<VV> Corvair Seat (safety) Belt Length

[J R Read_HML]

Hello Carl,

I'll measure mine when I get the chance.  The car (65) is not here just now.

I CAN tell you this much though.  For the fronts, the outboard belt is much 
shorter and probably only rolls about 3 turns (maybe less?) on the 
retractor.  This is the piece with the male portion of the buckle.  The 
inboard "half" (with the female portion of the buckle) is considerably 
longer.  The front belts (long portion) are designed with the intention that 
the one mounted behind the passenger seat is intended for the driver and the 
one mounted behind the driver seat is intended for the passenger.  Most 
folks don't realize this.  I'm assuming that you have bucket seats.  So, 
when two people are riding in the front, the long portions of the belt 
actually cross over one another between the seats.  Why?  Don't know, but 
can guess that this would put less strain on the belt in an accident.

For the rears, I don't know original length - BUT - I don't think it will 
matter.  You should be able to set them up so that any excess length would 
hang out beyond the mounting point in the floor under the seat - where it 
will not be seen.  So, you can likely use the same length belts in the rear 
as in the front.  If you are installing 3 belts in the rear - I THINK (not 
sure) that the center belt would share one of the mounting points with each 
of the other 2 belts.  Arrangement of the buckles is a little fuzzy just 
now.  Once I see my car again, I can tell you how it is set up.  BUT, my 
rear belts did not come from Chevy so far as I know.

Later, JR

CCE CORSA CORVANANTICS SCG member
'61 Rampside Standard 4/110
'65 Monza Convertible 4/140
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arlette Carl" <arlettecarl at hotmail.com>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:12 PM
Subject: <VV> Corvair Seat (safety) Belt Length


> Hi eveyone,
>
> I wondered if anyone might be able to answer the following for me? I am 
> currently changing the interior colour of our 1965 Monza convertible from 
> white to red. As part of this interior colour change I have to change the 
> seat belt webbing to red webbing.
>
> I have all the seat belt hardware required to end up with:
>
> Two (2) front seat 'Deluxe' lap seat belts.
> &
> Two (2) rear seat 'Deluxe' lap seat belts.
>
> My question is what was the correct length of these seat belts outboard 
> and inboard sections originally?
>
> I am using 1967-69 Corvair outboard seat belt retractors for the front 
> seats as these keep the outboard sections of the seat belts neatly rolled 
> up when not in use.
>
> I believe that if the front outboard sections are made to long that they 
> might not not roll back into the retractor enclosures correctly. I also 
> appreciate that the rear seat safety belts will be 'shorter' in length 
> than the front seat safety belts as they are mounted closer to the seat.
>
> My problem is that I don't have anything to really go by in terms of an 
> original Corvair seat belt. Can anyone advise?
>
> Regards from Australia
>
> Carl L. Kelsen
> 1965 right hand drive Corvair Monza convertible
>
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