renewing seat belts

[JK240Z]

Hi,

I have the possibility of some nos seat belts to replace the old ones in my 1974 260Z 2 seater, but am not sure if they will fit.

The belts I think are for a 240Z, this is the image I have been sent of them and I think the Datsun UK part number is ND3

Does anyone know if these will fit my car...??

Many thanks,

JK

[ZCurves]

Are your seat belts intact and functional? If they are merely discolored by the sun, you might consider purchasing some Fabric Spray Dye from SEM or Duplicolor (here in US). I recently did this to mine and they turned out great!. I also used Duplicolor Bumper Black Spray to paint the housings, etc. The seatbelts in your pic are nice though. How do they compare with the originals? Does the 240 have the retractors as the 280z?

[Rainman]

Hello JK.. I have an early 1974 260Z, a two seater as well.. those belts may fit but are not the same type as the system in my 260Z. The belts in my car have two reels, one bolted to the roof of the car, just above the rear shock towers and one bolted to the floor just behind the seats. They sure look nice though!! ZCurve's idea sounds like something I'll try once my car is back from the paint shop.. Best of luck!!

Tom

[boyblunda]

I have no knowledge of how well suited this part # might be compared to the original item but this question might be solved by comparing the two items side by side. Britax have been around for decades and I do not know of any reason to question the quality of their product.

I have serious reservations about any suggestion of "fixing" a belt faded by sunlight. UV light is a factor in the degradation of seat belt fabric and other items of similar manufacture or materials. Age is also a consideration. I have played with vertical roping and rescue activities for years and retire our equipment after five years regardless of the amount of use, and earlier if there is any discernible damage eg fraying of the edges. I do not know of any manufacturer of vertical roping equipment, which includes products made from seat belt webbing, that will recommend their product beyond a five year period.

In past threads there has been discussion of upholsterers "making" seat belts by replacing new webbing with old. Caution is also required here as the stitching involved in seat belt webbing is critical and has to be able to be relied upon. By all means use an upholsterer to replace the webbing in things like luggage straps but I would suggest that a person in a car involved in a motoring incident would want their seat belt webbing to work as well as it possibly can.

Second hand belts or belts of unknown history should also be treated with reservation. I would never use a seat belt that had previously been involved in a collision.

Finally, it is possible to damage seat belt fabric with some cleaners or other liquids. The cleaning agents that we might apply to seat belts need to be carefully selected.

This is not about appearance or saving money but more about how well you want your safety restraint to work in a crisis.

Seat belts need to be in good condition and worn properly if they are to have a chance of serving you well. If in doubt, throw it out and buy a new one.

Sorry to rant about something that is off topic but the potential consequences involved here are very serious.

[JK240Z]

Ha ha discoloured by the sun is not often a UK problem....

My belts are not inertia reel belts which is why I thought these may fit as direct replacements for the ones I have which are just worn and very old/tired looking.

[d240zx2]

I tried to use a retractable set in my '70. They won't fit. They're designed to fit in an area stamped out to accommodate the bulk of the retractor mechanism, i.e. the "reel." Your situation may be different.

[boyblunda]

If you do not have inertia reel belts then you could just measure the length of the belts in your vehicle and ask the seller to provide the length measurement of those that you are considering purchasing. There is usually a fair amount of adjustment available in conventional lap sash belts so if the two measurements are close then you should be good to proceed.

I am sure you will feel that it is money well spent once you have them installed.

[SteveJ]

Sorry to rant about something that is off topic but the potential consequences involved here are very serious.

If you hadn't posted your rant, I would have. To continue along with the rant...

Yes, I bought second hand belts before I found sources for new seatbelts. Since then, I have replaced the seatbelts in both of my Z cars, and I'm glad I did.

For those who are curious I have a couple of threads on replacement seat belts. I don't consider myself an expert, but I did have two really good experiences with the company I bought the belts from.

Consider it this way. If you saw that your tires were cracking, would you just paint them black and keep driving?

The S30 isn't nearly as rigid as any car built in the last 25 or so years. Do you REALLY want to risk your life with old seatbelts?

[JK240Z]

If you do not have inertia reel belts then you could just measure the length of the belts in your vehicle and ask the seller to provide the length measurement of those that you are considering purchasing. There is usually a fair amount of adjustment available in conventional lap sash belts so if the two measurements are close then you should be good to proceed.

I am sure you will feel that it is money well spent once you have them installed.

Good Idea, bb, thanks I will do just that