Seat belt replacement quandaries

[1994Diesel]

I am helping a friend replace the front drivers side and passenger side seat belts on her 2001 crew cab F-250 7.3L.

I just discovered that the seat belts that I grabbed off of a 99 single cab F-250 from the junk yard are not the same at all as the 2001s. The metal backing brackets are different and the 2001s has wires running to it. (what for anyways?)

Should I cut slots in the pillar to install the different seat belt re-tractor or cut off the tabs on the bracket and bolt it in.

My better half tells me to bite the bullet and tell her to buy new oem belts.

Also, If anyone knows, what is the ford part number for the seat belt re-tractor on a 2001 f250? I far from my friends house and forgot to write down the ford part #.

Thanks a bunch in advance guys.

 

[sassyrel]

go to www.car-part.com and see if you can find some right ones on there..

 

[94f450sd]

Do not modify seat belts in any way! Get the right ones.

 

[1994Diesel]

Thanks for the advice guys.

We ended up biting the bullet and are going through the stealership. Not my first choice but its what she wants to do.

 

[mkeith54]

Never, never ever use used seat belts. They are a one time use item. They have engineered to last for one crash only and you can't tell by looking at them if they have be used in an impact. The webbing will fail after it has been stressed and the results aren't pretty. At one time the Feds prohibited JY's from selling used belts because people were retrofitting them into older cars and people were getting hurt or killed because they failed. Of course that's been 30 or so years ago so the yards may think that they can get away with again.