trev_dl

Does anyone else here own a 1986 or 80s in general model with a blue interior?

I drive a 86 Ninety Eight and was wondering if you run into a seat belt issue what you do for a replacement. So far I have been fortunate in finding parts I need but seat belts seem to be the most elusive.

Has anyone also ever installed options that their car didn't come with? Such as a auto dimming mirror (OEM to car) , or additional power seat?

Right now I am looking for seat belts for the front passenger and driver seats in blue.

Olds64

If you need to replace seatbelts in your car either find a parts car, or get an aftermarket seatbelt. There are aftermarket belts that meet safety standards for on-road use like these:

http://www.seatbeltsplus.com/

https://www.retrobelt.com/

If you find a parts car you can salvage the goodies off of it like the auto dimming mirror and power seats. A wiring diagram is essential for this kind of work though. If you don't have a Factory Service Manual then buy one now!

Rocketguy

The '86 "98" is the second year of the eleventh generation and the belts/retractors were still in the pillar; on the coupes there was one retractor at the sill and one in the ceiling for the shoulder. Starting in '88 the belts were in the door on the sedans except for cars with airbags which had them in the sill/pillar. Both retractors with any setup have to be changed in pairs, if it is the retractor end you're having issues with. You can still find parts in all salvage yards but the window for plentiful parts for these cars is closing fast.

All the time. The most popular is putting a TS gauge cluster in. I thought all '86 "98" cars had power seats, but if yours did not you can ad one easily; just bolt it in and run a power and ground wire. But, the "98" cars had the switch in the door and the "88" cars had the switch on the seat side.

The mirror is very easy too; only three wires. Two if you don't care about it going clear when you put the trans in reverse.

Rocketowner

If you plan on buying your seat belts from a junkyard don't forget to consider both Buick and Cadillac as a possible donor. If I remember correctly ,blue interiors were very popular in Cadillac,because they used blue interior with exterior colors of Blue, Silver,White ,and medium Gray. Good luck, Larry

Rocketguy

Very true of all C and H body cars such as De Ville, Bonneville, Lesabre, Electra, Park Avenue, Eighty Eight and Ninety Eight.

trev_dl

A thank you to all who replied! Rocketguy I plan on private messaging you since you replied to me in another post too.

I did manage to find a tan set for the front seats that came from a cadillac but they were TAN lol. I was told you can dye seat belts a different color but I have so much I want to do that would just yet another project lol.

I did check out the two links that Olds64 had listed and I will have to check them out again later. I didn't see anything that was specific to my car but I think it can work. The seat belts in my car have two retratctors in the front and all the replacement ones I have found from sites like that only have one retractor and the other point is just bolted in. I suppose I could do that. I am doing my best to maintain the original look of the car for the most part but one thing I cannot compromise on is safety.

@ - Rocketguy and Rocketowner - Thanks a lot! I was unaware that I could get some from a Buick donor car or a H body style as well. Will have to do some more research for sure!

Olds64

If you do this make sure you check with a fabric specialty store first to ensure the dye won't bleed off of the seat belts.

My father; Oldsguy, and I dyed a tan leather sport steering wheel black in his 69 Delta 88. Even though the dye was made for leather and we followed the directions meticulously the dye would bleed off all the time on your hands and on your trousers when your rubbed up against the steering wheel getting in and out of the car. It was a mess!

trev_dl

I was concerned about that actually. There is a place here locally that does custom auto interiors and they dye fabrics and leathers. They said they could do seat belts too. I have seen videos on youtube where people have fixed a laggy seat belt by rewinding the retractor further than it was originally and it seems to work. Just unsure about doing something like that.

Would hate to have something dyed to only have it get all over the place! Im sorry to hear that happened to you Olds