visa versa?

after 23 years (wow... that long? i remember driving her off the dealers lot with 46 miles on the odo...) my driver's side front seat seatbelt is well... used.

meanwhile, the passenger side is almost new.

so, is there anything from preventing me from swapping it over? i mean this is the most important safety feature i use in the truck daily...

i dont wanna find out that the seatbelt only works one way...

thanks.

btw, anyone know who sells a NEW (or like new) one? in tan/brown color?

 

They can't be swapped. The mechanism that locks the belt from extending under rapid deceleration only works when mounted in the correct orientation. If you swap them, they won't do anything in an accident.

 

I'm pretty sure that the belt itself, once removed from the mechanism, is the same on both sides. But as arlindsay1992 says, don't just move the mechanism from side to side.

Know someone with a sewing machine? You can make a replacement belt in about an hour, and once you see how well it works (retracts) you'll make one for the passenger side too. The belting material is easy to get (try a back-packing store if your sewing supply place doesn't have it), but you might have to settle for black.

Carefully take the old belt apart and just match it. You won't be able to make the long stitches used in the original, but you can get the nylon thread to match, and it will be fine. Plus, you'll learn that the belt has an energy absorption feature; it's folded back on itself and lightly stitched, so that in a real wallop the stitches pull out as the belt unfolds.

Good luck!