Not being able to find any information on fit or finish or aftermarket solutions for seat belts i decided to do a thread for anyone out there. Like many third gens my seat belts were worn out, dirty, over 30 years old, didn't retract well etc.



Old saggy Seatbelt



New seatbelt next to old comparing fading dirty worn out


As theres not a correct OER replacement with dual retractor, the only option that seemed like a decent solution was seatbelt solutions with there 4th gen and new car style of single roof retractor and sliding adjustable buckle end. I will say the colors the distributor websites offer are a poor selection, and don't cover all the interior colors. With all that in mind i contacted the company directly and told them what i had, and got some samples sent which matched perfect i might add. Although not an option on there website, you can custom order a color as i did.

The kit does come with new receivers, but they are black and i didnt quite care for them. Although the webbing inside matches the seat belts, the plastic sleeves are black and generic. I can verify at least for my car the seat belts work with the original receivers.

You drill out the rivet or rivets in my case on the bottom retractor to get it out of the housing, and insert a bracket that comes with the kit.





How the lower housing looks with retractor gone and screw installed with adapter plate. Screw faces the seat so you never see it, albeit a cheap design its a solution.


How it looks installed, although twisted its how it has to be to have the lap belt be straight when you put seatbelt on.

In terms of removal, my original headliner had some give, and i was able to get the old top retractor out. The install of the new one required bending of a tab in the roof structure to accommodate the wider plastic housing of the new retractor.



How it looks installed, with trim and where the buckle rests with its new configuration.



Another shot of it installed. I even tried the trim with the extended leg for the headliner gap but it didnt let the seatbelt through smooth.


The install was fairly straight forward. Its a little weird with the new single retractor because you use to be able to grab from the lower part and belt up, now you have to reach to the seatbelt guide on the seat and pull it over. It retracts well like a new car. Third gen roof retractor placement always made it a really long reach to grab the seatbelts as it is.



Where it was comfortable for me to be able to buckle up


How orignal looks for purposes


I changed to the 84 and up style guide as the 82-83 sucks and tangles and twists the belt, terrible design.


Pic of old and new seatbelt, being worked on

 

nice write up and pics. did you change the receiver parts by the center console area? my passenger side receiver wasnt working, so i stole one from the rear. i couldnt believe that after i bothered switching it, the first time it was used the plastic crumbled and fell apart! lol