W123 seatbelts: 1985 vs. 1983

[mrdjsk]

Did the seatbelts change between those two years? I have a 1983 300D with distinctly larger endpieces than the parts I just received from a 1985 parts car. The 1985 parts have W126 part numbers on them, at least on the seatbelts for the front. Is that normal?

[JWJ]

Mine are different too. I have an '83 and '85.

[winmutt]

They certainly are diff. starting 84. I believe they are 201/124 compatible as well.

[DeliveryValve]

Originally Posted by winmutt

They certainly are diff. starting 84. I believe they are 201/124 compatible as well.

Actually, they changed over mid-'83 model year.

[vstech]

is that mid 83 calender year, or model year? because most cars built after August, are the following model year...

[mrdjsk]

So what other years have the same seatbelts as my early 1983 300D? I'd like to know which year parts cars to keep an eye out for.

Thanks for your insight into this.

[DeliveryValve]

Originally Posted by vstech;1922594[B

]is that mid 83 calender year, or model year?[/B] because most cars built after August, are the following model year...

Model year. There are two different seat belt types during that year.

[rkohut]

I've recently tried to make sense of the 82-85 300D seatbelts and made up this little JPG file. Hope these help.

Here are bigger shots

Front
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w237/rkohut/Seatbelts-Front.jpg
Back
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w237/rkohut/Seatbelts-Back.jpg

[Johnson Chan]

Originally Posted by winmutt

They certainly are diff. starting 84. I believe they are 201/124 compatible as well.

Yep, the backseat seatbelts are the same for 83.5-85 w123/w201. The fronts are too kind sometimes depending on the w201. The 86 and up 190e's with airbags dont work if my memory is correct, but the 84-85 work.

Not sure about the older styles, does anybody have a w115/w116 to compare? Those are getting hard to find at the junkyards these days (at least here).

[Lycoming-8]

The W115's are a totally different style. The brand name used on the 115's was Kangol, and their two parts were hooked together kinda like two hands after the fingers have been curled. There is also a small magnet to keep things aligned I believe. Unlike the 123's, there is no release button as such. To open the Kangol, one half of the unit is levered away from the other mating part. Quite different.

[mrdjsk]

Didn't they dump the magnetic Kangols by the time the later-style 114/115s with the big bumpers came out? I seem to recall a more modern belt in my former 1975 240D.