I just installed yet another set of front seat belts.

[Stanglover]

Snake-Oyl products out of Tyler Texas does a real nice seat belt restoration, I have used this company for all of my other cars seat belt restorations and plan to use them for my Mustang when I get to that point. They also sell pre-made three point replacement harnesses and can as I understand from the website make customer three point harnesses. I have never had them do anything custom yet but plan to see if they can for my Mustang. I would like a three point set up with factory looking buckles in that car if possible.
This is their website:
https://www.ssnake-oyl.com/
They have redone my OEM belts with re-chromed buckles rebuilt retractors and all new webbing and they made ID tags (GM thing) with the production date on them that matched what was left of my original tags and sewed them onto the webbing like originals.. They are not cheap but they did a great job, I was impressed with the quality.

That's great info on that company. When I was looking for a 3 point belt system for my Mach 1, I only found two, Seatbelt Planet and Seatbelt Solutions. I actually ordered through Wesco, but later found they are just a reseller for Seatbelt Solutions. The set I bought are somewhat factory appearing, but my issue with that product was as described, no free sliding buckle tang, which made for a messy looking belt as it never fully retracted, plus it kept locking up when trying to pull the belt out to buckle up.
For me, I'm not too worried about looks, but more a safe efficient belt system.
I do still have my original lap and shoulder belts, so I might contact Snake-Oyl for a quote to rebuild them, just to have on hand.
Thanks for the info.

 

[tpj71mach]

If anyone still has their original shoulder belts and would like to sell them please let me know. My Mustang came with the lap belts only, so I am missing everything for the shoulder belts and I am looking to buy them to have cores to have the full set restored, thanks.

 

[MaddMike]

Hmmm, well that sucks! I was out for probably our last A&W Cruise night last Thursday. After our usual after cruise coffee at Tim Horton's, I got in the car to leave when I found my driver side seat belt retractor had locked solid. I could not pull the belt out 1". I had to drive home beltless. Yesterday I pulled that belt out of the car to see if i could get it to work.
Short answer, no. After much trying, I did finally get the belt fully pulled out. The mechanism was still sticking. I bought this set from Amazon, so they only offer a 30 day return and I could not find any reference to manufacturers warranty. The box and instructions of course were long gone. I did send the seller a complaint, requesting a return and refund. Not holding my breath there!
Anyway, I then decided to try to swap the belt to the retractor from the previous set. That retractor was also locking up when putting the belt on, but better than nothing.
So, while removing the newer belt from the stuck retractor, guess what. Although I had inserted a screw driver to hold the real in place, it slipped out and the damn real spun releasing the spring tension and the spring must have come out of its socket. So now the retractor is totally f'd as I can't open the case holding the spring and locking mechanism. So I probably can't send it back now anyway, a 90 dollar screw-up!
So on to my next thought, take a seat belt set from a newer car at the junk yard and see if I can make that work. As all newer cars have hidden retractors, I'm not sure what to expect, but worth a try I guess. I'll update on that later.

I got my 3-point front set from seatbeltplanet.com. So far so good. I also previously bought a set of retractable (lap belt only) off Amazon and I never even got them installed they were locked up from the get-go when I unwrapped them. I freed them and they kept on locking up. They were plainly speaking, crap. The 3-point belt set from SB Planet have performed well.

 

[Stanglover]

I got my 3-point front set from seatbeltplanet.com. So far so good. I also previously bought a set of retractable (lap belt only) off Amazon and I never even got them installed they were locked up from the get-go when I unwrapped them. I freed them and they kept on locking up. They were plainly speaking, crap. The 3-point belt set from SB Planet have performed well.

Mike, Seatbelt Planet do seem to offer more options and extra "parts" than do Seatbelt Solutions, but all the mechanical piece look identical, so I have to wonder if they just buy the same hardware and then add the webbing. That has been a question I've not been able to get a solid answer to though.
As said, my "complaint" is that buckle tang doesn't slide freely and that is a total pita especially on the passenger side if and when I have different passengers in the car. As for the locking up when putting the belt on, the rebuilt set I just put in so far has not locked up once. One thing I did do was to make sure the retractor bolted in tighter (used extra washers) because it seemed that it would lock up if allowed to flop around.
Going back to Seatbelt Planet, I was able to buy better sleeves to cover the center belt as I found the molded plastic ones supplied, did not fit our cars very well. Since I now use a wired center buckle, those sleeves fitted very well over the drop sashes and look good.
Thanks for your input.

 

[Stanglover]

Looking closely at the picture of the buckle tang it appear to be similar to the one Stanglover and I have.

My bet is they're all the same, made by the same company, just marketed by different vendors. It's just too much of a coincidence they all "look the same". At best, the different vendors may supply and install their own webbing, so they can claim the make them.

