seat belts

[BadDog]

Stupid question of the week: How do I use the shoulder belts in my 240?

[2ManyZs]

Stupid answer of the week. I dunno.

If you have an early series 1 I believe the shoulder harness is made so that you can seperate it from the lap belt. I'd have to go look at mine to remember how they latch together. Which style do you have?

[BadDog]

my car's a '73... the shoulder belt is seperate, and I don't see how it could connect to the lap belt. Then again, I may just be completely not seeing something

[Rev.Victor Webb]

The shoulder part is seperate. The question is not stupid. The metal piece of the lap belt has a slot in it inside the loop on the strap. You need to squeeze the shuolder part into that point and insert it into the slot. It is safer with the shoulder strap attached but limits mobility because it is not a retractable type.

[BadDog]

Thank you very much I'll try it out when I get home tonight

[AxtellZ]

Yep, take the lapbelt, and where the metal-buckle is attatched to the fabric belt, you need to push aside the fabric- you'll see a slot that the shoulder clips into. Take a look, you'll see! JA

[BadDog]

Thanks everyone, I found it. What a pain

[2ManyZs]

I must be losing my mind because if my memory is correct, my 73 had one piece belts and retractors. I thought it was only the early cars that had no retractors and the removable shoulder belt. :eek:

[BadDog]

Hmmm well if memory serves, my car was made in 4/73 if it makes any difference... the non-retractable shoulder belt is a real PITA when it comes to trying to adjust the KLUDGE my car has of 2 choke handles mounted under the dash above the hood release...

[Phacade]

My '73 has retractable lap belts, however the shoulder belt it one length, bolted at the top. No give and I imagine would hurt if ever used in a panic stop. The do click in on the lap belt but can come out rather easily. Most states have a lap belt only law so I just wore the lap belt. I have heard it is possible to retro-fit a complete system out of a '75-78 280Z, both the lap and shoulder belt assembly. The belt looks similiar but cannot unsnap. The should also has its own seperate retraction mechanism, so it takes a little getting use to. You will get the belt out where you want it but the shoulder is too short when you click it. Everytime I click my belt in my '75 I think of that cheesy movie 'Beverly Hills Ninja' where Chris Farley puts on a seatbelt and it starts to strangle him. He screams and pulls out a knife and cuts it. Funny stuff. But the comparison is similair.

[BadDog]

Chris Farley did some funny stuff....

Yes, my lap belt retracts but not the shoulder belt. Now that I've got my choke handle at least mounted in the right place, I can't tighten the shoulder belt without having to worry about the need to reach halfway under the dash...

I guess I'll have to weigh the "originality" factor vs. the safety/convenience factor of later Z belt assemblies... not that my Z could ever be as safe as my daily driver