Hey I painted my interior black silver and blue but what do I do about my grey seatbelts??? I don't want to dye them. Unstitching them and restitching black belts seems a tad dangerous. Anyone know how to get around this problem.
Try JCWhitney for new belts or you could try a junkyard and look for blaco belts but im not sure what other cars had ones compatable with the Fiero.
Cory
------------------ 88 GT Fully stock and looking good. 86 2M6 In the proccess of buying 84 SE 4 Speed, Custom project car, custom pisa wrap around dash, Black carpet, Headliner, Pisa's Digital Guages, Mr Mikes door covers, with red accents and red floormats. 84 SE Parts car, anyone need any parts? Or the whole car can go.
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04:08 PM
Dumba$$ Member
Posts: 1679 From: Sioux Falls SD Registered: Jan 2001
I've been looking for black belts for 2 years. I converted the majority of my interior to black and the belts no longer match.
I won't dye them because they are nylon and I don't think I could get them dark enough and I am leary of nylons ability to hold the dye.
I found a couple places on the web that will replace the belt but they require you to send the assembly so they can replace the belt and send it back. Since CA has a zero tolerence law for lack of seatbelt use and it's a spendy ticket, I can't afford to be without them while they are redone.
Its hard to believe that with all of us painting our interior black noone has come up with a solution. I know JC Whitney sells belts but the ones that look like the Fiero originals are like $119.00 a piece. Thats a lot of money for some stinkin seatbelts. GM never sold black Fiero belts so thats not an option. I have an upholstery guy here in CT that will resew on black belts if he can get the old ones off the mechanism. But that'll run me $65 an hour plus material and it doesn't exactly sound that safe.
edited to make sense
------------------ neverending project car!!!
[This message has been edited by connecticutFIERO (edited 07-11-2002).]
please post the contact info for your seatbelt person. I would be interested in how much he charges.
connecticutFIERO,
Ssnake-oyl is very expensive. They started out restoring Corvette seatbelts, and restorers of those cars were/are willing to pay for the high quality work--did you check out what they do (original stitching patterns, original labels, etc)?
I know 100% originality is not as important in your case (I'm assuming this since black belts were never an option on the fiero--BTW thanks for that info), but if I could not obtain OEM black belts my next choice would be Ssnake-Oyl simply because I would trust my life to their rewebbing sooner than an upholstery shop's job.
But I understand the $ concern, that is high.
I did a google search for rewebbing of seat belts. I started to post the links below but decided to simply post the URL for the google search. Most of the links were for companies that reweb seatbelts for aircraft or race cars. Maybe one of those companies would be able to reweb your belts cheaper than Ssnake-Oyl (I would trust my life to belts rewebbed by a company that rewebs race car seatbelts even if they are cheaper than Ssnake-Oyl). http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=seat+belt+rewebbing&btnG=G oogle+Search
Good luck, and please post with what you decide to do.
Thanks.
--EDIT--
also check out this thread I started on camaros.net
In the fifth post, KevinW says he is going to reweb his belts himself. I still think going through Ssnake-Oyl or a company that rewebs belts for race cars would be safer though.
[This message has been edited by ct (edited 07-11-2002).]
[This message has been edited by ct (edited 07-11-2002).]
I would also like to find the end that has the release and comes up between the seat and center console in black.
I have a hard time beleiving that these belts were exclusive to the Fiero. Didn't all GM cars from that time period use basically the same belts? I know camaros from that era had black interiors.
Anybody with a 3rd gen f body want to take a look?
I heard from someones cousins friend that their brother knew the guy who sold pant zippers to the guy who tailored the clothes of the GM designer who designed the seatbelts. And he said that there was something a bit different about the Fiero belts. But like I insinuated I'm not positive about that.
edited for grammar
[This message has been edited by connecticutFIERO (edited 07-11-2002).]
There is someone I know with black seat belts. Phil Randolph (owns yellow 3800SC coupe, forum name 'Phil') I believe has black seat belts. I don't know exactly how he did them, but I do remember discussing the issue with him at Kick Hill farm on the porch eating pizza one afternoon. You may want to try to talk to him, he usually shows up in the chat after 9, or maybe he'll come across this thread. Good luck!!
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05:40 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
The retractor mechanism on the Fiero Seatbelt is unlike any other GM car so there is no way to swap in say a Camaro or Corvette seatbelt.
The part that comes up to the console with the latch could be easily painted. It's the webbing that's the problem. You don't want to paint that and have it rub of on your white shirt.
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07:44 PM
wcapman Member
Posts: 208 From: Gulfport, MS USA Registered: Dec 2001
Don't bother with Snakeoyl. I sent a set of belts to them earlier this year and they returned them. They said they could reweb a Fiero because it had double takeup reels. They have had problems with those in the past and won't do them anymore. Cost me an extra set of seatbelts and postage to find that out.
I have also tried to dye a set of belts. Several people suggested that I try using 2 pachages of Rit black and one package of Rit scarlet. This did an excellent job on the plastic parts, which you can use on the buckle part (don't submerge the buckle as if I have to say). They came out a dirty gray, not much darker than stock with some brownish stains.
The only solution I have been able to come up with it to abandon the stock seat belts and go with a single retractor type. If you do, the buckle tongue is likely to hang out the door sometimes. I'm waiting for a solution.....and waiting.....
