I'm replacing the 35 yr old carpeting in my F100 with new, and I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to remove the seatbelts from the floor of the driver-side and the floor of the passenger-side. So far, I've managed to rip all the remains of the old (NASTY) carpet out, but will need to get those belt assemblies up when the new rug goes in.

How do I do remove those? There's a big square nut directly underneath them that appears to be holding them in place -- do I simply loosen that?

Thanks. I'm sure this has been posted somewhere else, many times, but there's thousands of seatbelt topics on this site, which made searching tiresome....

 

I used a 18" breaker bar and i believe its a T50 torx socket. Go down to your auto parts store with the truck and make sure its a T50 torx socket first. Might be a T45, cant remember.

Use as long of a breaker bar as possible, as these bolts were not meant to be removed. Its gonna take some elbow grease to get them out. Also buy a quality socket so that you don't snap the torx bit

And i believe the big square nut on the bottom that you are referring to is actually welded to the body.

 

Yes, the square nut is welded on. Soak those bolts up good with some good penetrating oil for a day or two. ( I use Aerokroil best penetrating oil on the planet) If I remember correctly the Torx bolt head is visible from inside the cab. My 78 has the retractors mounted on the B pillar so I cant look at mine and give you any info.

 

Quick clarification: These bolts you speak of, they're inside the seatbelt assembly, in the plastic shell that the belt rolls in and out of? INSIDE the cab? (sorry, don't know how to better describe that "thing.") Or are they underneath? If the bolt's inside the plastic shell, do i have to pry that loose first?

Thanks for the tips.

 

Yes, If I remember right, the bolts are inside the plastic cover inside the cab. You will have to pry the plastic cover off. I think they came off pretty easily and will slide off the top (towards the buckle end of the belt) I think they were just some tabs molded into the cover that caught holes in the actual retractor assembly. But its been a while since Ive been around one with the floor mounted retractors so I hope I'm remembering how to get them apart correctly. Be sure the plastic is at least at room temp BEFORE you start prying them apart. If you are working outside in the cold you probably run a pretty good chance of breaking them. The plastic will get brittle over time and cold temps wont help your chances of getting them off intact.

 

Good stuff, dudes. 'Preciate it.

Yeah, it's peak cold in Maryland right now. Garage probably hovers around 30 all day long. Maybe I'll run the heat for 5 to 10 minutes or so before working on removing that plastic cover. As with every other part of the truck, it's original merchandise, and so likely to break anyway....

OK, I know what I need to do now. Thanks for the help.