Crappy Product? from Seatbelt Solutions

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RogerRamRod

The Older I Get, The Faster I Was
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I purchased the 3 point seatbelt conversion set for my 68, wanting some semblance of safety, (not dry rotted and with proper shoulder restraint) I sent the following to Year One. (Seatbelt Solutions of Jupiter Fl. is the manufacturer) With YearOne saying they get no response from SS, I am now contacting them as well.

“April of 2021 I ordered seat belt set MN725BLKU from you. After delays because of family medical issues and engine problems, I am finally able to continue work on my project. I installed the drivers side seat belt yesterday. For an aftermarket product, it looks and fits pretty good. Please tell me there is a way to adjust belt tension for retact though. That part of it sucks. I can get the belt to finish retracting only if I hold it just right and feed it in. There is enough room on the spool, and it does go in if you fiddle with it, but I certainly don't want to go through that every time I get out of the car.”

Now, I do realize this IS a 2 year old purchase, but on their website, they boast about being OEM quality, American
Made product, and they came about because the owner had a classic car blah, blah, blah….
I included a video where you can plainly tell this is an unfinished project ( I haven’t been driving around using the product for all this time). And, EVEN IF I had, I would expect a least a decade of usage out of an OEM quality set of seatbelts.

I’ll update when (or if) I hear back from the manufacturer.
 
I have same 2020 seatbelts with the same problem, return spring not strong enough. Seatbelt Solutions wanted me to uninstall them and send them back for examination. I decided to keep them.

Christian,

Were you able to view the 2 videos and photos I sent you?



As you can see in the first video, the seatbelt material and buckle is too heavy to make it over the hanger and back to the retractor without my help. The second video shows me supporting the weight of the seatbelt and buckle and it does return to the retractor.



The belts are still installed. I have found that if I line up the driver side retractor perfectly at a right angle to the seatbelt coming out (so it doesn’t rub on the sides of the housing), the spring does have enough strength to retract when I move forward in the car toward the dashboard. I installed a washer on the bolt to keep the retractor in this position. This is the most important part to keep me from hitting my head on the steering wheel and windshield in a crash. I still have to help the seatbelt back into the retractor when I unbuckle myself. Same for the passenger side.



Thanks,

Dave
 
Actually got a reply from Year One today. They say no response from the manufacturer, but he is going to try to talk to his management about getting a replacement.
Update to follow
 
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I don't think there is anything you can do with them. They have way to much belt in them and not enough tension to return. I stopped using them and went with these guys. Aftermarket & Replacement Seat Belts | SeatbeltPlanet.com™ They are better but still not much. I really don't know why they can't just tighten the return spring a little bit more when they make the things.
 
I don't think there is anything you can do with them. They have way to much belt in them and not enough tension to return. I stopped using them and went with these guys. Aftermarket & Replacement Seat Belts | SeatbeltPlanet.com™ They are better but still not much. I really don't know why they can't just tighten the return spring a little bit more when they make the things.
which exact one did you go with there are many different styles to choose from . i'm interested in some for a 70 duster bucket seats three point .
 
I also have seatbeltplanet belts and I have to feed them in to get them tight. I wish there was a spring adjustment that can be done to get them to retract easier.

Otherwise, it's great to have three points without the original setup.
 
I also have seatbeltplanet belts and I have to feed them in to get them tight. I wish there was a spring adjustment that can be done to get them to retract easier.
Me too. But only the drivers side. Right side is better. It's almost like there is too much belt or the spring needs to be tighter. Still so much better than the factory set up for sure.
 
I've been looking just this past week for replacement belts for my brother-in-laws recently acquired 74 Duster. On this Duster, retracting isn't the problem...extension is. I plan to tear into them this next week to see if I can cure that problem, but on the console side, they are pretty ratty.
 
No comment on the seatbelts, more a comment about the tone of the thread title...

"Crappy Product? From Year-One "

You sound surprised...... Clearly you have a much higher opinion of Year One than I do....

Carry On..... :rofl: :rofl:
 
You sound surprised...... Clearly you have a much higher opinion of Year One than I do.
Year One like ALL suppliers resell products (yes a few make their own parts) and the quality is dependent on the quality control of the supplier.
 
