Seat belts refurb

[bpilati]

I am planning to have the webbing replaced in my seat belts. Has anyone else had this done? I found a company online that is willing to do this for $75 for each belt (i.e., $150 for both seats). I have non-retractable belts, but you '72 Z owners should also consider upgrading your inertia reel to a modern dual-sensing type.

[mgmoreau]

Hi Bryan,

Did you ever use this company and how did they come out if you did?

Thanks

[240260280z]

$37 (each) Alternative:

http://www.seatbeltsplus.com/product/CH300.html

[26th-Z]

http://www.ssnake-oyl.com/

First class services and product. Don't skimp ($) on your safety equipment!

[Reverend]

Is there any way to rebuild the retractors? (-72) mine are busted but i dont like the MSA belts i currently have.. :/

[Captain Obvious]

Is there any way to rebuild the retractors?

I don't know if the retractor assys are the same for all the years, but I just took a 77 apart yesterday and took some pics. Would it help to post them?

[Kurbycar32]

Yes it would. I have this exact same problem

[Captain Obvious]

Glad to help. I'm out of town at the moment on questionable security, slow speed internet access. I'll post the pictures I have when I get home in a few days.

One question though in the meantime... Are you guys having trouble with the retractor spring function that pulls the belt back into the assy, or are you having trouble with the latch that locks in when you try to pull the belt out quickly?

[Oiluj]

The driver's side retractable belt on my neighbor's 72 240Z doesn't work. The spring is rusted and broken. I looked for a new spring, but could not find a "stock" spring replacement.

She bought a pair of non-retracting lap belts from MSA, but I really don't like the way they fit. The female side is a bit too long. We are probably going to have to take them to a shop and have them shortened.

[Kurbycar32]

One question though in the meantime... Are you guys having trouble with the retractor spring function that pulls the belt back into the assy, or are you having trouble with the latch that locks in when you try to pull the belt out quickly?

All of the above. The retractor thing is obviously intact but barely works, the pull-latch engages if you look at it funny so its annoying if you do things like breathe or lean forward to adjust the radio. I'm sure its all fixable but I havent gotten that far and having a pic of one torn apart will be helpful.

[Captain Obvious]

Here's the pics I took of my seatbelt disassembly. First, a caveat... I didn't take these pics with the intention of using them for a how-to... I just had a dead belt with badly frayed webbing and thought I would take it apart to see how the whole thing worked. I figured I would take some pics along the way so I could refer to them again in the future if I ever needed to.

Second, these pics are from a 77, and I have no idea if they are the same on other years, but hopefully they will add some value. I also have pics of the assy before I popped off the side covers, but I'm not including those since we all know what that looks like.

Step1 - Wind the seatbelt as far as you can into the retractor assy to minimize the tension in the retractor clock spring. In other words, let the retractor spring pull in as much belt as it can before you loosen the side cover. Once you have the belt fully retracted, use a small screwdriver to pop off the side cover. Note that there will still be some spring tension so be careful. Do not let the side cover spin wildly after you pop it free. Hold the cover with your hand to make sure it does not spin and after you get the last retaining pin free, carefully rotate the side cover to release the spring tension. Count the number of turns it takes to release the tension so you know how many turns to wind it up when you put it back together.

Interesting to note that the retractor spring function is completely separate from the rest of the assy. That means for those of you guys with retractor spring problems, all you need to do is pop off that one side and replace the spring. You don't have to mess with the latching mechanism at all. In fact, for the shoulder belt portion, you probably don't have to take the assy out of the car. You can probably do that with the assy still attached to the strut tower.

Here's the retractor spring and cover after releasing the spring tension:

Step2 - Pop the side cover off the other sire. Here's the latching mechanism side:

Step3 - Pry off the little support arm:

Step4 - Pry off the latching mechanism:

Interesting to note that there isn't a whole lot that can go wrong with the latching mechanism. Probably the simplest thing that can go wrong is the tiny release spring can come off or break and then the latch will operate too easily or will not release at all.

Step5 - Pull the retaining pin that holds the take up reel into the bracket. Look down into the belt reel and you will see a retaining pin. Here's the pin fully installed:

Here's the pin pulled halfway out:

Here's the pin pulled all the way out:

Step6 - Pull out the center axle shaft and the take-up reel will come free. The belt is held into the reel by the center axle, so once the axle is removed, the belt webbing can be removed from the take-up reel:

Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.

[Kurbycar32]

Awesome, thanks captain. There were at least 3 priceless tips in there that im glad i read BEFORE opening and probably breaking my seat belt system.