When I went home last night I inspected the belts carefully. Lo and behold,
there was a wear spot on the belt near one of the mounting brackets. Everyone on
the list was correct who said they wear with time. I could poke my finger
through this spot that had been frayed. Because it was right next to the
mounting bracket and I have too much belt anyway, I stopped at the local shoe
repair shop on the way to work this AM. He cut off about 6" of webbing, refolded
it the way it originally was around the mounting bracket, and used a very heavy
stitching thread and glued and *double-stitched* it in the same pattern as OEM.
Like I said previously, the rest of the webbing is still soft and pliable with
no discernible fade of the fabric (UV damage). The inertia mechanism functions
properly. The only part not fully working is the retracting function. I'm going
to try a lubricant, if that doesn't work it's off to the junkyard to find a nice
strong spring.
I'll keep everyone advised on the progress.
I always buckle-up and wouldn't accept anything less than what I would consider
a safe seatbelt.
Jeff
'73 TR6
Subject: RE: Re[2]: Kango Reflex
Author: "Ackley; Aaron T" <ackleya@hq.7arcom.army.mil> at SMTP
Date: 3/25/98 2:14 AM
Well, as i said, *you* are the one who makes judgements about your
safety...
*i* would replace the webbing, but nothing else unless broken or
otherwise inoperable. The webbing will lose strength just with age,
notwithstanding UV exposure. To be sure, those kind of straps have a
_very_ high tensile strength, but how large a percentage do they lose?
i dunno.
Lubricant in the coiled springs is because they must slide past each
other, over a pretty large cumulative surface area. just try a shot of
WD40 or whatever on one and see what i mean.
Or use dry graphite powder... this is probably the best, but any kind of
lube will do.... but ake sure whatever it is will last (ie not wd40) or
else in a few months they wont retract anymore.
there should be no reason to replace hardware (even mounting bolts)
unless you suspect metal fatigue, if its not bunged up......
jmho!
aaron
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jbonina@nectech.com [SMTP:jbonina@nectech.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 1998 2:08 PM
> To: Ackley; Aaron T; triumphs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re[2]: Kango Reflex
>
> All and Aaron,
>
> The Kangol does have flat springs (2 actually) wound into a coil.
> The
> function of this coiled spring appears to be to rewind or
> retract, the
> belt after it is pulled out beyond the necessary length. The tabs
> on
> the end of the springs are not broken. As far as lubricant goes,
> I'm
> not sure what you are talking about. There appears to be no
> lubricant
> within the coil of spring. What would the purpose be; the coil is
>
> either tightened or loosened. Please explain.
>
> Regarding the webbing, it still appears supple and not much
> different
> in color (sun fade) from the portion of the belt that never sees
> light
> (unless you have a large waistline).
>
> Personally, I'd like to replace the spring(s) and the webbing.
> Everything including the inertia system seems to be working.
>
> However, I may get anal on myself and replace everything,
> including
> the nuts, bolts and washers.
>
> Jeff
> '73 TR6 in Mass.
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> Subject: RE: Kango Reflex
> Author: "Ackley; Aaron T" <ackleya@hq.7arcom.army.mil> at SMTP
> Date: 3/24/98 7:10 PM
>
>
> Well, i may be flamed for this stance but... here goes:
>
> i am not familiar with the internals of the Kangol belts, but i think
> they have a flat spring wound around many many times, into a coil?
> This should be the rewind spring. The rewind spring is functional in
> a
> crash only in that it holds the belt close to the body, for the
> inertia
> mechanism to catch. These kind of springs are very often used in
> recoil
> starters found on chainsaws and the like.... they almost *never* wear
>
> out. Either the tab on the end that hold the prong in place breaks,
> or
> the lubricant goes. I'm betting on the lube in your case. Try lubing
>
> the areas where the spring touches itself.
>
> As you said, the inerta mechanism is very simple, and not prone to
> wear.
> Clean it up and ensure proper function and it should be OK.
>
> The webbing, on the other hand, should certainly be replaced. You can
>
> probably get it locally and do it yourself for a lot cheaper than any
> other option.
>
> Of course, your safety is your concern, and take no unnecessary
> risks.......
>
> aaron ackley
> 72 GT6
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: jbonina@nectech.com [SMTP:jbonina@nectech.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 1998 9:13 AM
> > To: triumphs@autox.team.net; blang@mit.edu
> > Subject: Kango Reflex
> >
> >
> > Latest project: Making sure when I get killed in a crash, my
> body
> >
> > stays strapped to the seat. Yes, I'm trying to make the
> seatbelts
> >
> > functional.
> >
> > The problem is that they won't retract much, just a bit. I took
>
> > the
> > side covers off and amused myself with that darn clever inertia
>
> > system. Pretty cool and simple. Back to the subject: The spring
>
> > that
> > does the recoil seems to have lost it's oomph. What are my
> > options?
> > Find junkyard springs that still have their oomph? Can I find
> new
> >
> > springs to replace them?
> >
> >
> > Last, the brand name on the seatbelt is Kango Reflex. Is this
> OEM
> > or
> > after-market? I don't want to kill myself trying to find
> > "original"
> > after-market replacements.
> >
> >
> > Thanks dudes (and dudettes),
> > Jeff
> > '73 TR6 in Mass.
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