Love My 72 and 77

Do the seat belts under the seats on my 1968 have some sort of a retraction mechanism? If so how do they work?

BB68Vett

If all you have is lap belts then there is no seatbelt retractor. If you have the optional shoulder harness then there are retractors located on top of each of the rear wheel wells behind the seats.

Love My 72 and 77

I have shoulder belts but they are just bolted down in teh back with no retractors??????????? HELP

Rich1968

Yes, you should have retractors on you 68 lap belts. I believe the design of it is unique to 1968. Mine were rusted bad and did not retract anymore - ended up finding a nos set which cost a bit. Ebay has them from time to time but they are rare. Your shoulder belts should not have any retractors and should only be bolted in place.

highschool67

Check my post today "barely legal". The bracket is under the black rubber boot under the seat. The belt has a tensioner with a 1/2 round plastic sleeve. It has a groove cut in the end of a center spindle to retain a small coil spring. This is covered with a plastic cap to keep the spring from rusting. My spring was rusted but the housing was good. A little wd40 on the spring and bracket and they were good as new. I can see where it might be diffucult to repair or replace the retainers if they were any more deteriorated. I couldn't find anyone that had these replacement parts. My belts in the pictures are not retracted. The mechanism works but it requires that the belt is sewn around the plastic retainer within the metal bracket first. I could not do this so I put the new belts to the bracket first and then bolted both to the floor. I suppose you could just bolt it to the floor without the bracket.

BlueL36

'68 retractors seize after time and you might not realize that you have retractors. To see if yours are still there, just push the seat as far forward as you can and pull back the carpet. You should be able to see the hump of the retractor mechanism unless someone removed it.

BB68Vett

Well, sorry for the misinformation. My lap belts are merely bolted to the floor pan. The belt adjusts by moving the female part of the latch higher or lower along the belt. I guess my retractors were taken off before I bought the car twenty years ago but it seems odd they would allow for the female part of the latch to move along the belt if there was a retractor (in this case it would seem the female part would be stationary as in modern vehicles. Am I missing something here?) I stand corrected but I will have to check my AIM (trust but verify).

PRNDL

BB68Vett - I am in the same boat. My belts are bolted to the floor with no retractors. We have had these discussions before and I have been assured that original 68 lapbelts did have retractors.


HOLD THE PHONE - I just happened to have my NCRS guide out (took it out for that "Blue label" thread ) and here is what it says:

"On some cars the outboard end passes throught a grommet in the carpet to anchor under the carpet." .................

"Some early 1968s have retractors on the outboard belt."


So now I am a little confused again. This language makes it sound like not all 68s had seatbelt retractors... Another question for --- not just any judge, but an NCRS 1968 interior expert!

BB68Vett

Again, why would the female end (inboard side) slide along the belt if the outboard belt was supposed to have a retractor. I will also check my NCRS judging guide. Not sure if my car is an early or late model. Interesting thread, can anyone verify either way.

R1234

Although not a expert, my #4888 had the retractors. They looked to be original based on the appearance and condition. I removed them and saving them for a later restoration. In the mean time, I found a set of 68's that are the non-retractable style.
Bryan

CGGorman

I've got a "late" '68 (need to check, but I think it's July) WITH retractors. The belt passed through a greatly elongated grommet in the carpet. They don't work anymore. I'm replacing them with Simpsons soon.

The reason for the inboard (female) adjustment was because the retractor does not have cogs like a modern retractor. It was simply a system to keep the belt tidy when not in use, not an actual tensioner.

Ssnake Oyl said they have the springs, but want $50.00 a piece for them (NOT installed). Bulls%^t. For that price, I can make my own or buy a set of Simpsons!

Love My 72 and 77

I was referring to the seat belt under the seat (outboard) I took mine out and they looked like they once had some sort of a machanism to "keep them tidy" while not in use. I suppose it is not that important I just dont want them hanging out the door when not in use. I tooke the belts out and dissasembled them I noticed what might be left of a spring.