Seat belt issues

[chevynut]

Got the setbelts done. I cut the Camaro belts to remove the latches because the belt end loops wouldn't slide through them. I don't think these latches had ever been used. Then I had to cut the new belt loops off to install the latches and we sewed new loops on them. Here they are re-assembled. They only hang out about 38" which should be about perfect. Now I need to install them in the car.

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[55 Rescue Dog]

Wow, nice job.

[chevynut]

The belts turned out just about perfect. There's a fine line on the length of the belt because the spool can only hold so much webbing. The retracted length can't be longer than the distance from the lower anchor, through the shoulder loop, and to the retractor. Then when extended it has to be long enough to go around you and latch. My 120" belt is about 38" retracted and the stowed length is about 47-48". So the belt is only extended 10" or so from the full spool condition. When latched around me, I have 12" or so of belt left, enough for 3-4 turns of webbing on the spool. That should be enough to keep it from pulling out in an accident. The 133" belts, while only 13" longer, won't stow properly on the b-pillar unless the mounting points are carefully thought out to take up the 57" of slack (what mine had). That much slack left me around 10" of loose belt on the floor.

Here's the belts installed. The sliding latch is laying near the floor since the stop button isn't installed yet. You can see the anchor plate for the retractor with the 7/16" grade 8 bolt holding it in place in the quarter panel area. I also welded an anchor plate at the bottom of the b-pillar, inside the quarter panel. I put the shoulder loop a little lower than I initially wanted to, so that the belt was parallel to the door jamb instead of hanging over the opening. It works good.

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Here's a pic showing how good the access is to the release button with the sliding latch.

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Now I have to figure out how to make a sleeve to hide the belt behind the headliner and protect it from wear.

[55 Rescue Dog]

Are you going to install a seatbelt warning light? All the new cars have them.