Auto Seatbelts...use lap belt?

[Safety Guy]

Shoulder belts worn under your arm will break ribs and possibly twist your body sideways in a crash. They won't restrain your upper body properly and may do more damage than not wearing the shoulder belts at all.

All of our seatbelts are getting really old now. My plan is to take out my auto belts and install manual belts. One of my cars, Aqua, is already converted. The driver's side and center buckles were newly replaced in 2001, so I'm still using those. The passenger's side belts were rewebbed and checked by Seatbeltplanet for about $150, IIRC.

I have another set of old belts from an '89 (wrecked front bumper, but not too bad so the belt hardware should be good) that I'll get rewebbed by a more local company. Hope it will be cheaper!

There is also the possibility of using generic replacement belts, which I may check out for my third swap job, and any others that come along.

With the (much hated) auto belts, I prefer to undo and do them separately like the lap belts.

I would highly discourage folks from swapping from auto belts to the older manual belts without getting them rewebbed, cleaned and checked out. Rain, sweat, UV rays, food, dirt, etc. has worked their weakening effects on these belts for over 21 years!

Past time to get new ones.

Karl

[lanemeyer14]

hmm looks like I'll be moving it... but what about where it goes through the trim?

Yeah, you'll have another hole there but it might be worth it for comfort's sake?

[Nerd Racing]

hmm looks like I'll be moving it... but what about where it goes through the trim?

[lanemeyer14]

I did notice that they get awful close to my neck and rub it just above my shirt collar and it annoys the heck out of me.

You can raise/lower the upper mount of the manual belts in the festy by a few inches.....there's two holes there

[Nerd Racing]

I always use them in my protege and the other cars I had that have them. My festy has manual belts though. I did notice that they get awful close to my neck and rub it just above my shirt collar and it annoys the heck out of me.

[lanemeyer14]

Decided against putting the auto belts back in. Found a nice set of regular belts from another car I'll be putting in. Will post pics of that swap once it's done!

[manxbuggy1]

My shoulder belts are frozen in the on position (back) so i just duck under them and yes I use my lap belt also.

[htchbck]

^^ The holes are there for the manual belts in all the cars. Depending on how much you care about appearance you have to swap over the interior trim and headliner to complete the look though, since there are major differences in the insides between the two types of belts. As for dead shoulder belts, its very easy to just throw the belt over your head. I disabled the one in my MX6 and slide it over my head because its much quicker/easier to get in and out dozens of times a night delivering pizza without waiting for the belt to slide

[Oren09]

I always use the lap belt.
I was born and raised in Texas and this place its like a Nazi regime about seatbelts.
I feel awkward without a belt on- even just to move cars around the driveway or to go across a parking lot.

My passengers however.. they get freaked by the "choke" belt and never realize there's a lap belt.

Do 93 Stivas still have the bolt holes for manual seat belts? I've thought about changing but they're all tan and I kinda think the autobelts are part of the quirky character of the car.

[hamburglar]

it is there for a reason.
I've heard in an accident if you don't use your lap belt then your pelvic area can slam into the bottom part of the steering wheel and basically shove your guts into your rib cage.
I always wear a seatbelt. They have saved me in a few accidents.

[200KGPGTP]

You'll be worse off that way than not having it on, iirc

[GenevaDirt]

I freakin' hate the shoulder belts - any car. I had a 1996 Escort (all black, of couse!) that had the automatic, slide around the window shoulder belts.
Ahhh...! I activated them to the back position, pulled the seat belt fuse to inactivate them, and never used them again.
Now, if a cop does not see a shoulder belt, its pull over time.
I dont mind the lap belts so much.
I did always wear them when I was 4X4'ing in the Bronco!
It is a lot nicer, being able to stay in your seat, when your truck is bouncing like a bronco!

Edit> Hey, what do you all think of putting the shoulder belt, under your left arm, instead of over the shoulder?
I do this sometimes, when I wear seat belts. Am I to be squeezed in some weird way if in an accident?

YUP!! you are

[drddan]

I freakin' hate the shoulder belts - any car. I had a 1996 Escort (all black, of couse!) that had the automatic, slide around the window shoulder belts.
Ahhh...! I activated them to the back position, pulled the seat belt fuse to inactivate them, and never used them again.
Now, if a cop does not see a shoulder belt, its pull over time.
I dont mind the lap belts so much.
I did always wear them when I was 4X4'ing in the Bronco!
It is a lot nicer, being able to stay in your seat, when your truck is bouncing like a bronco!

Edit> Hey, what do you all think of putting the shoulder belt, under your left arm, instead of over the shoulder?
I do this sometimes, when I wear seat belts. Am I to be squeezed in some weird way if in an accident?

[GenevaDirt]

I use both, though my auto belts dont move anymore. Pain in the butt having to undo the auto belts everytime getting in and out.

takes a couple seconds to latch it....Use mine that way....the track is messed up and it would only move about half way. So I disconnected the control and just use them manually. Not a big hassle.

[neanderpaul]

Unless you're huge you can duck under the belt. If both belts are out it is like the seatbelt control module under the drivers seat.