On Tue, 24 Mar 1998 jbonina@nectech.com wrote:
> Latest project: Making sure when I get killed in a crash, my body
> stays strapped to the seat. Yes, I'm trying to make the seatbelts
> functional.
If you want to stay _near_ the scene of the accident, then stick with the
originals.
> The problem is that they won't retract much, just a bit. I took the
> side covers off and amused myself with that darn clever inertia
> system. Pretty cool and simple.
And they never really worked right - from when they were new.
> Back to the subject: The spring that
> does the recoil seems to have lost it's oomph. What are my options?
> Find junkyard springs that still have their oomph? Can I find new
> springs to replace them?
Don't play with the springs. Think about it... how are you going to test
them? Are you willing to find out _if_ they work? What about that "in the
unlikely event of a water landing" scenario. Sure, it's unlikely - but
not completely out of the question - that you'll have an accident.
Replace the belts with good functional new ones. The shoulder belts
offered by TRF, Moss and others are pretty adequate. Opinion: I don't
like fixed shoulder harness type belts for open top cars, I've seen a
couple of TR6's roll in unusual circumstances... if that happens, you
want to be able to duck!!
> Last, the brand name on the seatbelt is Kango Reflex. Is this OEM or
> after-market? I don't want to kill myself trying to find "original"
> after-market replacements.
Kango was OEM, at least in the 'States. I don't know about European
models, but it is my understanding that Kangol is a European name...
A low cost option is to buy a latch-and-link lap belt (3inch) from a
speed shop or Racer Wholesale (or Pegasus or Simpson or whatever) with
clip in mounts. Early TR6's had hook eyes that bolt into the floor that
you can clip into. If your TR does not have the hook eyes, you can buy
them from the racer places for a few bucks each. This is what I did for
my TR6.
> Thanks dudes (and dudettes),
> Jeff
> '73 TR6 in Mass.
later,
rml
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