MSA seatbelts wont fit

[Reverend]

I recently purchased MSA seatbelts and now that i installed them i cant pull seat full back. Retractor is on the way. Also it barely retracts anything, that's not safe.

I also got MSA carpets and those little carpets behind the seats wont fit in to place if the retractors are installed... I feel quite frustrated after waiting 4 weeks of this package to arrive and then i get this.

Suggestions?

[Travel'n Man]

I believe you will need to cut a hole into the carpet to finalize the seatbelt installation.

[Montezuma]

Retro fitting stuff always takes a little massaging to make them work. Nothing fits or works as well as factory parts, but when they are no longer available or as safe to use, they you have to retro fit......compromise is necessary when doing this. I am sure it will work out fine for you.

[Travel'n Man]

I installed my seatbelts from MSA last year - it is the best safty item I have installed to date along with Dave's light harnessness. The retractor does not get in the way of my seat positioning when driving. The seatbelt does ride up a little on my neck/shoulder area so I do have to pull that down occasionally to lower the chest belt off my neck area. Newer cars have a positioning adjustment that raises and lowers the area on your neck but not the MSA retrofit seat belt.

[Reverend]

Ok, well here is the pic of current situation. Im quite tall and getting seat full back is important, but with this i cant. If i lean "normally" on seat, it twists the retractor and it wont retract..:mad:

[Inf]

Wow, you must be really tall. I have enough room back there for a little angled 16x9 speaker box on each side.

[Reverend]

Well yes, nearly 2meters (dont know how much in feets) Maybe there's something wrong with my seats then..?

[Arne]

That's about 6'5" to 6'6" for the metric challenged. Tall, yes. But I don't even think my car's seats go back that far.

[Reverend]

Ok i gotta double check my seats then.

[epsark]

Okay, I have to chime in here. I have a 73 240Z and granted I have Corbeau seats, but mine do go that far back. I am 6' 4'', 1.9 m, and get questioned all the time on how I can fit into my car. For me at least, as long as the seat is all the way back, there is plenty of leg room. There is no less than in most cars and the ceiling clearance is about the same way.

Looking at the picture you supplied, the retractors look as if they were never intended to have the seats all the way back. I would also question why on a new part there would not be that much tension to pull them back into place as you state. Just because they are new doesn't mean they can't be defective. I have gotten new defective parts before, and it can be very frustrating when you have waited for them to arrive in the first place.

Do they both act the same? If so, could be that that is how they were designed. If not, it would be an indication of a potentially bad one. Either way I would inquire to MSA for what could potentially be wrong with them.

Good luck! :classic:

[SteveJ]

Koalia,

If you just CAN'T make the seatbelts work for you, I recommend going with the WESCO roadster belts that I described here. The retractor is up at the shoulder mounting point.

I have installed both types of aftermarket belts, and I much prefer the roadster style. They are easier to use, and there is one less bolt to mount.

Steve

[Lazeum]

I have the same exact issue with MSA belt. I can move the seat all the way back but it pushes then on the belt mechanism which at the end squeals each time I'm moving; very annoying!.

I think bending the rod that attaches the mechanism to move it away and put it as flat as you can against the wall could help.

I did not do it because I'd rather move the seat couple of centimeters forward than to have the rod bent that would get more stress in case of crash (it is maybe irrelevant, that's up to you ).

One other alternative could also be to make a longer rod that would be more flexible and get the belt away for good from the seat.

One way also to get more room would be to lower the back seat supports, there're washers below that could be removed to lean the seat more than stock position. I haven't tried it myself but by making some extra room, you could live with the belt the way it is (or make it even worst since seat might lean torwards the back....)

Edited June 2, 2010 by Lazeum