Seatbelts---reuse or new?

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shadango

shadango

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So I am working on getting the 72 fish running ...but one thing I know I will need to do is get the seatbelts back into the car...they were removed when the car was painted and cleaned out, etc......

I have a set of belts for the back and the two receptacles for the front....but dont have the retractor belts for the front.....What I have is pretty dirty and grungy.....will need cleaned at the minimum...possibly dyed.....

SO questions arise here of course....I dont want to use anything to clean them that will degrade the belts....so planning on maybe one of those orange cleaners for that.....

Or am I better off getting new belts, safety wise?

What do you guys do?
 
I would get new ones. After 30+ years the webbing needs to be replaced due to dry rot.
 
I spent about 100.00 getting all of my 67 seatbelt webing replaced, black, lap belts only. Since then I've seen the threads here about aftermarket belts. Three point shoulder and lap , van type belts with the drop loop to bring the shoulder belt down to a more comfortable position. I have to say thats the better plan.
 
The seatbelts in my '68 GTX needed attention about 25 years ago. I put them in a bucket of warm water with laundry detergent and some amonia. I stirred it around and let them soak for a day with occasional stirring.

Just check them for fraying along the edges at where they connect to metal. If the fibers are still tight, supple, and shiny, the belts are likely still good.
 
This might be of some help to you:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=48125&highlight=Seat+Belt+Install

I recommend using the SEARCH option in the header toolbar up top. I've been reading posts on seat belts, headliners, and glass installation questions and I myself have posted step-by-step procedures for all of this. I'm not trying to be condescending, just letting everyone know that it *might* be easier to search instead of waiting for someone to answer.
 
BTW: FISHBREATH... what the hell is that thing in your avatar?!?!?! Looks way cool and scarey as all Hell at the same time! :-D
 
Ya, I've been checking around. JC whitney has all different kinds of belts. They have some that are almost EXACTLY like the original belts for my '65 barracuda. It all depends on what you want. I just checked out FASTBACK340's thread and It is totally AWESOME!!!!! It shows you exactly how to do the belts.
 
Thanks Dude! When I was assembling my car I photographed a TON of stuff. Do a search under my screen name and use CUDA CAPERS for the thread titles. And hang on... there's a alot of posts.
 
Right on!!!!! I love all the things I've seen so far. I'm going to be putting some lap shoulder belts in the back seat of my '65 barracuda because of my kid. You have to have them for the car seats to be safe and legal. So any tips on something like that would be really helpful. Thanks.
 
If there is any fraying of the webbing, replace it. There are a couple of companies that will replace the webbing using your hardware. The guys I knew from my aircraft days won't do cars because of liability issues.

I agree with others that the separate lap and should belt arrangement was not a comfortable solution. Since the interiors on the 72 and the 73 are black, I have used shoulder belt sets from later model full size vans and pickups (which are usually black rather than color coordinated with the rest of the interior). If you decide to go this way, you will need a T-55 (I think)Torx bit on a ratchett to get the mounting bolt out.
 
Hey, FAST, the avatar is President Obama unveiling the new Government Motors eco-friendly People's Car.
 
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