seat belts

[Fiatracertracer]

Does anyone know if seat belts from another vehicle could work in a 1982 spider and which vehicle that may be?

[ClarkTheShark]

I gave up on trying to find suitable replacements. To my amazement, you can replace the fabric in them with a little effort.

1. Take belts out of car. Note position of parts (which way they are turned, etc. ) and which side is left and right.

2. Pull belts all the way of the out of the winder/locker mechanism. Lock them with a vice grip. From this point forward, do not let the spool wind back up.

3. This part potentially sucks. The end of the belt loops through the center of the center axle. You have to pull the belt out of the trap. I used needle nose pliers. A little pot metal cylinder comes out. Save it. This can be very hard if that pot metal has rusted. It took two hours to dig one of mine out, the other fell right out.

4. You can buy brand new belt webbing material from eBay. I paid $20 for two 15ft spools of belt.

5. After that all you have to do is sew up the belts just like the factory did it, and reinstall.
Bam... Brand new belts.

If anyone wants a more detailed guide on this, let me know and ill include some pictures/separate post write up.

[Redline]

5. After that all you have to do is sew up the belts just like the factory did it, and reinstall.
Bam... Brand new belts.

I think the sewing pattern and thread is part of the safe operation of the belt...

[ClarkTheShark]

5. After that all you have to do is sew up the belts just like the factory did it, and reinstall.
Bam... Brand new belts.

I think the sewing pattern and thread is part of the safe operation of the belt...

Correct, use good thread and make 20 or 30 interlocking passes. it isn't rocket science. guaranteed to be stronger than the 30 y/o rotten oem thread.

[stpher]

Hi,

Are not seatbelts regulated and can only be redone by licenced shops? I remember on one of the Porsche sites, there was a big discussion about this and I believe that this is the case. There are safety laws by Transport Canada here in Canada and the same in the US. I would really check into this before you start sewing up your own seatbelts.

Thanks, Rick

[spidernut]

Law requires them to be done by a certified shop. That doesn't stop you from doing them yourself and risking your life.

[70spider]

Instead of starting a new thread, I just have one question: How to convert an early (1970) Spider to a 3-point seat belt? I have a thought of something like this: http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.ne ... 2891892366 in combination with seat belt guides from AutoRicambi http://www.autoricambi.us/product/RI1-4 ... T-124-all/ . Has anyone done this before? My wife and daughter would like the 3-point belt .

[njoconnor]

Before getting the belt kit, check the forward side of the interior wheelvwell, just above the plastic interior panel. If you see a covered or open threaded mounting point, installation will be fairly easy. But you will have to significantly trim/cut tbe plastic panel to make room for the inertia reel. If you can wait for the weekend i can post pix of my install.

[baltobernie]

Instead of starting a new thread, I just have one question: How to convert an early (1970) Spider to a 3-point seat belt?

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... &sk=t&sd=a
Start a new thread to Reply or elaborate.

I think I'd take my chances with an old OE belt vs. a homemade one. If you are concerned enough to consider replacing the webbing, there are seat belt restoration specialists that can do the job professionally.

I suspect a diligent safety inspection would fail homemade belts here in the US, but many states don't have routine inspections for vintage cars.

[toplessexpat]

I bought three point belts for $50 a pair at seatbelt planet (I think), replaced my lap belts in about 2 hrs. Created a mounting point behind the rear seat using long bolts through the rear bulkhead. Works fine and means my wife will travel inside the car!

[btoran]

i've converted from 2 point to 3 point belts on my 1975. as mentioned, your car will need attachment points behind the rear seat for the retractors. if your car doesn't have them (and i don't believe cars built before 1979 had them), you'll need to fabricate brackets or get a set from a donor car and have them welded in (which is what i did). you will also need a 1979 or later upper seat back, which has the pass-thru slots for the belts. used seat backs go for between $25-$50, but most are tan, while earlier cars were black. SEM sells a vinyl spray that does a terrific job of dyeing the seat back black (if you follow the instructions to clean the seat first). get the belts from seatbelt planet and tell them they are for a spider. they have a special set because the retractor sits a certain way when it's mounted. i also added lapbelts to the back seat for taking the kiddies on short hops. if i rememebr correctly, the total cost of the entire swap (including the rear belts and having someone weld the brackets in) was close to $350. sounds like a lot (and it is), but it's for safety and allows the kids to enjoy short rides too.

[70spider]

baltobernie wrote: Start a new thread to Reply or elaborate.

So in politeness I will open a new conversation, sorry .

[ClarkTheShark]

Yup - was just giving you advice on restoring a seatbelt my friend. I like to save bucks here and there and do things myself. To me, this is 50% the reason I'm a car guy. driving, of course is the other half.

the Tensile/Shear strength of heavyweight thread with 25- 30 passes interlocked is overkill on the safety side (4-5 times what the fiat factory used). I will provide pictures so that you guys understand what I did. safety is a huge concern for me as well.

[4uall]

while we are all talking seat belts, has anyone ever tightened the retractor? or know how? the videos I have come across are okay however, looking for fiat spider/124 specific

[ClarkTheShark]

while we are all talking seat belts, has anyone ever tightened the retractor? or know how? the videos I have come across are okay however, looking for fiat spider/124 specific

4uall - The only i know to do this requires pulling the belts all the way out, winding the ratchet 2 or 3 times, then reinstalling the fabric with the little crossbar in the middle of the belt spool. You actually can do this without cutting or breaking any factory thread.