 

[Stanglover]

So, continuing this saga, I have decide to sacrifice the cheapo set of belts just to use the sliding buckle tang and the center wired buckle, or whatever it's called. The reason for that is, a) it is correct for the tang and, b) most car buckles are mounted to the seats and therefore too short to attach at the tunnel location as in our Mustangs.
In stripping down the first set I bought from Seatbelt Solutions, I found it very easy to remove the webbing in tact without any damage. As this webbing is quite a bit thicker than the cheapo set, plus in this case, I had the longer C bracket installed, I want to reuse it adding the sliding tang with a stop button at a location that suit me when reaching for it. (I bought a set of 10 buttons for about 3 bucks).
What I did find is the retractor is made in Taiwan and maybe the entire belt as well, who knows. Anyway here are a few pics I took, mainly for my own reference, but also to share a few.
Any questions?
More to follow tomorrow.

 

[Stanglover]

Well folks it's done ............ for now!
What I finally decided to do was use my original (Seatbelt Solutions) retractor and the thicker webbing that it has and then use the sliding tang and center wired buckle from the cheapo set. I do like having the buckle on a fixed wire, much easier to use.
I looked at several options at the junk yard and came to the conclusion that it would need a center wired buckle from maybe a van to be at least 11-12" long, plus have a suitable attachment point to be bolted into the tunnel (see pic). What would be best would be to cut the webbing, to get the tang and buckle. The retractor won't work unfortunately, BUT some vans have drop sashes. If they do, grab them.
Yesterday I spent a frustrating afternoon trying to figure out why I kept getting a twist in the belt and finally took a break. Today, I put the second belt together in about 1/2 hr!!
On the belts I bought from SS, I ordered the long C bracket option. This is where it gets weird. The bracket has a 45 degree bend at the webbing end. That has to face inwards towards the seat. When they sew the webbing, they (in my mind) put it in backwards and it can't be changed without cutting and re-sewing. This is what causes the twist (see picture) However, when I pulled the belt across and buckle it, the twist disappears. Maybe they know something I don't !!
Later I had another idea that might work using the original fixed tang. On mine, I unfortunately snapped off two of the little tits that hold the cover onto the tang, but that's fixable. Be warned, they break very easily. With the webbing out of the retractor, see earlier pics, pass the webbing through as seen. Using a stop button located where needed, I think this ought to work as a sliding buckle tang. That option has only the cost of buying a pack of seatbelt stop buttons (Amazon)
EDIT: I found it best to add an extra washer when bolting the retractor to the sill. When it's tighter, it seems not to lock up as much. Keeping it vertical as much as possible seems to be the key.

 

[tony-muscle]

Well folks it's done ............ for now!
What I finally decided to do was use my original (Seatbelt Solutions) retractor and the thicker webbing that it has and then use the sliding tang and center wired buckle from the cheapo set. I do like having the buckle on a fixed wire, much easier to use.
I looked at several options at the junk yard and came to the conclusion that it would need a center wired buckle from maybe a van to be at least 11-12" long, plus have a suitable attachment point to be bolted into the tunnel (see pic). What would be best would be to cut the webbing, to get the tang and buckle. The retractor won't work unfortunately, BUT some vans have drop sashes. If they do, grab them.
Yesterday I spent a frustrating afternoon trying to figure out why I kept getting a twist in the belt and finally took a break. Today, I put the second belt together in about 1/2 hr!!
On the belts I bought from SS, I ordered the long C bracket option. This is where it gets weird. The bracket has a 45 degree bend at the webbing end. That has to face inwards towards the seat. When they sew the webbing, they (in my mind) put it in backwards and it can't be changed without cutting and re-sewing. This is what causes the twist (see picture) However, when I pulled the belt across and buckle it, the twist disappears. Maybe they know something I don't !!
Later I had another idea that might work using the original fixed tang. On mine, I unfortunately snapped off two of the little tits that hold the cover onto the tang, but that's fixable. Be warned, they break very easily. With the webbing out of the retractor, see earlier pics, pass the webbing through as seen. Using a stop button located where needed, I think this ought to work as a sliding buckle tang. That option has only the cost of buying a pack of seatbelt stop buttons (Amazon)
EDIT: I found it best to add an extra washer when bolting the retractor to the sill. When it's tighter, it seems not to lock up as much. Keeping it vertical as much as possible seems to be the key.

I see, thank you for the idea. That makes sense. Now, to take the webbing out of the retractor, do you have to unwound the whole webbing? Does it come lose once all unwound? Can you give me a bit of direction on this step?

 

[Stanglover]

I see, thank you for the idea. That makes sense. Now, to take the webbing out of the retractor, do you have to unwound the whole webbing? Does it come lose once all unwound? Can you give me a bit of direction on this step?

What you need to do is pull all the webbing out and off the real. Once you get to the end, I use a small screwdriver or similar through the guide and through the slot in the real to stop it unwinding. In pic xxx651, I am using a piece of coat hangar, but found the hook I put on it made it hard to remove when rethreading the webbing. Then I use a small hooked pick to get at the plastic peg, Pull up on one end of the webbing, the I use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull it out of the slot, then pull the peg out as seen in my pics. Pulling the webbing through the other side is tight, but it will come out. All the time try not to let the real slip. If it does, just rewind it until it stops.
Tip: to keep orientation, stick a piece of tape on the UP side, i.e. as it comes off the real and also note which side the fold and stitching is on. That helps keep you straight or you'll lose your mind!!
Does that give you what you need?

