Hi guys! I'm taking apart the interior of my 72 Cutlass and have run into a few problems.

I'll start with the one that's actually perplexing me most. I'm trying to remove the headlamp switch to eventually get off the dash. I've taken out the clusters, and according to the chassis manual (which I learned existed thanks to this forum) I just depress some spring and I should be able to pull the **** off the nut. However, the diagram they give shows no spring at all, and feeling and looking at the headlamp housing I see nothing that I can 'depress' to get this **** off. I'm sure people have done this before, and know what I am talking about.

Much less frustrating, for now, is how to get the seatbelts out of the car. It looks like some star-headed tool is used to detach the belts from the floorpan. Is this one of those special-GM tools, or can I use a star-shaped bit with a drill to maybe try to work them out slowly? I haven't spent much time on this, but I figured before I spent hours of work trying to figure this out, I'd ask the experts (a quick search on the forum didn't turn anything up for me).

Thanks!

 

Here are a couple pictures of the headlamp switch out of my 70 Cutlass S (I think it's the same as a 72). That button is on the inboard side of the switch. There wasn't enough room to get my finger in there, I had to use the flat side of a screwdriver and push fairly hard to release the lever.

 

I believe you need a torx bit for the seat belt bolts. If I remember correctly it is a #45

 

That's an awesome pic Oskar!

I just went through the pain of replacing that switch myself Jimmy. Not much fun - https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...h-removal.html

Make sure the battery is disconnected, and use a screwdriver to get at the lil button. My hands are not the biggest, and I could not get at the button either.

The screwdriver worked fine. Pull the vent, and put the screwdriver through there. I found one of those flashlights you wear on your head to be very effective on this procedure.

Good Luck!

 

Yes, it is a torx bit, which you can get at any hardware store. But seatbelt bolts can be VERY hard to loosen, in my experience, and I'm sure that's by design as the manufacturers did not want people removing them. They never considered the needs of people who might one day want to restore the car. I've occasionally had to resort to an impact wrench, but this was on my '67 Delta, which had standard hex heads.

 

They've got some sort of a goo on them that makes them hard to turn in or out right up until the end, but they DO come out.

- Eric

 

Thanks to everyone who replied! Especially thanks to O's Car for the picture; All the pictures of this thing that I looked had no spring anywhere. My72vert, thanks for helping me out with the tool identification, I'm going to go down to the store today and give it a shot.

 

Wow, that makes me want to do this a little less! Though I don't anticipate the electrical problems you ran into, it certainly seems like GM really didn't want this piece coming out!

 

But seatbelt bolts can be VERY hard to loosen, in my experience, and I'm sure that's by design

The bolts have a type of thread locker on them and as Jaunty said can be a pain to remove. Back then torx bits were hardly ever used and not a lot of people even knew what they were. I think they did this to discourage removing the seat belts. They feel like their cross threaded when your backing them out but they do come out fine.

 

I think the threadlocker was largely a safety issue. GM didn't want a lawsuit from a bolt backing out and the person not being protected by the seat belt in a collision. The Torx setup is strong, you can use a lot of torque without it stripping out, and leaves the head smooth and round. The hex head seat belt bolt has a shallow head, easy to round off. I use a 6-point socket on them after grinding down the chamferred end of the socket so I get full "bite" on the bolt head. Since my car won't go 100,000 miles before replacing the belts again (every 2 years is mandated by NHRA and IHRA), I grease them and just tighten them a bit past snug.

 

I manged to get the headlamp switch out today, thanks to all the tips, tricks, and pictures on this board. I actually went up through the bottom to get to the spring/button thing, I couldn't find any angle through the space where the gas gauge used to be. A flathead and a lot of tries later, it finally came out.

I used the method Rob mentioned in supreme71s thread to get that stupid nut that you are supposed to need tool BT-6910 for. GM really wanted to sell stuff to mechanics I guess..cause what a pain that was with two tiny screwdrivers.

 

Congratulations Jimmy!

 

These are on my '67 Delta, and I suspect that they were deliberately rounded off and for all the same reasons...to make it difficult to remove them.

I needed to remove all four rear bolts on my car because a prior owner had simply snipped the original seatbelts out. Three I could get out with an impact wrench. The fourth was hopeless and had to be drilled out. Now THAT was fun.