Seat belt lock

[Iz]

Not sure where to put this, but here goes (my cry of desperation)

I've just recently put my 1975 R16TS on the road again, and although it's in good working order, there's still a major portion of hard work remaining in order to get it into somekind of aesthetically appealing condition - interior and exterior both.

One issue that needs immediate attention though, is the lock for the front seat belt on the drivers side (left). The red plastic part (which you push to release the seat belt) has broken off at one end. From what I can tell, this red "thingy" is attached to a horizontal cylinder that in turn locks the seat bealt. When you press it, the cylinder is depressed and the seat belt released. Thus, I can not use that seat belt, which eventually will get me into trouble with the local police, should I decide to go for a drive. Any other suggestions are, of course, welcome as well.

Now, if I could disassemble that lock, I might be able to repair and re-position this broken part, but it has turned out to be impossible to the point of me believing the construction is not meant to be disassemled. At one side there are something similar to two insex screws, but from what I can tell, there's no means by which you can keep them from rotating at both ends while trying to unscrew them. Does anyone know if 1) it is at all possible to disassemble and reassemble these locks, and 2) if so, how?

[r16magnus]

Hi

A lot of stuff which aren't supposed to be repaired can be, if you are a little creative...

I think the seat belt locks are rivetted together.
My suggestion would be to drill out the rivets, repair the thingy inside, and then replace the rivets with some long and thin bolts.

I have done the same thing with the light/horn switch stalk.

[Kees]

I wonder, wouldn't it be easier (and safer) to replace the whole seatbelt?
Don't you have an annual MOT? I think your car will not pass!
In the netherlands, cars build in 1975 must have good seatbelt.

[Iz]

Managed to dissasemble the lock at last. And from what I can tell, the construction shouldn't pass the annual MOT, or whatever name it goes by locally, even if brand new. It is, in short, not safe - or to put it bluntly; nothing short of stupid. I've repaired it though, and it will pass unless the inspector decides to disassemble it to have a very close look. It is, however, by no means less safe than it was when the car rolled off the production line. Which doesn't say much as far as safety is concerned. Guess I'll just have to focus on driving safely

And thanks, Magnus, for your tip. Rivets. Of course. Guess making them resemble screws just was Renaults way of having a bit of fun. Have replaced them now, and will do the same with the lock on the passenger side, which is about to cave in as well from what I can tell from the outside.