s13 vert front seatbelts don't lock

[thermogod]

greetings. i have a 93 convertible (ew) with rear seatbelts that lock when pulled quickly, but front seatbelts that don't. they don't lock up when pulled quickly, slowly and then quickly, or at any speed while the car is actually moving.

my shit NRG wheel sure wouldn't cushion me in a crash, so i'd rather have locking belts...i replaced both front belt buckles if it matters - they didn't "click" properly.

time for an entirely new front seatbelt assembly/is this a job i can DIY after taking the door panels off, or do i need some kind of special tools?

bonus points if these just didn't lock from the factory and i'm just dumb.

[SupaDoopa]

Special tools? Not really. They're all held in with basic nuts and bolts. I'd install working seatbelts then get yourself a steering wheel that isn't more flaccid than a pre-teens peen. Last thing you want is to get into an accident and the steering wheel fall apart and you take a spoke to the chest/face.

[AKADriver]

Been a while since I was in a vert but in my B13 which had the same 2 piece style door mounted seat belts I remember it being nearly impossible to get them to lock the reels.

Remember door mounted seat belts and power retracting seat belts were designed back when the US NHTSA had the bright idea "let's make seat belts that don't really work all that well, as long as they force you to wear them" (alongside "let's make airbags that are too powerful for women, so they can work on unbelted men"). They were meant to be left buckled when you open the door. So they may not lock at all just from the action of pulling the belt out by hand because otherwise, they'd lock up when you tried to swing the door. You can also imagine what happens if you're in a crash hard enough to bend the frame and pop the doors open.

My 2c... I'd swap to coupe/hb doors and put S14 or B14 belts in the pillar Silvia vert style/Miata style.

[schassis240]

those are easy to remove bro

[SupaDoopa]

Originally Posted by schassis240

those are easy to remove bro

Clearly you've never worked on a vert. They aren't like a hatch/coupe where you remove a panel and they come off with a bolt - they're behind all sorts of shit in the pillar.

Luckily you're done posting stupid shit all over the place to get access to marketplace.

[thermogod]

yeah. the top bolt is inside the door pillar, literally to the point where you need to take it 1/4 wrench-rotation at a time. you also need to take your entire door panel off, which is attached to trim that goes around the other side of the door pillar. then you need to slip the top and bottom of the belt between the manufactured gaps in the door panel plastic. if you don't have a vert, you have no idea what i'm talking about.



either way, to resolve this thread,
1) i replaced both belts
2) be really careful with your door panel trim at the top
3) YOUR BELTS PROBABLY DO LOCK. you're just not yanking them fast enough. i still have doubts that they would lock up in a collision? the lock mechanism seems to be (just like my cousins) extremely insensitive. so, AKA, i would agree with you on that one.