Seat belt removal DIY question

[Tomikaze]

So my car is in storage for the long cold winter. About an hour drive away. I want to tackle upgrading the plain black seat belts to some red ones. Might as well do this while the car down. I need to take some tools with me to tackle this. Can anyone tell me what size sockets and other items I should bring to remove the belts?

[stomachbuzz]

Sorry, can't say exact seat belt bolt sizes, but I would assume 17 or 18mm.
But I can say my car-work experiences have greatly improved, and decreased in pain (physical pain, frustration, time lost, etc), when I started carrying around a well-equipped tool bag everywhere I go. All can be had for less than $100 in total.
A small bag, the 16in from Sears is fine. About 20lbs in weight. Throw it in the trunk, or frunk, or crunk, just not drunk.

Simple socket set - 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 mm. Some SAE sizes. All my stuff is 3/8 drive $20 for a metric & SAE set w/ratchet
A metric deep socket set. $10 from Sears
2 good ratchets.
3 extensions - short, medium, long.

A socket torx set - T10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 $10 from Sears
A socket hex set - 3-10 mm I believe. $10 from sears

Some screw drivers.
Pliers.
A few trim removal tools.

Since I started carrying this bag (ironically shortly after I bought my first VAG car), there have been few times I have been unprepared. The one exception I can think of is needing an 8mm triple-square bit to remove the door lock module, but I knew this ahead of time and ordered a whole set for $14 off Amazon.

This is for small projects. All my large projects are now planned ahead of time and I assemble tools prior. 1/2" drive tools, torque wrench, etc.

[NewArt]

The bolt on the rollbar “might” be a 19mm

[MrBen]

As an active investor I don't know how much longer you can count on Sears as a source for quality tools or any tools for that matter. Maybe kobalt, Mac,snapon. Kind of a shame .😖. I have a Craftsman chest of quality tools but times are a changing.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by MrBen

As an active investor I don't know how much longer you can count on Sears as a source for quality tools or any tools for that matter. Maybe kobalt, Mac,snapon. Kind of a shame .. I have a Craftsman chest of quality tools but times are a changing.

I've become a fan of Kobalt tools. For me, they've filled the void left by craftsman, as they represent a similar qualityrice, value- offering.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by MrBen

As an active investor I don't know how much longer you can count on Sears as a source for quality tools or any tools for that matter. Maybe kobalt, Mac,snapon. Kind of a shame .😖. I have a Craftsman chest of quality tools but times are a changing.

Lowes has taken over Craftsman & has them in their stores, they don't stock as much as the big Sears stores did, & I'm not sure if they honour the lifetime warranty.

[Racer Boy]

I believe the bolt on the roll bar is 17 mm. I don't know for sure about the other fasteners involved, but oftentimes the bolts that secure the ends of the seatbelts are Torx, so just be aware that you may need more than the normal socket set to do your project.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by Tomikaze

So my car is in storage for the long cold winter. About an hour drive away. I want to tackle upgrading the plain black seat belts to some red ones. Might as well do this while the car down. I need to take some tools with me to tackle this. Can anyone tell me what size sockets and other items I should bring to remove the belts?

2002 & later vehicle seatbelts are the pretensioner type which use the same explosive fuel as airbags!! Make sure you know how to properly disable them before removal.

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