911SC Seat Belt Replacement

My '83 911SC needs a new driver-side seat belt . . . passenger side is fine. The belt is worn, so the return mechanism can't gather the belt in.

I've looked here at Pelican for seat belt replacement parts, but have only found caps and such.

Should I just take this to a repair shop for a full replacement? Any experience folks have with this item would be appreciated.

I suspect your retractor mechanism is 'dirty' and that is causing the retract problem. The wear on the belt SHOULD not have any effect on the retractor. If you remove the plastic cover, and pull on the belt to 'exercise' the mechanism, some clue should be evident as to whether dirt accumulation, or perhaps a broken spring is the culprit ...

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

I'm not sure if Pelican has the replacement belts, but I was pleased with what I got from Automotion. Here is a link to the page in their online catalog.
www.***************/am/page_listings2.asp?c=22300&p=31620#53950

One thing to try ... I believe the belt and retractors are ambidextrous, that is, you could swap the passenger-side for the drivers-side mechanism, a quick-fix until you decide what to do about the grungy/worn one. When I checked the Automation link above, it said the repair 'kits' were no longer available, and the complete replacements were a bit 'pricey' for my taste!!! For those price levels, you could get 3" racing harnesses, which I have done!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Thanks for the leads. The belt is visibly worn, but it makes sense that the retractor is the culprit. 'Course, you then wonder which came first: belt wear or retractor wear? (It really doesn't matter . . .)

I agree, the Automotion pricing is high -- I was considering racing belts, but figured a replacement of the shoulder belt should cost me $100. Apparently I'm dreaming.

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S. Chris Edmonds
1983 911SC Targa

In last Autorama issue, there is an advertisement for "Professionally Engineered PRODUCTS " which advertised for Porsche seat belts replacement.
# 1-800-593-8787 www.peparts.com
I'll try them myself for my 70' 911 T.
Thierry

Thanks -- I'll check it out. I'm still intrigued, though, about going with racing harness belts. Anyone tried those? Overkill?

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S. Chris Edmonds
1983 911SC Targa

Yes, I think a 5 point racing harness would be overkill on a street car! Not only do you have the hassle of buckling it down each time, if you are wearing it properly, you can't really move much! You'd have a hard time reaching the radio, glovebox, etc.

Brian

A couple of comments: I have had 3" Simpson lap belts, and 2" shoulder straps installed for about 10 years, 99.9% of the time using only the lap belts, and using the shoulder belts for slaloms and autocrosses. I prefer the cinched-in feeling of the lap belts over the inertia reels any day, but that is just my personal preference, based primarily on driving mostly in cars without inertia reels. Anyone else might have a different preference if they had most of their experience in late-model cars with inertia-style belts.

I remembered having seen 2" nylon webbing in outdoor/camping catalogs, and had bought some several years ago for use as straps, and it looks just like seatbelt strap material. Just checked a Campmor (www.campmor.com) catalog, and it is still available in black for $0.55/ft. ... if you have a local upholstery shop, they might be able to stitch it to your existing hardware if the old belt was cut off carefully. It would be a cheap fix to retain the factory belts and 'stock' look.

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Just a word of caution about replacing the seat belt webing. In the case of a life or death accident, you may just want to be sure the webing is up to the job. You will see a certification label on every approved seat belt. nuff said.

My local Porsche mechanic/shop found a Porsche replacement seat belt kit for for $140, including retractor and all finish parts. $60 for his crew to install.

Much cheaper than kits referred to in this thread, got it done quick, and I'm safely strapped in.

Thanks for the direction here, gang.

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S. Chris Edmonds
1983 911SC Targa