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10:00 PM
Tagueule Member
Posts: 762 From: East Bay, CA Registered: Apr 2002
Originally posted by jscott1: The retractor mechanism on the Fiero Seatbelt is unlike any other GM car so there is no way to swap in say a Camaro or Corvette seatbelt.
The part that comes up to the console with the latch could be easily painted. It's the webbing that's the problem. You don't want to paint that and have it rub of on your white shirt.
I don't care about the retractor mechanism. Is the belt the same or if not exactly the same, can it be swapped into the Fiero mechanism?
I still have a hard time believing that the Fiero seatbelt was a custom exclusive design to the Fiero. GM used every off the shelf part they could on the car and I doubt they went custom on a seatbelt.
I'm done painting interior parts just to get black. The seatbelt part with the release has to be interchangable. What difference could there be? If no one with a 3rd gen f body is willing to check, I'll go to the boneyard and find out for myself.
Everytime this comes up all people post are lame suggestions to dye them, overpriced and really inconvenient rewebbing, and defeatist statements how the Fiero has a different seatbelt than any GM ever made and has no alternative.
I think it's a load of BS and I'm going to make it a point to prove otherwise.
I havn't actually seen them but wouldn't a truck seatbelt mech. be a pretty easy swap. The mech. from an S10 couldn't be any bigger than the Fiero's, could it?
I personally checked with Ssnake-Oyl, and they told me today that they still reweb fiero seat belts. However, I neglected to find out if they will reweb them in black (that may have been the problem wcapman encountered--see his post in the earlier thread Black Seat belts?.
I would still call ahead (or email) before sending them any fiero belts to reweb just to confirm the info they gave me.
<EDIT> edited to correct link address.
[This message has been edited by ct (edited 11-23-2002).]
Bump to see if there is any progress in this thing. $230 for snakeoyl to change out the belts will buy a lot of other stuff I need. Tagueule, did you have any luck in your search? I really don't want to go to RRR with black interior & faded grey seat belts, with new black & white cushions on them.
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10:01 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
Don thanks for the bump, I intend to try interior paint on one of my spare sets of seatbelts, (tan ones). If it doesn't work I won't use them, If it works, then I'll post the results and give the type of paint that I used. Wish me luck.
------------------ 1988 Fiero - It's like an Actual Miniature Car
Sorry, haven't had time to pursue it lately. Been busy with the clutch and brakes. A couple more weeks and they'll be done and I'll turn my attention back to the interior.
I'm still convinced a 3rd gen f body belts can be made to work. They are the same width and the end with the release is visually identical. I see no reason why the belt can't be swapped into the Fiero mechanism. I'm going to take the unit out of the passenger side and experiment with what I can dig up at the junkyard.
Believe me, when I get this solved it will be posted here. This has gone on way too long without a realistic solution. There are few things more motivating than being told you can't do something.
I'm going to a boneyard tomorrow to pick up a spare hood. I'll look around & see what I can find. I think I'll also snag an extra set of belts, maybe soak them for a couple of days ina can of black vinyl paint of something similar. The paint may peel off but shouldn't stain a shirt. We'll see.
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12:58 AM
RBeaubien Member
Posts: 775 From: Glendale (Phoenix), AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2002
You have to reweb the belts. There is no way to dye the Nylon at home. The color is made into the thread at time of manufacture.
Any attempt to dye them is most likely to either fade or chemically alter the nylon, which will likely weaken it.
You want to keep the retractors on factory type belts. If you don't you'll find they are constantly being slammed in the door which isn't good for them.
------------------ 11-Sept-01, The day the world as we knew it ended.
Rats. I opened this hoping to read that an 86 Chevette or a 92 Corolla 2 door would work or that Rodney was now selling black belts. I need a set for my 88 Coupe. Oh well, time to let this topic sink below the horizon again. Does anyone know about blue belts? I have a winter project that really cries out for blue but I guess I'll just have to get by with the stock tan belts.
WOW! Its so hard to believe that no one can get their seatbelts black! I am very interested in doing so since my interior is black and white. Hopefully someone finds a cure, that person would get my vote indeed!!
WOW! Its so hard to believe that no one can get their seatbelts black! I am very interested in doing so since my interior is black and white. Hopefully someone finds a cure, that person would get my vote indeed!!
Matt
Yeah it is hard to believe that no one has black seatbelts or holders. The seatbelt holders I dyed black they lasted about a week before they started peeling. I dyed my trim black and that will stay that way because you never touch that stuff. Anyone using any different seatbelt holders out of another car that is black from the factory? Well if anyone has any help with this subject that would be great. There has to be someone running black seatbelts and holders in their Fiero, I just know it besides Phil. What did Archie use for the Stinger? No luck with dying at all then on the seatbelts? Well see ya guys.
I posted about a month or so back that I found a guy that will put black webbing on Fiero winders for $85/set.
Can you post up that info for me Phil I would love to know where to send my belts off to to get them done in black! Also what should I use to make the seat belt holders not gray but black where they snap in? I dyed it black but it didn't hold up very long. Thanks and hopefully you still have the info on this as I would love to have it all black after completely changing my interior! Thanks Phil.
I know.
11-Sept-01, The day the world as we knew it ended.
