Camaro seat belt installation.

[Johan]

I have bought a set of 3rd gen Camaro belts to put in my car. Ok, seems like a lot of folks have done this, but I have seen no pictures in any of the threads.
My question is: What about the upper guide loops???
There's no way to get the new belt through them unless I open the seams and stich then back together wich doesn't seem to be a good idea, right? Should I just let the belt go from the retractor and directly down under the seat? That way it seems like it will be a bit tricky to fetch, and also the belt will be way too low when I use it.

Also, have anyone dyed seat belts with a good result? Mine are dark gray but I would prefer them black. What is the proper way to do it?

 

[joe1975]

I did mine ,but I've haven't threaded them thru the pillar post loops yet. Folks have told me they have taken the buckle apart. I'm using mine like they are they work well catch quicker then the old ones they aren't that low. You did get the rears right?

 

[80convertible]

I've read other post on trying to dye them. Does not work well. They won't hold the dye. I read once of a person who was able to locate some belt material and found a person to sew on this new material. I got lucky and found the F-body belts in the color I needed.

 

[curtis]

Dyeing does not work on seat belts. took some dark blue belts from a Cadillac and put them in a gallon of water with one full bottelof black Rit dye. Made them a shade darker, but no where near black. By the way, putting different belting in the old retractor mechanism is a Pain in the @&&! Taking that thing apart and putting it back together then welding it so it will work again is absolutely a nightmare. Don't even think about trying it.

 

[Johan]

joe1975, yes I got the rear (and front).

80convertible, Have you threaded yours thru the pillar post loop?

I don't intend to open the retractor mechanism, but maybe it is worth the effort to open the buckle. Can the buckle be dismanteled, or do I need to open it at the end, and then stich it back together again?

 

[80convertible]

joe1975, yes I got the rear (and front).

80convertible, Have you threaded yours thru the pillar post loop?

I don't intend to open the retractor mechanism, but maybe it is worth the effort to open the buckle. Can the buckle be dismanteled, or do I need to open it at the end, and then stich it back together again?

I'm not sure what you mean my pillar post loop??? I mounted the retractors right on top of the wheel-wells. The belt simply runs around the side of the seat to the buckle.

 

[Johan]

Sorry, now I see that you have a convertible. On the coupe the belt goes through a loop on the side, just behind your head.

 

[lnirenberg]

I have bought a set of 3rd gen Camaro belts to put in my car. Ok, seems like a lot of folks have done this, but I have seen no pictures in any of the threads.
My question is: What about the upper guide loops???
There's no way to get the new belt through them unless I open the seams and stich then back together wich doesn't seem to be a good idea, right? Should I just let the belt go from the retractor and directly down under the seat? That way it seems like it will be a bit tricky to fetch, and also the belt will be way too low when I use it.

Mine came with seperate shoulder and waist belts and they were not particularly functional by any standards as the shoulder belts kept retracting back through the guide and it was a b**** to get them back through. I got belts from Westco with retractors. We permanently removed the plastic coverings that came over the retractors and then the retractor's metal frame bolted into the OEM holes no problem. The entire mechanism, which was taller than stock, fit nicely under the quarter panel extentions so that part was nice and clean. The real challenge was threading the buckles through the metal guides on the upper part of the seat (is this what you mean by "guide loops"?). We took the front and back metal trim pieces off and cut an extremely narrow slot on the side of each piece. The buckle went through the seat without a hitch while the trim pieces were off and then we were able to slip the metal trim pieces over the belts. You have to look really hard to notice that the trim has been cut. I've only driven the car once for about 10 minutes before it started to snow, but the belts were very slick. The OEM part that the buckle clips to on the side of the seat (does it have a name? latch maybe) was a perfect match, a very good thing because the parts that came with the new belts were butt ugly. My car is still in storage 1 state over but I am hoping the time has come to get it home--either late this week or next. I will post pictures.