Seat Belts

[joelittel]

I'd like to replace my seat belts over the winter and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice.

I've seen the options that my local auto stores offer, and from time to time I search online for a set that might work, but I'm wondering if anyone has put a "newer" set in their Spider and can share what they've learned. My set works fine, but cosmetically they are letting the rest of the interior down. A brand new set from one of our vendors would be fantastic, but at the moment my FIAT funds are low.

Will just about any make/model seat belt set work as long as there is enough belt to reach? Ie. if I found a Toyota with a similar burgundy colored interior and the belts appeared to be long enough to reach is it worth a shot or are there pitfalls I am unaware of?

[btoran]

plenty of posts on the forum about belts.

lap belts for the front: if you're replacing lap belts (for the older model spiders) with lap belts, any that fit should do, as long as the retractors fit on the floor behind the front seats. you can also add lap belts to the rear as long as they fit as there are already threads behind the rear seats for them.

3 point belts for the front: seatbeltplanet.com has the correct 3 point (retractable) replacements but tell them you have a spider because they have special belts due to the orientation of the retractors (which are behind the rear seat). be prepared though, retractable belts for our cars are expensive from seatbeltplanet and other vendors. not sure if anyone has used belts found elsewhere.

if you have an older car with only lap belts up front, you can upgrade to 3 point belts but you will need the correct 3 point belts, a newer rear seat back with passthroughs for the belts), and you may need to weld in brackets behind the rear seat to hold the retractors (not sure of the cutoff year when our cars started coming with the brackets - my 1975 did not, so I bout some from a parts car and had them welded in).

[Jon124]

I had to replace my seatbelts this summer for a safety inspection and here is what I did. I went to the local junk yard and got a set from the back seat of an early 2000s dodge caravan for 30$. They were the correct color and in very good condition. All I had to do was cut off the top mount loop, and they bolted right in. They worked out well and the retract and inertia lock works perfectly. I will post some pictures later.

[Ptoneill]

I second seatbelt planet! Easy to get, high quality, many colors!! Seat belts are not an area where saving a couple of dollars is worth your safety, buy quality parts that fit!

[spider2081]

WOW I purchased a set of belts for my 1981 Spider from Seatbeltplanet. com and the retractors never worked correctly. I could pull about 8 inches of belt and then it would lock up. It would take 4 or 5 pulls to get them to reach across to the latch. After numerous communications with them being told that is normal and required under new federal regulations I gave up. I couldn't get any satisfaction from Seatbeltplanet. I then removed their belts from their retractor and installed them on the original retractors. Now everything works like one would expect, Nice and smooth until you move forward abruptly and the inertial reel locks up.

[stuartrubin]

I bought these for the front: http://www.ebay.com/itm/231378505486?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

and these for the back: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESZ ... ge_o03_s00

The fronts were replacements. They are a very close fit, but took a little jimmying to get the retractor in place, but probably not much worse than if I were using originals. Also, the retractor is not great, but pretty much how I remember them as a kid in the 70's!

The back ones were add-ons. I only had to drill one hole per side and was able to repurpose another hole. Very easy and they work fine.

These may not be perfect matches for a show car, but look good with my black seats and the hardware generally looks like the right vintage. I'm happy with them.

I hope you don't ever need them!

Stuart