[DeTomaso] 3pt seat belt setups

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

 In a message dated 3/23/07 8 58 49, matt.bradley at tx.rr.com writes:

 

 <I haven't looked inside the stock retractor well yet to see what it looks 
like in there.  I'm wondering how a replacement retractor would feed through 
the stock plate.  I'd think you'd have to be able to remove the belt from the 
new retractor, feed it through the stock plate hole, and then back into the 
retractor.  Am I thinking of that right? >

The metal buckle won't fit thru the steel plate- if it did, there's the risk 
of a belt disappearing inside a rocker panel. To get around this problem from 
the other end as you suggest, I tried disassembling a retractor once to access 
the butt end of the belt, and I don't advise repeating it. Its really easy to 
screw up the flat-wound spring in the retractor that actually powers the 
retraction movement. This ribbon-spring is quite strong, its unreasonably long, 
all the parts are cheap sheet-sheet staked together, so reassembly is a mess. 
Think about 'rebuilding' a tape measure! 
Finally, I got it to work but it wasn't worth the trouble (I simply wanted to 
change a damaged belt). Your choices are:  find a replacement assembly that 
fits, convert to racing belts with no retractor & more strength, or go to a 
pro-upholstery shop and have them sew in a new stock-type belt.  Good luck- J 
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