Is there a DIY to convert Klippan to retraction. Just purchased an E9 and those Klippan belts are unsightly and unruly?
Well, the Klippan belts are decades old and even though the webbing seem to be quite robust, the reality is that they have been exposed to a lot of UV and ozone and in an accident, could fail to deliver the protection needed. Since they were never designed to retract, there isn't enough belt to make that happen. In addition, retractable belts are thinner so the take up reels aren't huge.
Now, changing the belts to the newer type while retaining the stock attachment and clasp is something I hadn't considered. Belts must be sewn with a robust machine. A quick web search found this DOT requirement: "Seat belts must be sewed with size 138 bonded nylon sewing thread."
Most posters say that a heavy duty sewing machine can do the trick but one poster said he used a heavy duty machine with some non specified nylon thread and the belt sewing failed during a moderate collision.
There are also a number of people who can rebuild belts, but I don't know if that might include modifying the Klippan style to be retracting.
A forum member here does do seat belt work. This was posted a while back:
Fellow Stan Chamallas suggested I post here. I still do the seat belt restorations for your coupe. Contact me if you need new belts at:
al at psych dot duhs dot duke dot edu
thx
al
bluedevils,
Sep 7, 2016
A comment by Stan: Many of us have converted from the OEM 2-piece seat belts to the one piece inertial reel "modern" type made by Al.
They look original and they are much more comfortable than the OEM. Easy installation using the same anchor points and bolts.
