Wierd Starting Troubles

[EJP914]

Is there any chance the ignition key is wired thru the seat belts and seat cushion before power gets to the starter? In other words, do the seat belts have anything to do with whether the car will start? I took all the wiring apart in the eng compartment and to the starter to clean all the terminals. PUt it back together, turn the key, and zip - nothing happens. Do have power to the fuel pump as I hear it running.
I took the belts out to paint the floor and am now wondering if they have to be connected to start up. I thought this way some safety thing in the 70's - if belts not all plugged and latched = no start????
I am probably way wrong on this, but all connections look good and where they should be. Appreciate the tips/advice/direction. Thx.

[RandyLok]

Yes, in late model cars. There is a box under the passenger seat. The large yellow wire that goes through there is the starter circuit between ignition switch and starter solenoid. It can be joined, bypassing the box and seatbelt interruption. I eliminated mine completely. If you do that, also join the plain brown wires as they are grounds.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The 1974 cars have the Dreaded Seatbelt Interlock Relay, which interrupts the starter signal unless it is satisfied that everyone in the car is belted up. It was dropped in the 75 model year, but some 75s did wind up with it as well.

What year is your car?

Are you getting voltage on the yellow wire at the starter when the key is in the "start" position?

--DD

[EJP914]

Dave/Randy: To answer your question, my car is a 74.
I did finally get it to turn over tonite. There was a small brn ground wire that had fallen out of the bottom of the seat belt relay block. Pushed it in and it rolled over!!! Go figure... a small wire causes such a PITA problem.
I did plug in the seat belts and cushions. Not sure if I got the right plugs matched up, but it did turn on so maybe it doesn't matter how I have it plugged together?

One more question...since this car has a sgl carb, I have read that the distributor is usually changed from the FI distrib. Does the carb type distib use the same cap, points, and rotor as the FI unit? I want to replace these, but not sure what to buy.
Can you tell me if there is a difference?
Thank you both very much for your earlier responses. It did confirm my suspicions about the seat belt interlock and start up.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

There is a difference between distributors. The stock 1.8 distributor should have a vacuum "dashpot" on the side of it. The stock 2.0 one should have that, and a three-wire connection down in the front at the bottom of the distributor body. The popular carb-conversion distributors don't have those.

If you don't have the stock distributor, look for a part number on the side of the distributor body. It may take a little cleaning, plus a flashlight and a mirror, to see it. Using that should let you order the correct ignition parts for it.

--DD