Cascade Crew

[QwkTrip]

Please tell me there is a cheaper source for new front seat belts. Classic Industries wants $250 each for front belts. Mine are old and I cut one up in a sump pump emergency. It was midnight and the seat belt was the only strong material I had on hand to wrap and bind a split pipe. Better than flooding the basement.

[aaron_sK]

http://cascadecrew.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7355

[QwkTrip]

Thanks! I'm on it like a pit bull on a handicap bunny.

[alloy]

You could also upgrade to 4th gen belts. Newer design, work better, easy install. The junk yards are getting more and more 4th gens now, so easy to find a nice set.

[QwkTrip]

Isn't there some problem getting a finished look on the floor?

[Dewey316]

[alloy]

[QwkTrip]

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Paint corrects everything. I've got 3 parallel paths I'm running right now:

1) 91camaro_rs with his older '86 belts.
2) I found NOS parts at thirdgen.org for a very good price. Wondering about the authenticy of those parts.
3) I'm looking for 4th gen belts for added safety (single inertia lock). I would need an '82 door sill for this option.

I can't move on any of these options until I get home this weekend and look at which set of belts need to be replaced. I can't remember which one I cut and I'm in California right now.

[alloy]

I just looked and I have two sets of black 82 sills. I'd forgotten about the other set I have. Kept them for spares, but I guess I don't really need a spare sill plate. Not like it's gonna break or something.

So if you need more than one set let me know.

[QwkTrip]

Those NOS parts look like the real deal and are new in the box. However if I remember right, GM had a problem with seat belts where UV light weakened the fabric. How do I distinguish between the old design and the fixed design? Part number change?

[aaron_sK]

Someone correct me if I am mistaken, but the recall was based on the latches being weakened by UV (and turning pink), not the belts.

[Twilightoptics]

It was the latches. The recalled belts have a metal clasp to keep them together or something like that.

[QwkTrip]

My latches are fine. Car has been garaged entire life and hasn't even seen sun for 12 years.

I do wonder if I can get free belts out of this and not even have to pay for it. Only problem is that I checked a sticky thread at TGO and it seems GM ran out of grey belts back in 2004. I don't want black.

Gotta love the info at AutoSafety.org.......

"Most owners of Camaros and Firebirds need no reminder of how miserable they have become because of defects in their cars. CAS still gets hundreds of consumer complaints each year, with engine and transmission defects topping the list. Until redesigned in 1993, the J.D. Power Survey, a famous analysis of automobile quality, ranked the Camaro/Firebird as the worst car in America, despite nearly a decade of production to work out the bugs. Consumer Reports has consistently selected the Camaro and Firebird as among the least reliable cars sold in the US with 1991-99 Camaro/Firebird selected as used cars to avoid."

[aaron_sK]

Not entirely untrue. All stock automatic transmissions, all 2.8 engines before '86 or '87, the seatbelt mess, constant water leaks, Van Nuys paintjobs, the power hatch system... These are some crappy cars, dude.

[QwkTrip]

How do you think my car ended up being parked in the first place? It's not like I decided to just tear it apart one day. The decision was made for me.

[IROCDave]

[QwkTrip]

Well, it's not so bad I guess. I got home and checked my car. Apparently, I was smart enough to cut up a rear belt (if you can call that smart). My front belts are fine. I can go without a rear belt pretty much forever. Nobody in their right mind would sit back there.

[rjmcgee]

[turbo_jimi]

I've tried the recall things with a couple of dealers and they won't do it...saying that my car wasn't on the list but i can clearly see that the buckles are discolored.