Retractable seat belts in a pre 73?

[P-DUB]

Anyone try to install retractable seat belts in their earlier rides? My 1970 914-6 has manual adjustable ones which are great if you don't want to adjust the heater or open the glove box or roll the window down. Any words of wisdom, or would I be better off keeping the car more original?

[2-OH!]

70, 71 and 72 ( I believe) had a flat firewall...73 and on had an indenture for the seatbelt mechanism to fit into...So, you would either have to cut and weld onto the firewall or hang the retraction mechanism out into the car...Which means you would have to modify the bolster cushion on the backpad...

[P-DUB]

That all sucks, I think I will pass. Thanks for the info!

[sean_V8_914]

you can mount a Honda retraction mechanizm on teh buckle side this wil allow you to rach around while strapped in and only requires 2 bolts to remove it to restore originality. I think the Honda part I used was 85-89 Prelude

[larrym]

I did it years ago on my 1970 sixer ; replaced the backpad & pass seat with '75 pieces; it is a great upgrade & it is exactly what mother Porsche eventually did;

it also allowed me to install an autopower rollbar & still have a passenger

[Brother]

My 72 has retractable seat belts.

[RSBob]

I added retractable belts in my 71. They are not VW or Porsche, but they work great and get out of the way very nicely.

[P-DUB]

Thanks for all the help guys, you have given me some good ideas.

[MarkusB]

I used the rear belt from a Volvo station wagon in my 71 for the driver's seat. Bolted the retractor to the bottom left (by the seat bottom). No room to put it that way on the passenger side, so it still has the non-retractable belt.

[mikedsilva]

Sorry to resurrect an OLD thread, but I figured perhaps there may be some updates for a newbie like myself, over the last 8 years!

I have just acquired a 1970 914/4... and in order to meet registration requirements, it will need retractable belts.
My car has the fixed passenger seat... I get the impression that the easiest way to get around this is to fit a couple of sports seats on separate sliders so there is room for a retractor...
Any advice or suggestions appreciated...

Mike

[beatnavy]

I have '72 and purchased after market retractable seat belts. I was hoping my son would enjoy working on and driving this car (he does not, at least until he learns the "art" of shifting gears with 901 transmission) so I wanted something "safer" than the old style. I don't think I got them from Seat Belt planet, but I could be wrong. They were not cheap (I think I paid like $250 or more), but they work well. I'll keep looking to see if I can find the vendor name.

The only "trick" to them was not to install the inside bolt too deep. After installed them I couldn't figure out why I couldn't shift and realized the bolt was interfering with the shift rod in the tunnel. Just backed it out slightly.

[mikedsilva]

i think your 72 has the adjustable passenger seat tho... which means you have space for the reel...

[beatnavy]

You are correct...yours will be different now that you mention it.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Where do you live that doesn't allow the original belts? I feel the original ones are actually safer than the retractable ones as long as you adjust them correctly. (Not a problem if you are the only driver, get them right once and they stay that way!)

There are places that sell reels that mount to the upper mounting point. They are kind of bulky and obvious, but they are retractable.

As mentioned, you can weld in the reinforced and formed parts of the firewall that hold the retractors from a later car. You will need to get a bit creative with the back pad, I believe, as well.

And there were a couple of other types of belts already mentioned.

It's going to be an interesting challenge any way you go.

....Are you sure you have to have them to pass inspection? Usually old cars have their original equipment "grandfathered in"...

--DD

[Jack Stands]

Auto Atlanta carries (carried?) some retractable belts that fit the early 914s by mounting the retractor on the upper roll bar attachment. No cutting required and the original belts can always be reinstalled. I'll try to find a picture of my installation on my 70 914-6.

[mikedsilva]

Here in the state of Queensland, Australia, there are a range of various rules and regulations for imported cars.. and depending on their age too...

Some of the locals tell me I have to have inertia reels fitted.. All the locally supplied aftermarket belts, only allow for fitment of the reel at the bottom of the pillar. But my 70 model with fixed passenger seat, has NO space between the seat base and pillar for a reel to be fitted.
Also, they don't work upside down...

For some reason, my car has had its original 3 point fixed belts removed, and been replaced with 2 point fixed belts. I think if I can get some point fixed belts back in, I "might" be able to get it registered...

Looking forward to seeing some pics of inertia reels mounted at the top of the b pillar!