Main.TrailIndexPage | Interior | Seatbelts
Seatbelts
This component is part of Interior.
Definition
Define the component. Include, if known, the german language word for the component, as well as the English or American equivalent. Show a picture, a diagram.
- Its technical name & common name(s)
- part # - start year & end year
- which area it belongs to - engine, transmission, body, injection etc, link back to the relevant section
- Kangol Seatbelts
Function
Describe, in general terms the function of this component. Meaning what is it there for and what role it plays. Describe how it works, the inside mechanism. Use diagrams to explain.
Kangol Seatbelts
The standard brand of seatbelts for the Pagoda.
I'm not sure who attached the above picture but it's great. I'll be attaching others, including various images of different Kangol configurations, hardware variations, belt fabric variations, and images of installation instructions for various applications.
From what I have learned, there is the misconception that there is an exact correct Kangol configuration. I can prove rather well that there are variations in the Kangol product line such that there is really no one correct configuration.
Outline of things to come:
1. History of Kangol seatbelts in Mercedes cars, where the 113 fits into this.
2. Different model numbers for Kangol belts and the application to which the model applies
3. Parts description for all Kangol belts and parts used in Mercedes cars with an emphasis on the 113.
4. Varioations in belt hangers
5. Variations in logos
6. Variations in labels
7. Variations in buckle style
8. Variations in J-hook style - early vs. late
9. Variations in stiching pattern - changeover between October 1969 and September 1970.
10. Variations in the belt fabric itself
11. NOS Belts and NOS installation kits - separate items
12. Interesting installations of Kangol belts in non-Mercedes cars
Maintenance
Describe common maintenance procedures, and common faults that may occur. Describe how these may be diagnosed and resolved. Again, include diagrams, photographs and explanations. Where possible, include measures, tolerances, weights etc.
- Symptoms when it faults
- How to test if it is faulty - what tools to use
- How to fix / change
- Mercedes Works Instructions for installation of retractable seatbelts Attach:SeatBeltInstallation.pdf (Note: 7.2MB)
Mercedes developed a retrofit for the retractable seatbelts in the W113. It is "Works Instructions" dated May 1989, Group 91, Number 232, titled "Subsequent Installation of Automatic Locking Retractors Front Seat Belts Model 113". See above.
It is 7 pages, and lists part numbers. Several people have done the retrofit and are very happy. The instructions are from Mercedes using all Mercedes parts. In particular, the seat belts come out of a W114 chassis. The instruction picture shows a floor-mounted retractor held by bolts.
The bit of welding comes when you have to access an area to attach the upper point of the retractable shoulder belt. You are told to cut a flap so you can get in behind some sheetmetal, then weld the flap closed. No other welding (unless you have the jump seat). If anyone wants to have their original seat belts reworked and rewebbed, a company called Ssnake Oyl in East Texas has been rebuilding seat belts for years. They know the kangols very well and can fix them up. So do not throw away your old original seat belts.
Link to related components where appropriate.
Old Yahoo content
The following is the content from the old Yahoo documents on the site. It needs to be structured and edited in the correct sections of the entire document. After moving particular content to its correct place in the manual, please delete it here.
My euro car wasn't delivered with seatbelts, so I need a little insight from the group ... did W113 cars only come with kangol "lap belts" or did they ever come with the later style belt that also drapes across your shoulder? Also, were there differences in European vs. US cars in terms of types of seatbelts?
I have a 1964 230 SL, purchased in Germany in 1973 from the original owner, euro spec. It has a shoulder-type belt.
My 1970 280 SL had the US-spec shoulder belts, but I decided to undertake the project of replacing them with later style retractable belts. It is a big project, but I couldn't be happier with the results. No more having to unfasten the belt to change the volume on the stereo! I am happy to detail the information and part numbers for the conversion (welding is required!).
My 66 230 SL had a nonretractable seatbelt/lapbelt installed. I assume it was original equipment since the Mercedes logo was on the belt latch.
Odd that the welding is at the upper point. I believe that there is a pre-threaded hole already in the chassis for a bracket that lets the shoulder belt go through and down to the retractor. I can feel a circular hole beneath the leather in the small triangular area behind the seat, right below the big chrome cap for the soft top hinge. This may have been the anchor for the old non-retractable shoulder belt. I would hope that they'd prep all cars for a shoulder belt even though it was just an option.
My 230 SL (1964) has a fixture mounted there, upper level (the pre-threaded hole in the chassis) through which the belt is threaded.
I could not see anything after removing the large chrome cap where the soft top hinge is located. I had to remove the inside trim panel from that area. There is a pre-threaded hole, maybe 12mm in diameter, where a belt bracket would go. I wouldn't see why any welding would happen here. Where on the floor does everything else mount? There's two fixed points for the lap part of the belt and the mounting of the retractable unit.
My '71 has the non-retractable 3-point kind as well. I've seen them sold (with the MB logo) so I don't know when they started installing them - older models may have been retrofitted.
