Factory 3 point seat belt harness.

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shotrod69

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I have an ‘87 suburban with factory 3 point retractable seatbelts. I’m trying to either replace the whole unit or replace the retractor. I have tried to look for replacements but I can only find lap belts and 3 point conversion belts.

Both front seats have various issues locking up.
 

Hunter79764

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fast 99

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Usually retractor issues are just dirt, coffee or soda spilled inside. They are overbuilt for obvious reasons.
 

shotrod69

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shotrod69

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Usually retractor issues are just dirt, coffee or soda spilled inside. They are overbuilt for obvious reasons.
Do you have a recommendation on how to clean them? I took them apart and cleaned/lubed them. It helped for about 2 weeks.

My seatbelt being messed up doesn’t bother me to much. However the passenger seat being messed up scares me a lot.
 

Turbo4whl

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The seat belts in the later squares are the GM type B buckles. They can and have failed on impact. GM used so many of these buckles through those years on all models, a recall would have put them out of business.

Was cheaper for them to payout the legal claims. Me, I did not worry about the belts. You want the security for your passengers, buy quality aftermarket seat belts. Even if you fix the retractors, you still have the possibility of a buckle failure.
 

fast 99

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I tried an aftermarket belt set. With carpet thickness was going to require rework of mounting hole. They might fit ok without carpet don't know. Elected to rebuild/restore original set [with new buckles] was expensive.

Did not know GM had issues with buckles. Seems like such a simple item to correctly design, guess it isn't.
 

Broken85

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If you reupholstered the interior, don’t be a victim of the “plush monster”. There is a pendulum it the seatbelt ratchet system that needs to move freely. When inertia moves it forward, it locks up the ratchet for safety. New carpet will also encroach on the weak plastic casing and bind the pendulum making you think your seatbelt is nonfunctional when it is actually doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. Take the seatbelt harness out and see if it works without being installed in the truck. If it does, there’s something in the environment that you’re installing it in is interfering with its desired function.
 

BobSaintClare

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I have an '85 burb. My driver side was very sticky. I couldn't find any replacement that looked like the original, so I created a Saved Search for seat belts on ebay. I eventually ended-up seeing a fresher assembly showing up - bought for under $100. Took a while though
 

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