I posted about this a while ago and sort of forgot about it. I want to change the automatic seatbelts in my '91 to manual. Don't really trust those things, it has even tried crushing me a couple of times lol. Some people said in Canada they have the manual belts so I was thinking of trying to buy a pair.

What I want to know is if a mechanic shop would do that sort of this? It is a very important safety item afterall and I have to wonder if an independant shop would even consider taking liability for it. Maybe I should try taking it to Acura? I have concerns about the cost cause as simple as it seems nothing is cheap. But then again I definitely don't want to miss any little thing when it comes to safety like this so a pro would be preferred.

Any ideas?
I am going to try and call up the guy that does maintenance on my car on Monday to see if he can do it. If not then I'll try Acura.

 

I have also considered this mod . . would be interesting to find more info on it . . plus i only live 2 hours from Canada

Check http://www.g2ic.com, i found a couple threads there and they are a great resource for us 2nd gens

 

I doubt any reputable shop would do it, and I can assure you Acura won't do it. The automatic seatbelts were the predecessor to the airbag in that it was the SRS (supplemental restraint system). In current cars the SRS is the airbag, but before cars had airbags, they had automatic seatbelts. Of course this isn't true of all cars because SRS wasn't required, but airbags weren't required when they first came out, either. If you notice, no car has been made w/ both airbags and automatic seatbelts.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Clowdy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have also considered this mod . . would be interesting to find more info on it . . plus i only live 2 hours from Canada

Check http://www.g2ic.com, i found a couple threads there and they are a great resource for us 2nd gens</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah and whats on the other side of the border 2hours away?, you wont find a shop to do it, you B pillar will have to be mangled to get that to work, might as well install a 5 point harness and use back seat belt anchors. still illegal; just about anywhere.

 

If you want it done you're going to have to do it yourself. The automatic seatbelts were mandated by federal law in those years. Cars had to have some sort of passive restraint system. The upper end cars got airbags, ours got motormice seatbelts. Just be glad you don't have the passive belts that came in the 2 door civics and crx's. If you haven't seen it, the seatbelt was mounted in the door. You were supposed to leave it buckled in and when you open the door you can get out without buckling it. The problem was 1) it's stupid, and 2) the tensioners weaken and the buckles get slammed in the door, trim and ruin things.

 

It's not a bolt up operation but is entirely possible. There are many parts needed besides the belts and recevers. pillar panels etc. But the biggest problem is that the usdm cars do not have the correct bolt up point in the b pillar position. I have seen this first hand and what you need to do is mount a bolt in that position and secure it. There are several ways to do it, so I leave that up to your creativity, but the switch is completely possible and has been done before

Schu

 

I didn't know about it being part of the law. I mean, sure, seatbelts obviously but automatic ones since there are no airbags? I don't see how they would be any more safe than your manual belts though. But that is interesting to know.

However, there is a shop, Acura specialized that will do it for about $3-400 labor. They said they have to pull it all apart to get the motorized pieces out. I may just go the 5-point route. In fact I will on the driver side, on the passenger side I may still consider this.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WhitEdRift &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I didn't know about it being part of the law. I mean, sure, seatbelts obviously but automatic ones since there are no airbags? I don't see how they would be any more safe than your manual belts though. But that is interesting to know.

However, there is a shop, Acura specialized that will do it for about $3-400 labor. They said they have to pull it all apart to get the motorized pieces out. I may just go the 5-point route. In fact I will on the driver side, on the passenger side I may still consider this.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You MUST install rollover protection (roll bar or cage) if you install harnesses in the car, otherwise the harnesses will be more dangerous than the seatbelts if the car rolls over.

Harnesses really aren't practical for everyday street use. Hey I lived w/ the motorized belts in my old car for over 5 years, I'm sure you can, too.