I purchased my kit from Star Quality. It is all Mercedes parts. They DO NOT sell the parts that are listed in the Mercedes Service Bulletin covering the retrofit. They sell the receiver ends out of a 1972 350 SL which work much better than the ones suggested by MB. The suggested receivers have very long necks on them and will cause the belt to buckle right over your belly button.
The 350SL units bolt right into the original holes and work perfectly. They sent the instructions for the retrofit including the cutting and welding of the area around the shoulder attachment. I had no interest in hacking up my car so I flipped the belt feeders upside down and used the original mounting hold from the old belts. The one drawback to this is that the belt wants to flip itself over constantly because it gets fed through at a slight angle.
Once you get used to feeding the belt in and out it's no real trouble. I also deviated from the MB bulletin in the mounting of the retractor and the mounting of the attached end of the lap belt. The interior was completely removed from my car at the time, so I had brackets welded in along the side rail for the mounting of the belt. The bulletin wraps the belt around the rear corner of the seat or feeds it through the crack in the seat. If you have the opportunity, weld in the plate. It makes the install VERY clean and keeps the belt from hanging up on all the seat adjusters.
I mounted the retractor units under the package shelf in the rear and had the upholstery shop trim about a quarter inch off the carpets to allow for belt travel. There is plenty of room without having to trim the wood. The belt just disappears under the rear package shelf. It is very clean and I think it looks exactly the way the factory would have done it originally.
What kind of seat belts did a 1970 280 SL (US Model) have? Were they retractable 3-point belts. Also were they manufactured in the US (kangol) or Mercedes supplied. This is one of the few pieces missing for my restoration.
I believe a US 1970 280 SL would have kangol lap belts, correct? Also, they're not American. Kangol was a british company that, I believe, manufactured magnets. They're now defunct. Chime in here if I've made any errors. Mine is a euro model, so it wasn't even delivered with seatbelts. I have later-style seatbelts that were added a few years after the car was manufactured.
My 1970 280 SL had lapbelts that were original to the car. I removed them and replaced them with retractable belts less than a year ago.
Has anyone rewebbed their Kangol seat belts? If so, who did you use, and how did you like them? How much is that per belt?
Will Samples says: Try Ssnake Oyl at (903) 769-4555.
Achim asks: do they do Unica belts as well? The 230 SL (and perhaps (early) 250 SL) had no Kangols but Unica belts. These older-fashioned shoulder-only belts use a different (mostly grey) fabric than the black Kangols.
Will replies: call them and ask. They are the only people I know doing seat belts from scratch.
I have had 280SL seat belts re-webbed by Buds Benz in Georgia. Excellent work using authentic materials.
There is a threaded bolt hole on all w113 cars for the shoulder belt. It can be felt through the leather/vinyl in the little inverted triangle shaped surface at the top of the "B" pillar. I have an MB document describing the installation of seat belts (don't remember if it specifies retractable), and it shows the dimensions of a steel plate that must be made and inserted behind the location of the threaded hole. This is for added support. You must cut some metal, bend it out of the way, insert this plate, and weld it back together.
I have the MBUSA Service bulletin for putting late seat belts in a W113 series car. There are better fitting seat belts and I've heard that the ones form a 77-80 450SL work well. The ones in the bulletin are from a 74-76 280C.
Try to find a 1968-1971 W108 donor car with the original "Kangol" belts. These are not retractible nor are they inertia belts, but they offer shoulder and lap restraints and are technically correct on SL's from 1968 to end of production. All of the mounting holes are available on your SL, including the one's hidden under the 'B" pillar cover. Later retractibles will probably also work, but you must find a way to hide the mechanisms.
I found the correct seatbeats our of a donor car. Most of the old ones are in pretty bad shape. However, you can send them to Snnake Oyl in Texas and they will rework them to look as good as new. That's what I did and I was very pleased with there work and attention to the orginial look of the Kangol belts. They are good folks to work with as well.
Rodd: I too have no seatbelts in my 230SL. At some point, I would like to install retracting 3-point seatbelts even thought they are not original. Must you mount them right behind the seat track like that? I was hoping they could be mounted below the parcel shelf some how. Is there a flat surface of significant structural material there to mount them to? Also, this would require a slot be made in the parcel shelf for the belt to pass through. Just a thought.
I am not sure but fitting any type of automatic belt is complicated to say the least (see the procedure for yourself) and I decided against it. I will be fitting some older non automatic belts soon. there are attachment points for those in my car and with some bits of metal for brackets, I can make them work nicely without any drilling whatsoever.
Roger Polls: I had NO belts on my car when I bought it (optional in 1966). Nevertheless I started by installing period ones. Not a difficult task, the hardest part was to find original seat-belt points under the carpet-leather(where to screw it). If I recall properly one was next to the base of the soft-top (under the leather, the metal moulding had already a hole drilled for this purpose), one behind the seat on the floor, one on the the floor under the parcel shelf, and one in the transmission tunnel (for which had to move the seat forward as much as I could in order to access it).
