Shoulder Belt Retractor Locked

[James H.]

Looking for assistance on unlocking my 1972 Coupe shoulder harness retractor. It is a restored unit and the components should all be in working order. The driver's side installed without any issues, however when I attempted to pull the belt out of the passenger side retractor while installing it I found it was locked. There was a plastic clip that the restorer installed to hold the belt slightly out of the retractor (probably so it wouldn't lock up with the belt fully retracted!). I removed the clip and gently tried to let the belt retract slightly and unlock it. The retractor would not unlock and now the belt is almost fully retracted on to the reel. The Corvette shop where I purchased them from has no one available on a Saturday to assist me and my project is on hold until I can unlock the retractor. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Kurt G.]

Re: Shoulder Belt Retractor Locked

Something you might try is to grab the buckle end and give it a few short, sharp "pops". Not too hard, and don't let the belt retract any more. I occasionally have the same problem with the shoulder harness straps in the cockpit seats and normally after a few pops they will release. If that doesn't work you should be able to release them by finding the lock arm and releasing it from the cog on the belt spool. It's a centrifugal lock that may take a little work but should release.