Seat belt mounting on Fiero Firewall

[01Lambiero]

A "u-pull it" seat should be a better quality belt than one that came over on a boat.  Remember that to look oem you will be reversing the belt so that the shoulder belt comes down over your right shoulder thus the retractor is mounted above the console area.  If the retractor has a pendulum latch and it is mounted rotated 90 degrees from it's oem position, it probably won't operate as designed.  It's easy to tell if it is a belt movement lock by yanking on the belt.  This style should work in various positions.
Safety is up to you.  Some builders think that a window regulator is a crash bar.
Red Green: "I'm lookin' out for you guys.  Keep your stick on the ice".   
01

[lambo_sam]

If anyone is concerned about DOT approved belts just get them from a Nissan pulsar from the wreckers, I was more concerned with the identical appearance and cheap cost than DOT approval
lol like MM say's are cars really aren't dot approved anyways, Sure! some parts we use are DOT but we're not doing any crash test.

53

[★Murci-Me★]

You guys are the greatest. Don't know what I'd do without this site & you guys?!
I bought a new set of universal 3 points from eBay. I'm guessing same would hold true for them also?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-3-POINT-RETRACTABLE-AUTO-CAR-SEAT-BELT-LAP-SHOULDER-ADJUSTABLE-U-S/112509006778?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I'll probably be bothering you with a million more questions about this car, and again, can't thank you guys enough!

Those are the same I used on my build, they work great. They may not be DOT approved, but then again neither is the rest of my car lol!

[Ccemn1]

I actually put more miles on two wheels, than I do four. I know what you're talking about, and though there is no helmet law in FL, I don't get on either of my Ducatis, without a Snell approved carbon helmet. I don't worry much about dying and prefer to focus more on the living.
I won't be racing this Lambo Clone, and see a four point harness (Which it has now), as far more an inconvenience and discomfort than any safety measure. Especially considering I live on an island where the speed limit doesn't go above 45 MPH.

[CCIE]

I'm 67 years old. Used to race, pretty successfully I might add. I'm far more concerned about being "Legal" and avoiding police and tickets than I am any safety issues.
After all, half of my life I was driving cars that didn't even have seat belts.

Times have changed!!!!
Cars are faster and people are more stupider. Safety should always be top priority specially driving these cars!!!
Its not you its all the other people trying to get closer look and taker pic sprinkled in with kids with there so called supped up  Honda wanting to race and show off!!!
Your Health is far more valuable then a lousy ticket

CCIE

[Ccemn1]

I'm 67 years old. Used to race, pretty successfully I might add. I'm far more concerned about being "Legal" and avoiding police and tickets than I am any safety issues.
After all, half of my life I was driving cars that didn't even have seat belts.

[01Lambiero]

You only value your LIFE for $12?  Those belts are NOT DOT approved.  The bolts have no tensile rating on them which makes them who knows maybe grade 2 or less.     Locking mechanism unknown.  Maybe some of the guys will post which seat belts worked for them and are approved.  (Using RJS 3" SFI approved racing belts in mine 5-point)   It's a GTR.

01

[Ccemn1]

You guys are the greatest. Don't know what I'd do without this site & you guys?!
I bought a new set of universal 3 points from eBay. I'm guessing same would hold true for them also?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-3-POINT-RETRACTABLE-AUTO-CAR-SEAT-BELT-LAP-SHOULDER-ADJUSTABLE-U-S/112509006778?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I'll probably be bothering you with a million more questions about this car, and again, can't thank you guys enough!

[01Lambiero]

There are systems triggered by the car's movement and there are systems triggered by the belt's movement.

The first sort of system locks the spool when the car rapidly decelerates (when it hits something, for example).

The central operating element in this mechanism is a weighted pendulum. When the car comes to a sudden stop, the inertia causes the pendulum to swing forward. The pawl on the other end of the pendulum catches hold of a toothed ratchet gear attached to the spool. With the pawl gripping one of its teeth, the gear can't rotate counter-clockwise, and neither can the connected spool. When the webbing loosens again after the crash, the gear rotates clockwise and the pawl disengages.

Like Murci-me said: the pendulum type has to be mounted exactly as it was in the original oem position to operate properly.

The second kind of system locks the spool when something jerks the belt webbing. The activating force in most designs is the speed of the spool rotation.

The central operating element in this design is a centrifugal clutch -- a weighted pivoting lever mounted to the rotating spool. When the spool spins slowly, the lever doesn't pivot at all. A spring keeps it in position. But when something yanks the webbing, spinning the spool more quickly, centrifugal force drives the weighted end of the lever outward.

The extended lever pushes a cam piece mounted to the retractor housing. The cam is connected to a pivoting pawl by a sliding pin. As the cam shifts to the left, the pin moves along a groove in the pawl. This pulls the pawl into the spinning ratchet gear attached to the spool. The pawl locks into the gear's teeth, preventing counter-clockwise rotation.

The "pull lock" type should work in a modified position but MUST BE TESTED IN THE MOUNTED POSITION.

01

[★Murci-Me★]

Seat belt retractors need to sit in a vertical position due to the pendulum inside that makes them work. Mounting them to an inclined rear firewall will never work, you need to make a pocket in the firewall that has a vertical rear surface to mount the retractors to. Just add some reinforcing to it and you'll be fine. Remember, on the Fiero the OEM retractors and lap restraint are both mounted to...........,you guessed it, SHEET METAL!!!(yay) Like I said, just reinforce the area like Pontiac did and you'll be fine.

[Ccemn1]

Yes, I'd love to see some Photos too, as I plan on trashing the 4 point belts that are on the car now, and going with a 3 point set up.
The biggest problem seems to be where I can mount the large, bulky retractors.

[Simple Man]

You are essentially correct in how you are installing them.  But the most important step is to ensure that you install structural bracing for your brackets (best on the engine side of the firewall).  The sheet metal of the firewall is not sufficient support.  That may have been what you were implying...but just wanted to be sure on that.

Yes pretty flimsy!!

[Neils88]

You are essentially correct in how you are installing them.  But the most important step is to ensure that you install structural bracing for your brackets (best on the engine side of the firewall).  The sheet metal of the firewall is not sufficient support.  That may have been what you were implying...but just wanted to be sure on that.

[Simple Man]

Does anybody have a picture of how they mounted the seat belt adjusters to the firewall above the arm rest / center console?  I was going to use some metal brackets and weld them into place, and the adjusters would bolt to them.

Thought I would see what everyone else did.

Thanks!!