Seat Belt Problem!

[Dodgegirlhis2]

74 Dart Sport driver side seatbelt mechanism mounted in back seat won't release for the shoulder part to come out. I removed and pressed bar inside and it pulled out and retracted fine but will not do it unless bar is pressed. Any suggestions in order to fix my problem?

 

[RedFish]

Those mechanisms have very small parts that do wear with use. They also collect dust and dirt inside. To take the entire mechanism to the workbench and clean it good often cures it.

 

[bernieca]

Those mechanisms have very small parts that do wear with use. They also collect dust and dirt inside. To take the entire mechanism to the workbench and clean it good often cures it.

Ditto. You can also spray the mechanism with some silicone lubricant that you can get at Canadian Tire. I have done this before with great results.

 

[LH23H2R]

Is this a restoration or is the car modified ?

If it's modified , then why not just replace the stupid things ? I've got a set of Mark XV 3-point belts in my driver Coronet , and I love 'em !

I've long despised Chrysler's 1972 & later seat belts (the 1970-1971 two-piece arrangement is the best factory setup in my opinion) , as they're uncomfortable at a minimum , and downright dangerous at worst (especially the '72 and '73 models !).

The 1974 & up "Uni-Belt" is okay when it works (!!) . They were notorious for hanging-up pretty early on . When I was a kid , my friend's parents had a '75 Dart 4 door ; and by 1976 , the seat belts were already a pain in the *** to put on (so much so that my friend's parents didn't even bother wearing the damned things , but we kids we "no excuses" supposed to put 'em on).

While I'm on my soapbox ; I also despise lap belt only seat belts . I'd rather parish in a car wreck than be paralysed because the lap belts hyperextended my back during impact . This very thing happened to one of my cousins !

So , yeah , either remove the bastards and clean their mechanism , or replace 'em with some upgraded pieces from Mark XV or whomever .

 

[RedFish]

Is this a restoration or is the car modified ?

If it's modified , then why not just replace the stupid things ? I've got a set of Mark XV 3-point belts in my driver Coronet , and I love 'em !

I've long despised Chrysler's 1972 & later seat belts (the 1970-1971 two-piece arrangement is the best factory setup in my opinion) , as they're uncomfortable at a minimum , and downright dangerous at worst (especially the '72 and '73 models !).

The 1974 & up "Uni-Belt" is okay when it works (!!) . They were notorious for hanging-up pretty early on . When I was a kid , my friend's parents had a '75 Dart 4 door ; and by 1976 , the seat belts were already a pain in the *** to put on (so much so that my friend's parents didn't even bother wearing the damned things , but we kids we "no excuses" supposed to put 'em on).

While I'm on my soapbox ; I also despise lap belt only seat belts . I'd rather parish in a car wreck than be paralysed because the lap belts hyperextended my back during impact . This very thing happened to one of my cousins !

So , yeah , either remove the bastards and clean their mechanism , or replace 'em with some upgraded pieces from Mark XV or whomever .

Any new belts should work fine for some length of time regardless who made them. I doubt they will last as long as OEM though. Most common failure with todays seat belts is in their buckles.

 

[LH23H2R]

Any new belts should work fine for some length of time regardless who made them. I doubt they will last as long as OEM though. Most common failure with todays seat belts is in their buckles.

Agreed for sure . The buckle problems --durability-wise-- are exasperated by food and dirt finding their way into the clasp ( my work truck for instance ; its buckle is *wearing out* after 4 years / 170,000 miles due to the frequent buckle-unbuckle workload incurred from frequent stops . Then add-in other "people" using "my" truck on Mondays , and their being all sloppy and eating in the truck , and the wear issue is 10-fold ) .

I've had the Mark XV's in my daily driver Coronet for 5 years / 60,000 miles now , and have had zero problems with them . They work just as well today as they did 5 years ago . But , then again , I'm easy on my cars' equipment , work vehicle included ( I operate it as though my name was on its title) .

The "Uni-Belt" setup was / is crap ; I've long maintained this stance . I've had to *deal* with their troublesome action since they were introduced 38 years ago !