cheeksspi

I have a '72 vette with seat belts that are in good condition, but my passenger side won't come out most of the time, and my driver's side is stuck all the way out. The belts and latches are in great condition, but it just doesn't retract like they should. Can I buy just the hardware to make these work again? If so, where? I can't seem to find what I need.

KWIL

I dont know if you can buy the individual pieces from the retractor, but you can buy the retractor. Some have recommended Ssnake-Oyl.com. Just send them the belts and they will fix them- pretty pricey, though.

I, being a cheapskate, decided to take mine apart to see what the problem was. The retractor is pretty easy to get out. Look to see if the cap that sais "do not remove" is still in place. This cap holds a tightly wound spring in place. If its still there, you may have some debris (could be rust) in the retractor. Take a little hammer to it and tap lightly, so see if anything comes out. On mine, all kinds of rust came out. It freed up, I added some lube, and now they work like new. It costs nothing, so its worth a try.

:cheers:

desi

:iagree: I have heard other members say the same thing. Still have to fix my passenger side. Very sticky while coming out. Hopefully this weekend... Good luck. Post here if the problem is fixed. :cheers:

lyndave75

I took mine apart and could find no obvious problems, so I decided that the "do not remove" on the cap is just for suckers! :D Removed cap carefully and found that the end of the spring that holds it in place had broke off. I managed to rivit it to the plastic inside, rewind the spring, lube everything, reassemble and its worked great ever since. I figured I had nothing to lose as it didn't work before, as it turned out, it was a free fix that only took about 1 hour. So if all else fails rip it apart, sometimes they can be saved!!
:cheers:

Dave

Big Fish

All the replys are right on target, try to repair first. I had ssnake-oyl products replace my lower retractor and a few other things, they did a great job. If those things look even a little questionable, I would recommend having them replaced. They may not be able to save your life if they don't work properly.

A C

I just got my 69 shoulder harnesses back from Ssnake-oyl. They replaced the springs because they wouldn't retract. They now retract ok. The thing they let me know is, even though the springs are new, early retractor styles simply don't pull as hard as the new ones when they retract. Just keep that in mind. :cheers: