My latest parts acquisition

[bigblock73]

Well, I got home late Monday evening after a long day junkyarding with a buddy and I brought home my second pair of pickup buckets and console. As you can see, I also got the floor tabs and the inner seatbelts and accordian wrap around them...which I am very happy about. The inner belts are in perfect shape and the plastic has no cracks at all...they are even the right color.

What I would like to do, and this is where I need your help, I would like to find someone who can fabricate new outer seatbelts. I want to have my outer belts redone and made longer (and converted to the right color), so they will reach all the way across and connect to these new inners. I want to do this because I do not want to convert to three point belts.

So, can this be done and does anyone know of a company that does this?

BTW Ken, as soon as I saw these inners, I thought of you. I ended up looking around but found no more, let alone any in red.

[Captkaos]

Snake-Oyl Products Inc.
Carpet Underlay, Firewall Insulation, Seatbelt
Restoration
114 N. Glenwood Blvd.
Tyler, TX., 75702
Tel: 903-526-4500

Can't find the link though. (shush Jeff)

FOUND IT!!!
http://www.ssnake-oyl.com

[87 STEPPER]

Gerat score Jeff clean 'em up a li'l and slap 'em in

[DBLSPRT68]

Jeff, I know where there is an 80 pickup with buckets and console like that. I think they are factory installed. If I wanted to get them and the brackets, how do I get the brackets with no air tools? Are they just tacked welded to the floor? Are they bolted? This truck is in the back of a yard, and I'll only have hand tools to remove them. Any help would be great. Good find btw. Did you want the factory outer seatbelts, or you have some you wanted to mod? David

[bigblock73]

David, I want to mod the lap belts I currently have (stock) to work with these inners.

If you have a gas powered generator, I would use it with a cut off wheel or grinder to remove the tabs. The tabs are welded to the floor, and cutting them out is necessary. Also, if you are like me and have mostly standard size sockets and wrenches...be sure to bring a 10mm socket to get the console out.

I would try and get those seats, brackets, and console if I were you. They are hard to find and can possibly make you some money if you decide to sell them. Be sure to get the inner belts and stuff too...better to have too much than not enough.

[88Jimmy4x4]

Now thats a great find, wish I could find some

congrats!!!

[SCOTI]

Jeff, I wanted to do the same thing as you (the longer lap belt w/o the shoulder belt) on my 74 Z/28 years ago.

I used 3 point seatbelts from a newer camaro (an '80 or '81 IIRC). I just utilized the retracting mechanism, the 3pt. belt webbing, & the short, plastic-covered trans-tunnel side belts/buckles.

The retracting mechanisms were the same physical size for the lap-belt only car & the 3pt-belt car. I took the 3pt. mechanism & mounted it in the factory lap-belt door-rocker area. I sat in the car & pulled the seatbelt over to the latching position, took a measurement & added a little more length in case I gained a pound or 2. I cut the belts to the desired length & trashed the shoulder part. I then went down to the local shoe repair place & had the buckles re-sewn on the end of the now much shorter seatbelts.

You should check the size of the 73 style retractors vs. a slightly newer year model w/the 3pt belts. If the physical size is similar you could prob do something similar.

[bigblock73]

Scoti, thanks for your input!!

I have been tossing this idea around in my head for a while, but it hasn't gotten much further than that.

I will have to bookmark this thread for when I get to that stage of the interior, which is hopefully this upcoming summer.

Thanks again.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by bigblock73

.... I am very happy about. The inner belts are in perfect shape and the plastic has no cracks at all...they are even the right color.....BTW Ken, as soon as I saw these inners, I thought of you. I ended up looking around but found no more, let alone any in red.

Thanks for thinking of me Jeff. I need to get off my butt and look for local salvage yards myself. That would require spare time I suppose....

BTW- Congrats on the sweet find....

[Mike76251]

Good score indeed!
I would do the same and hit the scrapyards but the idiots that run them around me want to sell you the whole car/truck.

[Jonboy]

Could you use Blazer seatbelts? the 73-75's don't have a shoulder belt.

[bigblock73]

Originally Posted by Jonboy

Could you use Blazer seatbelts? the 73-75's don't have a shoulder belt.

What do the inner Blazer belts look like?

I am trying to avoid having the inside lap belts having to be laid down somewhere when not in use...plus it would more than likely scratch up the console everytime you drag them out to buckle up. With the newer inners, they are fixed in place and you never have to go searching for the belt...or drag one out.

Am I even making sense?

[Jonboy]

now that you ask, I don't remember. I haven't even seen my truck in over a month .
My 75 had slots in the console instead of cup holders, and the belts did not have the hard plastic. My 77 has the drink holders, but I can't remember what the inners look like. Since my truck is a bunch of stuff thrown together, it is hard to say what it is originally off of, though.

[bigblock73]

I knew about the slots vs. cup holders on the console...and I definately want the cup holders. Blazers belts of that era must be the same as what I had stock...just a inner lap belt laying loose.

[Jonboy]

the earlier ones were. Is the belt in your retractor not long enough to reach? It seems like the buckle end will be smaller for the newer buckles, too.

[SCOTI]

Any GM bucket seat car/truck inner belt/buckle combo should work. I had to use the later model plastic 'sleeves' that kept the belt from flopping around. I just pulled the new belt up throught the sleeve.