[DML] Re: Seat belt repaired

["welmoedj" <joe.dalton@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Great job, Tom!
And how does the car behave with its replacement engine?
Better than before?
Does it have the cam shafts from the previous engine or still the 
standard shafts?
Tried its top yet?

Welmoed.


--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Tom Tait" <TTait@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks Josh and Welmoed.
> 
> I went out this morning to Harbor Freight and picked up a heat gun, 
and then settled down to work.  As I got started I realized that I 
could pop out the black trim clip where the belt passes through the 
panel.  That done I got a couple of fingers on the seat belt roller 
and was able to wind the belt back on the reel.  I pulled it out 
again and it was still too bound up to retract, so I got some 
compressed air and then some lube down into the sides of the roller 
assembly without even removing the cover panel.  After working it 
back and forth a bit the belt now retracts again fine.
> 
> It may be a temporary fix, so its good to know that I have the 
tools and procedure when I do have to open the panel, but for today I 
took the time I saved taking it all apart to have a nice drive 
between rain storms.
> 
> Driving safe again.
> 
> Tom
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Josh Haldeman
> Sent: Fri 1/4/2008 10:51 AM
> To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [DML] Seat belt repair or replace?
>  
> Hi Tom,
> 
> Have no fear, it's very easy to do this job if you know the correct 
method.
> The cover panel, strangely called the armrest extension, even 
though that's
> the smallest part of the whole panel, can be removed simply by 
following
> these steps:
> 
> - unscrew the screws at the top and bottom corners (the one on the
> bottom is under the carpet)
> 
> - remove the bolt at the top of the seatbelt
> 
> - pull off the inner weatherstripping that covers the panel (no
> need to remove all of it)
> 
> - pry off the red weatherstripping clips
> 
> - get a hair dryer or a heat gun, (Harbor Freight sells one that
> works for $10) and gently heat the edge of the panel material until 
it
> becomes flexible enough to pry it off with a flathead screwdriver.
> 
> If you don't use the heat gun or hair dryer, the material will 
definitely
> crack, but I've been using one on all the panels I've removed and
> reinstalled with nothing but success. If the material does start to 
tear,
> just stop and heat it up more. I've found it works well to follow 
the heat
> gun up the panel edge immediately followed by the screwdriver.
> 
> After you release the edge completely, you should be able to just 
simply
> pull the panel forward and out of the car. This will give you 
access to the
> seatbelt mechanism itself, (held on by one 19mm bolt) as well as 
the rear
> speaker and, if you're lucky, a mouse nest or two. Especially if 
the car
> has been sitting for a long time. 
> 
> I would recommend not tossing the old seatbelt...if you have the 
desire and
> know-how, you can make your wife or daughter a lovely purse from the
> material. See this link: http://www.twofoos.com/crafts/sp.html 
<http://www.twofoos.com/crafts/sp.html>  These are
> becoming increasingly popular, and I just finished making my wife 
one from
> the seatbelts out of the fire car I had. She loves it...and it's a 
DeLorean
> original. John would have loved it!
> 
> Reassembly of the panel is just the reverse of the removal...you 
don't
> really need any new glue to hold the panel in place, as once you 
put it back
> on the weatherstripping holds it in...but if you do decide you want 
to use
> some, the best I've found is Hi-Strength 90 spray adhesive from 3M. 
(Thanks
> again Randall!) Just don't overspray and coat your interior with it.
> 
> Good luck, and if you have any questions along the way, you can 
contact me
> off list (jhaldeman(AT)fuse.net) and I'll do my best to help.
> 
> -Josh
> 
> VIN 5102
> VIN 15964
> VIN 11289
> VIN 909
> 
> _____ 
> 
> From: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dmcnews%40yahoogroups.com>  
[mailto:dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dmcnews%40yahoogroups.com> ] 
On Behalf Of
> Tom Tait
> Sent: Friday, January 04, 2008 12:41 AM
> To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dmcnews%40yahoogroups.com> 
> Subject: [DML] Seat belt repair or replace?
> 
> My car has been through a lot. After 69k miles it sat untouched for 
12
> years. For the last few of those the Drivers window was broken out. 
A lot of
> the car was in bad shape and its been a lot of work to get it to a 
clean
> daily driver.
> 
> The drivers seatbelt mechanism has always been weak. Very slow to 
retract,
> but it did. I have been confident that it would work if needed. I 
have been
> reluctant to replace it as the cover panel is out of stock and I 
can't
> replace it if it gets damaged. I'm told it often does.
> 
> Last week my wife drove the car, and was dissatisfied with my 
lackluster
> seat belt retractor so she gave it a hard sharp pull to whip it 
into shape.
> It no longer retracts at all - its fully extended and stuck.
> 
> So... I have a Safety Vehicle that has no drivers seatbelt (I can 
cheat and
> make the lapbelt portion work but thats nearly useless). I have 
kids. I
> can't continue to drive around without a seatbelt, its just dumb. 
> 
> So - is there a way to possibly resurrect my seatbelt without 
removing that
> cover panel? I'm sure the years of exposure are a factor. If I have 
to
> remove it I'm obviously installing a new unit and will be done with 
it - but
> how do I remove it without damaging it? I'm not afraid to work on 
the car
> but I know this part is very hard to come by and I don't want to 
ruin it. IF
> I get the cover off undamaged, is there a better way to reinstall 
it so it
> comes out easier in the future? Is the best answer to smile and pay 
my local
> vendor (an hour away) to do it?
> 
> Advice will be appreciated, and will make my car safe again. Thanks.
> 
> Tom
> 10902
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>




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