In my quest to make my 85 300D look as brand new as possible, I found a couple of seatbelt buckles for my 1985 Mercedes 300D that are in virgin unbroken condition. Unfortunately to mount them I have to cut the stitching on the black webbed belt and resew it with Fishing Line.
However I have heard that this is illegal or unsafe. Would it be safe and/or legal to cut the webbing and resew at the stitched portion at the end of the belt to resinstall a new buckle?
As a matter of fact i have heard that somewhere there is a statute, law or rule that a seatbelt upon being used at some velocity loses its effectiveness and must be replaced because of the stress on the black webbing. I don't know if this is true.
Finally in the various W123 Benzes from 1982 to 1985 that I have encountered at yards, I see several different models/configurations of seatbelts. The most current up to date version has a 6 inch mast, just like a radio antenna mast, and an electric connector. What is the functionality of this mast and connector? Just wondering. Can it be replaced with an 1982 belt which is a simpler version?