front seat belt locking question

[bigbluetoy]

Should the front seat belts lock when you pull on them really hard and quick?

Mine dont lock and im not sure if they would be useful in an accident. I dont know if they are dirty, broken, or if this is how they actually are supposed to operate.

I just want to make sure they are functioning properly, and if not, I want to replace them.

TIA

 

[BlueCruiser84]

Mine will lock if I pull on them real quick, but they also just hang there limp sometimes. I just try not to crash.

 

[bigbluetoy]

i agree on the not crashing part. i just want to make sure mine are not working before I go spending the money to replace them.

is it even possible to clean them? ive read that is kind of a waste of time and just to repace them

 

[SLOwag]

I cleaned my old ones and they were a little better, but not much.

I then bought new from CDan (grey is all that's available) and they were much better but not perfect, the technology is somewhat antiquated.

Sometimes you have to remember what you're driving: A slow, lumbering, yet sure footed, cool, capable rig that's at least 18 years old.

 

[sirenmoses]

ya, mine don't grab when yanked either. x3 on not crashing. and if I do crash, there's lots of realitively solid metal around me, instead of styrofoam and other plastics.

interestingly, my 84 car seat belts grab when yanked, so it's not the year or japanese made vehicles.

 

[2mbb]

The mechanism has a swing weight in it that causes the mechanism to lock under heavy acceleration and decceleration (if that's a word). It will also lock up if the truck is not level. Just because the belt won't lock up when you pull on it doesn't mean it won't work in a crash (but it doesn't mean it will either).

 

[FJ60_cruiser]

mines are the same, they don't lock at all when I pulled hard but the only time that the pilot seat belt lock is when I make a turn or something fast that makes my shoulders move quickly then they lock sometimes under that situations, but when I brake hard and quick they don't lock so that's my concern.

It's strange because like I said before they only lock depending on the movements I make with the truck.

 

[kitb]

I took mine out today, cleaned them, and they donn't work any better than before. what if you cut the weight off?

 

[bigbluetoy]

hmm great. seems like its hit or miss with the seats belts working. granted the cruisers do have tons of metal, but working seatbelts are still important to me. i could always go to a boneyard and try to get some other seat belts.

 

[Freewheel]

X2 on 2mbb's comment. The only way to test seat belts is to pull on them while stomping on the brake when moving. Find a nice steep hill, fire down it and stand on the brakes. If you whang into the steering wheel get new belts...

 

[NocalFJ60]

I can get my to lock up in seconds when I test them. They are pretty realiable and find it hard to believe they do not work but it is possible. If you grab the belt and pull out real fast and let the recoil bring the belt back and then snap it back real fast. Just keeping doing it and they will lockup. I usually pull them out about a foot or so. Also make sure the belts are not twisted.

You do not need to test them using the brakes. Sounds like a good way to get your face in the steering wheel.

 

[60wag]

X3 on on 2mbb's post. They are DESIGNED to lock on deceleration. They are not designed to lock when pulling the belt fast. That's just an annoying consequence of the mech developing some drag likey due to dirt.

 

[kitb]

I'll test today, do other seatbelts work on the same mechanical principle? I don't have any others to take apart, the dune buggy only has lap beltshttp://images.ih8mud.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

[60wag]

I think the confusion stems from the older design like the one used for the 60 REAR lap belts. Those do lock independant of vehicle motion. I used to have an old ford wagon that had that mech in the front shoulder belts. It was very annoying as it would tend to ratchet tighter over time. After a few hours on the highway you'd be cinched tight against the seat. The pendulum mech replaced those a long time ago - fortunately.

 

[NocalFJ60]

They are DESIGNED to lock on deceleration. They are not designed to lock when pulling the belt fast.

I think the seatbelts in my 82 are not triggered by the car's movement but by the belt's movement. After looking I guess there are too kinds, and most newer cars are trigger by the cars movements. Maybe my 82 has the old ones?

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/seatbelt3.htm

 

[bigbluetoy]

well what if you get rear ended and arent applying any pressure to the brakes? the belts should still lock. you can easily get into an accident without using the brakes. rear ended or side swiped.

 

[2mbb]

well what if you get rear ended and arent applying any pressure to the brakes? the belts should still lock. you can easily get into an accident without using the brakes. rear ended or side swiped.

right, but when you are hit, or when you hit something, the pendulum will swing and the belt should lock up. It doesn't matter whether your brakes are on or not. Freewheel suggested to use the brakes to simulate a crash (decelleration) without actually hitting anything.

 

[ssgoods]

Remove the pendulum (the weight), and your seat belts will definitely not work. To check your pendulum, you could take off the bottom of the seat belt locking mechanism, and give it a good couple of shakes. If you hear it, you have it and the belts should work. If you can't hear it, it is either somehow removed, or somehow stuck. I have noticed that sometimes when cars are involved in wrecks, the seatbelts can get jammed, so that might be something to think about as well.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

I cleaned my old ones and they were a little better, but not much.

I then bought new from CDan (grey is all that's available) and they were much better but not perfect, the technology is somewhat antiquated.

Sometimes you have to remember what you're driving: A slow, lumbering, yet sure footed, cool, capable rig that's at least 18 years old.

How much were the new OEM belts?.. my drivers side buckle disintegrated yesterday.

 

[SLOwag]

Originally Posted by SLOwag
I cleaned my old ones and they were a little better, but not much.

I then bought new from CDan (grey is all that's available) and they were much better but not perfect, the technology is somewhat antiquated.

Sometimes you have to remember what you're driving: A slow, lumbering, yet sure footed, cool, capable rig that's at least 18 years old.

How much were the new OEM belts?.. my drivers side buckle disintegrated yesterday.

I don't recall, I'm sure my receipts are buried in a file somehwere, but I looked at my build sheet and had budgeted $360 for both front belts. I'm sure Dan beat that price.

If I still have the old belts, you can have them but they were original off an '84 so they will not be in the best of shape. They weren't torn, just worn....