Year One like ALL suppliers resell products (yes a few make their own parts) and the quality is dependent on the quality control of the supplier.
While that is true they also have the freedom to choose the products that they sell... And that choice could/should be based on the best product available....But it isn't....

Story time...

Most (not all) folks who've been a part of the Mopar community for a long time have preferred vendors for certain products.. When that product is body seals & gaskets the finest parts come from Jim Filmore who owns/runs/is Detroit Musclecar Technologies...

Back around 2005 I happened to be talking with Jim & commented to him congratulations on selling his products to Year One.... Well turns out they weren't selling his product, they were selling the same inferior crap they'd been selling for years... But they were using his images & part of his logo.... He'd already been in contact with them & they claimed their supplier had provided the images...

He had tried pitching his product to them but they already had a supplier who was cheaper.... Not better... Cheaper...

So yeah, they can only provide what their vendor sells to them but they have the ability to find better vendors... But as usual $$$ Drives the market....
 
Actually got a reply from Year One today. They say no response from the manufacturer, but he is going to try to talk to his management about getting a replacement.
Update to follow
This helps: I have found that if I line up the driver side retractor perfectly at a right angle to the seatbelt coming out it works better.
 
So yeah, they can only provide what their vendor sells to them but they have the ability to find better vendors... But as usual $$$ Drives the market....
I agree that the sellers should do their own quality control, but we the buyers also have to demand they provide quality parts. We have to ***** and moan and point out the flaws, BUT that too has issue as then the sellers will just stop selling an inferior product and there will be no product at all for many parts.

I for one would rather pay a bit more to get a restoration part that is built like the original than a part the kind of looks like the original.
 
I agree with what you are saying but this is not a "restoration part" it is really a modified to fit part for a car that never can with it.
 
I don't think there is anything you can do with them. They have way to much belt in them and not enough tension to return. I stopped using them and went with these guys. Aftermarket & Replacement Seat Belts | SeatbeltPlanet.com™ They are better but still not much. I really don't know why they can't just tighten the return spring a little bit more when they make the things.
They are the exact same seatbelts.

Seat Belts Plus.jpg


Seat Belt Planet.jpg
 
I've been looking just this past week for replacement belts for my brother-in-laws recently acquired 74 Duster. On this Duster, retracting isn't the problem...extension is. I plan to tear into them this next week to see if I can cure that problem, but on the console side, they are pretty ratty.
Are those the 3-point belts with 2 retractors?
 
This helps: I have found that if I line up the driver side retractor perfectly at a right angle to the seatbelt coming out it works better.
This is true and I have found that if you do not pull them out too fast to put them on they will follow back nicely. The ones I posted work OK. I do not know who makes any of them. Just saying what I have. I can tell you they are much better than to OEM ones that no one ever put on though. Plus the ones you show do not look anything like the ones I got. So I do not think they are the same company. If they are then they have changed they way they make them. I still like them much better than the OEM belts.
 
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Are those the 3-point belts with 2 retractors?
Yes. And both the retractors hang up when try to pull the belts out to buckle yourself in. You have to pull them out slowly and as evenly as you can farther than you think you need, then try to get it buckled. If you stop short pulling them out, good luck getting it started again. You then have to let it retract at least most of the way in and try again. It's like this on driver's side and passenger side.
 
Yes. And both the retractors hang up when try to pull the belts out to buckle yourself in. You have to pull them out slowly and as evenly as you can farther than you think you need, then try to get it buckled. If you stop short pulling them out, good luck getting it started again. You then have to let it retract at least most of the way in and try again. It's like this on driver's side and passenger side.
So...they lock when pulled out? Because that's the opposite of what I want.
 
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Yep. I assume they are the factory seatbelts. I mean they don't look like they've been replaced in the last 30 years at least.
 
I took my seat belts apart and turned the spool a few extra turns to increase spring tension and then reattached belt to the spool.
 
OK, out of the box thinking...what about F-body belts? Didn't those use the modern single retractor/sliding buckle design?
 
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