Seat belts

[Shawn]

Can someone help me with my wording when talking to parts stores. I am looking for a seat belt. I would like a three point type like the older seat belts that when pulled all the way out are designed for use with a child seat. I have found newer seat belts do not lock the way the older ones do. Newer seat belts lock in the case of an accident, not in the case when extending the belt all the way out until such time you retract the belt all the way back in. I went to a junk yard today trying to find out what models and year range would be what I am looking for and was told that all seat belts lock. I can only assume that I am not describing things the way I need to in order to get my point across.

[toynrnd]

Are you looking to install this kind of child seat with its own built in seat belt system?



Or a booster seat where the Jeep's seat belt is used by the child?

[Deleted]

Let me help you out here. All self retracting belts lock when placed under inertia, off camber, upside down, or on a severe incline. Go out to the seat belt and yank on it real fast, it will lock.
However I understand what you are talking about with the self locking belts back in the 70s and 80s. When you pull the belt all the way out and let it retract, it will lock in to place and not let itself out until the belt is unbuckled and retracted completely to reset itself.
The belts that don't have this function are perfectly fine to use and that is pretty much all that is found these days. You simply use a clip like this on them with the child seat:
www.amazon.com/Graco-4045-Seatbelt-Locking-Clip/dp/B0002ADQOU

Your child seat should have come with one. The latch system or those clips have eliminated the need for the permanent locking seat belts. If it doesn't or it did and you didn't notice it you can go to the nearest fire department and ask a fireman certified to install child seats to do it for you.

[ex-tbd85hilux]

Rear seats in most vehicles should have the locking belts where you pull the belt all the way out and it locks all the way back in. The fronts shouldn't do that. The government mandated that front seats should have an inertia locking system not a child seat locking mechanism in all vehicles that are or can be equipped with air bags. This is supposed to stop people from buckling their babies into a seat that has an exploding dash. But the kicker is it was mandated but never signed so it's optional on some vehicles based on the manufacturer.

As far as an inertia lock... that's mandated on all belts since about the mid 80's or early 90's if memory serves right.

Also if you are going to the junk yards DO NOT grab a seat belt from a wrecked vehicle. if the engine is blown or the vehicle is rusted out you are ok but seatbelts are one time use thing. If the accident was enough to send the vehicle to the yard... The belt has lived a good life.

What are you trying to do by the way?

Paul G.

[Deleted]

I agree mostly, except i wouldnt bother with any junk yard seatbelt. Theyve been weathered and sat in the elements for who knows how long? You can get new seat belts pretty inexpensively off ebay.

[Shawn]

I guess I really got used to facebook notifications. I did not see these comments until today. I am trying to decide what to do with my '91 S15. The passenger side seat belt is broken. I would like to replace it with a seat belt that would hold a child seat. I remember teasing my high school girlfriend about my '79 Cutlass thinking she was a child seat because she had to unbuckle, retract the belt all the way and then relatch her seat belt. The alternative to finding a seat belt that does what I want would be too much fabrication to think about right now.