An afterthought on using the existing tang, the open metal edge might chafe the webbing after a while, so maybe not such a good idea unless there is a way to cover that edge. Thoughts?

 

[tony-muscle]

What you need to do is pull all the webbing out and off the real. Once you get to the end, I use a small screwdriver or similar through the guide and through the slot in the real to stop it unwinding. In pic xxx651, I am using a piece of coat hangar, but found the hook I put on it made it hard to remove when rethreading the webbing. Then I use a small hooked pick to get at the plastic peg, Pull up on one end of the webbing, the I use a pair of pliers to pull it out of the slot, then pull the peg out as seen in my pics. Pulling the webbing through the other side is tight, but it will come out. All the time try not to let the real slip. If it does, just rewind it until it stops.
Tip: to keep orientation, stick a piece of tape on the UP side, i.e. as it comes off the real and also note which side the fold and stitching is on. That helps keep you straight or you'll lose your mind!!
Does that give you what you need?

An afterthought on using the existing tang, the open metal edge might chafe the webbing after a while, so maybe not such a good idea unless there is a way to cover that edge. Thoughts?

Thank you. I will be adding this to my winter work list. I think I understand but time will tell.

 

[Stanglover]

Thank you. I will be adding this to my winter work list. I think I understand but time will tell.

You know where to find me Tony. I'm not saying this is perfect, but it sure make buckling up a whole lot easier and no, I really don't care if it looks original.

 

[Stanglover]

Now the car is away for winter, I thought I'd add a quick follow up to the seat belt fix.
My "fix" has worked well. However and I realize the length of the belt is calculated to fit many sized drivers and passengers, if I had access to an industrial sewing machine and suitable thread, I would shorten the webbing by at least a foot. What I find is the webbing on the reel does not quite fully retract the belt, leaving a little slack. Not a big problem, just looks a little messy. On mine, I also use a padded shoulder/neck pad and that too makes retracting more difficult, but the benefit of the neck pad for me is worth it.
All in all I'm well pleased with this rework where in reality, all I've done is remove and replace the tang and center buckle for a better, easier solution.
The neck pads I bought were from Etsy and have Mustang in script on them, Very neat!
I'll find the link and edit.
EDIT: This is what I ordered from Etsy. I cannot find this particular set now and I know I only paid about 20 bucks for them. Others are available and some are listed at a far high price.

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

I have to admit that I drive with just the lap belt. I have the stock shoulder belt, but I never touch it. It just stays tucked up under the headliner.

 

[Stanglover]

I have to admit that I drive with just the lap belt. I have the stock shoulder belt, but I never touch it. It just stays tucked up under the headliner.

That's not going to stop your head hitting the windshield though.

 

[rvanamb]

Has anyone tried this set from Wesco? https://www.wescoperformance.com/3poresebewil.html 8-inch drop sash, and multiple seat buckle options. I may just order as 70 something dollars will be cheap if they work.

 

[Stanglover]

Has anyone tried this set from Wesco? https://www.wescoperformance.com/3poresebewil.html 8-inch drop sash, and multiple seat buckle options. I may just order as 70 something dollars will be cheap if they work.

Wesco are just a reseller for Seatbelt Solutions.. That is where I got the original set from.
Quality is fair, but the problem was the retractor kept locking when trying to put the belt on. Another problem, typical with all the brands I've seen, is the center tunnel belt is too short and the plastic cover does not fit well over the tunnel, it's the wrong shape!
If you read my thread on this, I think you'll understand what I found out. The drop sash is a good idea especially for shorter drivers or passengers in fastbacks and coupes.
However, it's your choice. I'm just reflecting on the problems that affected me.

 

[rhigg1959]

I installed these. Same issue. If I have to be somewhere in a limited time, I have to leave about 15 minutes early to allow
time to unlock the seat belts.

 

[rvanamb]

Thank you both for the responses. I definitely don't want the aggregation of a constantly locking retractor. Just saw the 8 inch sash and it sounded perfect. My wife is petite and hates anything touching her neck so the longer sash is a must. I'm 6'1" and just happy when my head don't touch the roof lol. Well I will keep looking. Guess I may have to go the same route and piece meal a set together from multiple sets.

 

[Stanglover]

Thank you both for the responses. I definitely don't want the aggregation of a constantly locking retractor. Just saw the 8 inch sash and it sounded perfect. My wife is petite and hates anything touching her neck so the longer sash is a must. I'm 6'1" and just happy when my head don't touch the roof lol. Well I will keep looking. Guess I may have to go the same route and piece meal a set together from multiple sets.

The drop sash is a good idea no matter what height you are. If you do order from either Wesco or Seat Belt Solutions, same thing, make sure to order the "LONG C bracket".
I took quite a few pics if you want more detail or info, be glad to help.
This pic is before I added the sleeve over the drop sash.

 

[rhigg1959]

Stanglover what brand did you install? I don't see an option for the Long C bracket on any site I've be to.