Later, I decided to to go for a long road trip, and retractable seemed a must to me (and urgent at that time). Even if they are not MB, they did fit "relatively" easily. The retractable part fits without any other requirement under the parcel shelf, goes then to the soft-top base, and then goes to the transmission tunnel "lock". From below the back of the seat it goes to to the transmission tunnel "lock".
I am no expert on anything that relates to car mechanics, and I was able to do it with simply the new seat-belt instructions and some patience. I did not have to drill or modify anything on the parcel shelf (as far as I remember), since it already had some clearance next to the "wall". I removed the "wall" wich is in fact a metal panel(leahter covered) next to the parcel shelf and had it (myself) cut and bended at the bottom, to accomodate the base of the retractable system (nothing of it visible, since it happens below the parcel shelf top).
It took several hours to put it right, but if I recall properly that was the only mod. Who knows if maybe someone more expert knows how to do without this... It was one of my first DIY things on the 113. It was 100% unguided from any 113 expert. As final result seatbelts fit the car, work, and look original to the non-expert. Nobody has ever mentioned anything bad about them in local classic meetings (Albert do you remember having noticed my seatbelts? your are quite an expert in noticing things (!!!) I would recommend buyihng MB seat-belts or OEM MB replica, since they have a chrome finish instead of being black. Maybe in some years time I will change them again.
Bernt: I would like to know where you found the seatbelt points for the old seatbelts. I only have 2 points that I can locate at this stage. One is near the door in the leather panel and the other is next to the tunnel but into the panel behing the tunnel. I can't find the 3rd point near the outside or behing the seat on the floor. I was going to use the seat mounting strut as the 3rd point.
I believe the third hole is on the rear sheet metal panel that rises up to the bench in the rear. Near the bottom in the corner under the carpet. I would take an icepick or a heavy needle and poke through the carpet till you find it.
My '65 230 SL has three-point, retractable seat belts - installed by the PO. The retractable spool is under the parcel shelf with the belt rising straight up to a slotted guide, mounted at a point right under the chrome cap (at the edge of the soft top boot). The receptacle is located on the tunnel as others have described. If there is interest, I can take a few shots of the assembly and send them out later tonight after I get home. Maybe someone can tell me if they recognize the Mfg or what model car they are from - they fit wonderfully.
Richard Madison: Did 280SL's (71) come with retracting seat belts? Was this an option? I have original three point Kangol belts but they don't retract and I don't have the little box on the floor shown in the pix of the previous message.
Doug: the magnetic, non-retractable kangols are original for a US-spec car, but there was a factory upgrade some years later that used a later-style retractable kangol. Anyone with the retractable kangols upgraded at some point.
Achim: Seat belts at that time were quite uncommon in Germany & Europe and I have seen only a few originals in 230ies so far. In Germany these were the already mentioned UNICA two point shoulder belts. Even our 190Db W110 which we had in those years had this kind of belts. However, I believe that the US-export version was fitted with different belts.
Most likely the US requirements were different in those years from the German ones. This also explains that my Euro 230 SL which lived long in the Seattle area had aftermarket two-point lap belts. Unfortunately it is very difficult to keep track of all these small but interesting differences (US vs. Europe) and special equipment with our old Mercedes cars as these special items are not specified in the spare part lists.
For these the dealers had (and still should have) special equipment lists. The 230 SL spare part list does not list any extras other than hardtop, power steering and automatic transmission; the W113 spare part list (= 250 + 280 SL) has at least a couple of pages where all the SA numbers (Sonderausstattungen, special equipment) are listed - also for the different countries. Very interesting story indeed... Happy buckling-up.
In a quest for originality, I initially installed Kangol belts on my 230SL, but after a few months determined that they were more trouble than they are worth. They allow little movement flexibility and tend to flop around in the car. My restorer advised following the more complex Mercedes recommended solution, which is about 90% OK.
The retractor lies underneath the wooden parcel shelf, which requires some rework to make it slide in and out properly. The real trick is the upper guide loop, which I chose to mount on the existing 45-deg hole in the B-pillar, although the Mercedes recommendation puts it a bit higher. Those with headreasts can use a nice additional belt guide recently described in the German Pagoda club magazine.
About the only problem with this installation is that the belt loop does not swivel with the movement of the belt (as in modern cars), so the belt tends to "roll over" on itself during extension and retraction. I'm all for orginality, but I would choose the "wrong" more modern solution over the Kangol belts any day.
When I put my seat belts in a few years ago, I went for adding the upper anchor next to the Chrome top plate. I took great care to make the rounded notch in the ower edge of the chrome fit the upper edge of the upper loop. I'm 6 ft 1 and I'm glad I raised this connection. I too had the problem with belt turnover , causing the belt to stick in the loop. However the fix was simple.
I removed the chrome and angling the top loop until it no longer tried to roll over at the corner. Previously I had the slot horizontal. I ended up with the loop at about a 30 degree angle. I then had to widen the notch at the bottom of the chrome cover, but no more belt sticking.
