, at least my grey belt is compared to the old red webbing. The tongue doesn't slide as well as I thought it should.


I might open up one retractor to see how hard it would be to "wind it up" a bit tighter.

Any hints?

 

Don't have hint but First go slow and be careful since the spring can easily get away from you and you'll have a rats nest in your hands. Wear safety glasses. The thin plastic covers house the springs. The covers normally have a few small compression tips so you can use a flat blade to create a gap between the metal housing and the cover. You'll have to maintain control of the cover as it separates and also to prevent it from turning. Once you separate the cap you'll be able to feel the resistance from the spring and tighten it. I would try a half turn first and go a full turn depending on how much resistance you feel from the spring.

A lot of the problem with these units is the weight of the metal tongue and cover along with the angle it exits the interior trim panel. Gravity is working in it's favor versus the older C3's where the retractor is located in the back storage area with an A shape from the retractor up to the shoulder loop then down to the floor. This creates some leverage and resistance that the 1978-82 don't have.