back seat belt retractor in TD not same as D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vstech · #1 12-04-2006, 12:49 PM

I pulled out the damaged retractor from my TD, and thought I would swap it out from my sedan... nope. they are mounted 180 from each other... retractor in D only has hole, retractor in TD has nut welded on it. it did fit in, but it would not work... I guess I gotta get one from a dealer, or tear into my TD parts car... dang it. anybody got a good source for a rear retractor for a wagon?
John.

Bruce Kennedy · #2 12-04-2006, 03:38 PM

Isnt that what a parts car is for? I need a seat belt for the rear passenger in my 85 td if you have another one you want to sell. I called most of the local junk yards but unfortantely most of these cars get crushed as soon as the come in. I would love to have a td parts car but if I buy another mercedes I'll be sleeping in the doghouse.

85 300td
85 300d
84 300sd
83 300d
81 240d

riethoven · #3 12-04-2006, 04:16 PM

I didn't know that the TD and D W123 rear belts were different. The middle and rear seatbelts in the TD are very close and the center one can be modified by grinding the mounting plate that bolts to the floor pan and it will work. It should also work vice-versa. Ask me how I know about this.

From playing aroung with these belts, I can also have the entire rear end of a W123 wagon apart in about 30 mins.

The detent that is inside the seatbelt only works if the belt is at exactly the correct angle. If it is not, it will not pull out of the real. On the W123 wagon, the middle and rear seats share the same angle and housing as each other.

vstech · #4 12-04-2006, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Kennedy

Isnt that what a parts car is for? I need a seat belt for the rear passenger in my 85 td if you have another one you want to sell. I called most of the local junk yards but unfortantely most of these cars get crushed as soon as the come in. I would love to have a td parts car but if I buy another mercedes I'll be sleeping in the doghouse.

Yeah, but it's an almost pristine parts car... kinda wanted to save it for the absolute last resort. the D parts car is a total rust bucket. amazing what condition the TD parts car is in really, about 110K miles on it, hardly any rust, all glass intact. regulators totaled, motor not running heat totally disassembled. Who knows... I may move it into the shop and begin repair on it, and turn the 79 into a parts car...
John

dieseldiehard · #5 12-04-2006, 11:41 PM

There is one thing, when it comes to swapping seat belts (or other parts also) that you will run into if you haven't already and that is the fact that over the years srs made significant changes in the way the belts engage in the receptacles.
I learned this the hard way after I swapped some new seats into my car. I bought some pristine seats from an '82 300D to replace some in a '83 which had some worn spots. After I put them in I discovered the belt ends did not fit into the receptacles on the seats! I mean not even a little, they wouldn't fit AT ALL! So I had to remove the front seats to fit the old receptacles, they are on a long stalk that slides back and forth as the seat moves that a ways. Nothing is worse than being real tired after a lot of wasted effort to find it has to be done all over again!