Seat belt set ditch?
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Cruising
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 14
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Seat belt set ditch?
My 73 has original oxblood seat/shoulder belts. Retractors hang up, one shoulder strap webbing is coming apart. Anyone know of a refurbisher to keep my originals, or has anyone had good experience with the $250 copies, or go with the $650 set of correct ones, if I can find them?
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,327
Likes: 5
From: 2010 C6 Grand Sport Convertible
I sent mine to Ssnake Oyl. They were pricey, but did a fantastic job of restoring. rebuilding retractors, re-webbing including reattaching the labels, also re-chroming the tongues. They are brandy new!
Mike
Mike
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 74
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From: Seattle WA
This is what I did to rebuild my 1977 seatbelts your's may be different but this may help.
I have taken my seatbelts apart and can tell you what I did. I don't have pictures but this may help anyway. The top part is easy because the rod pops out after you remove the tensioner by slowly prying up on the cap while holding it firmly in your hand and then count the turns to release the tension, I think mine were 5 full turns. The seatbelt can then be unwound all the way. The next step is to tap out the rods keeping track of the washers and there location.It took me one good hit with a hammer to knock loose. I don't have it in front of me but recall that it comes out from opposite the direction of the just removed tensioner. ie hit the end with the slit for the tensioner. The bottom is more difficult because of the plastic planetary gear assembly. The rod must come out on the same side as the plastic assembly and I could not find a way to remove it. They fixed the clear cap on by melting plasic caps on. i took a shop knife and cut the three weld dots off and removed the clear cap making note of the position of all parts inside, a camera works best for this. I then knocked out the rod through the bottom plastic assembly. To reassemble the parts I drilled a hole in the plastic where the plastic weld was that I cut off and then put a short large head sheetmetal screw in it. It's not perfect but it is a cheap fix. I ordered my webing through ssnakeoyl and had a local car interior shop sew the new webbing on and wound the belts back up. Let me know if this helps or you have more questions.
I have taken my seatbelts apart and can tell you what I did. I don't have pictures but this may help anyway. The top part is easy because the rod pops out after you remove the tensioner by slowly prying up on the cap while holding it firmly in your hand and then count the turns to release the tension, I think mine were 5 full turns. The seatbelt can then be unwound all the way. The next step is to tap out the rods keeping track of the washers and there location.It took me one good hit with a hammer to knock loose. I don't have it in front of me but recall that it comes out from opposite the direction of the just removed tensioner. ie hit the end with the slit for the tensioner. The bottom is more difficult because of the plastic planetary gear assembly. The rod must come out on the same side as the plastic assembly and I could not find a way to remove it. They fixed the clear cap on by melting plasic caps on. i took a shop knife and cut the three weld dots off and removed the clear cap making note of the position of all parts inside, a camera works best for this. I then knocked out the rod through the bottom plastic assembly. To reassemble the parts I drilled a hole in the plastic where the plastic weld was that I cut off and then put a short large head sheetmetal screw in it. It's not perfect but it is a cheap fix. I ordered my webing through ssnakeoyl and had a local car interior shop sew the new webbing on and wound the belts back up. Let me know if this helps or you have more questions.
