Oddball

My 4th gen seatbelts arrived in the mail today. The front female ends have an "L" bend as if they bolt to the floor. My 86 IROC's seatbelts bolt to the vertical member next to the sear under the center console. Articles here say they bolt right in. Is there a hole in my floor I didn't know about?

pizza_guy

Those belts are next on my list, and this has me a little worried.
You said from the mail...a reputable source??

Surly someone can chime in here.

NEEDforSPEED

i dont know about you but i swap, all the 3rdgen belts etc. and seats to 4thegen, no prob

astoria18

I know they have an L shaped foot, but I just went ahead and mounted them like that to the holes for the thirdgen belts. With the seat in, they'll sit straight up. Works fine for me.

Also, if you're doing the shoulder belts for the rear seats, they don't bolt right in either. You'll have to modify the bracket where the mounting tab on the bottom of the retractor is supposed to go.

Oddball

Update:

I just installed the 4th gen buckles (female end). They do fit, the metal inserts do sit flush with the chassis. It is just the plastic cover that does not have a perfect angle to the chassis. I didn't reralize it but the 3rg gen buckles do have an angle, just not as sharp as the 4th gen. Since the seat covers the base of the buckle it is not a big deal.

-Oddball

firebirdjosh

iTrader: (1)

I was going to say you must be doing something different from the rest of us 4th gen belt swappers. How do you like them? I'm SO glad I swapped when I wrecked my old bird, I have a feeling it kept me from getting really hurt. The car was totalled and I didn't have a single scratch on me.

Oddball

What I did was simple:

1. Opened the box.
2. Noticed the seat belts have the "L" bend at the base.
3. Said "Oh *fecal matter*".
4. Posted here before installing them.

While it looks like it won't fit it does. I was getting scarred driving as I'd be cruising along and the belts would *pop* out for no reason. It got to a point I have left the car parked for a few weeks regardless of the weather.

This fall, I'll try adding the rear shoulder belt in if possible. Right now I only have lap belts.

Electron_Blue

look under the L bracket, there is a torx bolt. Take off the L bracket. The mounting piece plastic for the 4th gen may need to be slightly modified to allow the metal mounting point to sit right but its hidden by carpet and pretty simple to figure out what to do.

astoria18

I did the same thing, and I just said, screw it, let's bolt them in and see if it works out. You've actually got to do a small amount of cutting to get the rear shoulder belts to work, but the front ones were no big deal, it just looks like they won't work.

I love the 4th gen belts. It adds a little to make the car feel more modern, and they work a million times better than the thirdgen belts. And you don't have to deal with that stupid retractor that's down on the floor next to your seat.