Are these two compatible? I'm on my third set of used receivers and now that I finally decided to buy new ones they are discontinued Mine still work fine, but the plastic that holds them up keeps cracking.

Just trying to gauge my options. I think Hawks still has some new ones on their site but there pretty pricey.

Open to other ideas though.

 

Give me 20 seconds...going to check right now for you

 

Doesn't work. The 3rd gen buckle is bigger (wider) then the 4th's, so it doesn't fit in.

 

Have you tried the different colors at gm I received mine not too long ago(try red or grey) but only drivers side was available which will work on passenger side as well it will be just a little longer

 

If you're thinking of getting the 4th gen receivers, I'm assuming you'd get them from a yard. While you're at it, grab the actual belts themselves, and just replace the whole setup. It's not hard (three bolts in the top mount, the torx near the door and the torx in the receiver.

 

There are fitment issues with the ratcheting piece on the bottom though aren't there?

I don't mind a little fab work, or spinning wrenches for that matter, just dont want to chop up my nice plastics if I don't have to.

 

Good idea, and I have found different colors online. But like I said it's not a problem with them working, just cosmetic issues. I think the grey receivers without plastic would look better than a red/tan receiver in a grey interior.

 

Here's what you do for the front belts

I'm going to explain for the drivers side, so we don't get confused when I say right or left. Direction is assuming you're sitting in drivers seat.

The piece that bolts to the roof is exactly the same. Unbolt from 4th gen, bolt it in 3rd gen

The belt receivers on the right side are the same and bolt up the same.

What is different is that on the left side, the third gen has a retractor and the 4th gen does not. On the 4th gen it is just a plastic sleeve covering the belt, which bolts at that point. What you do first is unbolt the retractor from the third gen. Set it aside, you will need it later. The next step is crucial. UNBOLT the mount that the retractor was sitting on. You'll notice it's held in place by two bolts, one small (1/2" or so) and one 47 hex, the same bolt that the rest of the seat belts use.

Where that 47 Hex was is where you bolt the 4th gen piece, but not yet!

The reason it is set up like that is because these cars were originally designed for seat belts just like the 4th gens (Hence the 82's) but they changed in 83, and simply added a mount instead of altering the floor pan. Makes it convinient for us to use the newer belts.

Go back to the 4th gen piece. You want to remove the plastic sleeve. Look at it, and you'll see a signle stick on each side, cut them both and the sleeve will come right off. You can discard that.

Now, you'll have just the belt with the mounting plate at the end.

Go back to the 3rd gen retractors. You want to use the passanger side retractor for the drivers side belt (This will allow the belt to go at the right angle.)

You need to drill out the single rivet on the side of the retractor. Very easy, you can just do it with a phillips bit. It's not strong at all. Do that, and the assmebly inside will come out. Next, cut the belt so that you can slide the cover off.

The cover is what you want. Slide the 4th gen belt that you removed the sleeve off of through the slit in that retractor cover.

Mount the belt.

This is where it gets a little tricky. With the retractor itself gone, the way the cover was held down is gone to.

I initially tried glue, but the surface area is small, and I don't think it will hold up. I'm probably going to put a screw in down low where it won't be noticeable, but Ill keep you updated.



...Someone should make this a sticky...

 

Or, rather than messing with the belt covers, just use the scuff plates from an '82

 

I've used late 90s early 00 cavalier receivers for my rear belts and they fit great. I haven't tried fronts because I used 4th Gen belts and receivers up there but it could be worth a shot. There was a thread where someone modified the sills to look like the 82 styles I found a set of 82 sills on eBay a while back for less than $20

 

Not all 4th gen interior parts are interchangeable. The 97-02's are and the 93-96's are different and those years might not be exact. 97 had a few changes made in some of the interior components mid-year and I don't know if seat belts were of those changes. I believe the later (approx '97.5+) 4th gen receivers will work.

 

Can anyone attest to this? Would much rather just change the receivers than the whole belt

 

Very interesting! It is a crappy day in Wisconsin today, I think I'm going to give this a try.

 

Bueller?