Are there electronics involved with the inertia retractor on that year Sebring?
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Upgraded seats for a B Body that turns corners...
- Thread starter Kern Dog
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kellycom
Well-Known Member
My understanding is that the pre-tensioner (holds you back for air bag deployment) is electronic. But it also has the typical inertia clutch to lock the seat belt in place. The seats we're using are manual seats so we didnt have to mess with any electronics or power. We have 2006 300C seats. But they have memory and switches for the adjustable pedals and it was too much of pain to figure out the wiring.
dirtypamopar
Active Member
Kern,
Great looking car and wow talk about clean, love it. Question for you, you mention that you ran KYBs for quite some time but ended up changing them out? I'm asking because that is what came with my 69' when I bought it...they are brand new. However here is my dilemma ....
1. I went out and bought most of the available suspension upgrades because like you, I really want my car to handle well. In order to ensure I didn't throw a bunch of money out the window I tested the setup in my 69' Roadrunner first (tight ratio steering box, sway bars, adjustable control arms) and I love the improvement.
2. Every thread I read online from knowledgeable sources simply trashes the KYBs. I don't want to piss away more money on shocks before I drive the damn car but the reviews I've seen are so bad I'm almost ready to do it now while I have the car in the shop.
Can you share your experience with these things? I know every car is a bit different but you are running a similar setup on the same body style.
Great looking car and wow talk about clean, love it. Question for you, you mention that you ran KYBs for quite some time but ended up changing them out? I'm asking because that is what came with my 69' when I bought it...they are brand new. However here is my dilemma ....
1. I went out and bought most of the available suspension upgrades because like you, I really want my car to handle well. In order to ensure I didn't throw a bunch of money out the window I tested the setup in my 69' Roadrunner first (tight ratio steering box, sway bars, adjustable control arms) and I love the improvement.
2. Every thread I read online from knowledgeable sources simply trashes the KYBs. I don't want to piss away more money on shocks before I drive the damn car but the reviews I've seen are so bad I'm almost ready to do it now while I have the car in the shop.
Can you share your experience with these things? I know every car is a bit different but you are running a similar setup on the same body style.
Burns69RT
Well-Known Member
I've never been a fan of the kyb shocks, if not doing a coil over conversion I would get a set of bilstein shocks for all four corners. You can find them on eBay for $220 for the front pair and $230 for the rear pair. And they are great high quality stiff shocks.
dirtypamopar
Active Member
Totally get why you did it.....but man I'm in love with the look of those 70 seats.
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Sure.
I ran them for years with 1.0 torsion bars and the HD 440/Hemi leaf springs. The car seemed okay but also felt a little harsh on rough roads. I read stuff here and there about different types of shocks and it wasn't until I read a detailed explanation abot the design of the KYBs before I knew why they are not a good shock.
KYBs are a "digressive" design. In short, I understand this to mean that they are harsh in their first few inches of travel, then soften up as they reach the end of their range of operation. Again, driving on bumpy roads they will be stiff, drive on roads with dips and bumps and they will wallow and soften up. This is exactly backwards of what a good shock should do. You want a shock to compliment the spring setup: Soft for small road imperfections but tighten up as the shock travels further. This gives a better ride at the very least. Tires will maintain better contact with the road because they are not skipping over anything, they are following the surface. Turn fast, stop fast, accelerate fast and the much more sophisticated shocks will respond by tightening up on demand.
KYBs are not terrible for street use. They are just not the right choice if you want to have both smooth ride and improved handling. I got mine from Firm Feel Inc in Washington state.
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Thanks. I like the look of a stock 1970 interior too. I just needed more support than they could give. Taking the car out for even a straight line, casual drive is much better now.
X2 on Bilstein.
I have prior experience with KYB's in a coil spring on all 4-corners GM car and they actually felt decent. However, that was a super soft suspension to begin with. My take is that on a torsion bar leaf spring setup like our mopar B-bodies with an inherently stiffer ride to start, the KYB's are too much.
Kern, I like your explanation of the KYB design and functional limitations.
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A friend of mine has these Corbeau VX2000 leather seats in his '68 Barracuda convertible and I've had a few hours of driver's seat time in that car. Those seats are SUPER-DUPER comfortable and supportive. However, they have a somewhat cost prohibitive price tag: $1400-$1600 / pair. I've been dreaming of these in my '68 Satellite ever since though. My hardtop has no b-pillar so I'm trying to decide on seat belt setup/mounting as well as keeping my center fold down buddy-seat before I pull the trigger on new seats.
http://www.amazon.com/Corbeau-VX2000-100-Leather-pairs/dp/B007TYC2S8
Are there any safety concerns to having a retractable seat belt integrated into the seat itself? I imagine the seat back flexes in a collision - is that good or bad? If flexes a little then it could dampen the impact, but if flexes too much it may send you sliding sideways from under the belt or something??
I have prior experience with KYB's in a coil spring on all 4-corners GM car and they actually felt decent. However, that was a super soft suspension to begin with. My take is that on a torsion bar leaf spring setup like our mopar B-bodies with an inherently stiffer ride to start, the KYB's are too much.
Kern, I like your explanation of the KYB design and functional limitations.
- - - Updated - - -
A friend of mine has these Corbeau VX2000 leather seats in his '68 Barracuda convertible and I've had a few hours of driver's seat time in that car. Those seats are SUPER-DUPER comfortable and supportive. However, they have a somewhat cost prohibitive price tag: $1400-$1600 / pair. I've been dreaming of these in my '68 Satellite ever since though. My hardtop has no b-pillar so I'm trying to decide on seat belt setup/mounting as well as keeping my center fold down buddy-seat before I pull the trigger on new seats.
http://www.amazon.com/Corbeau-VX2000-100-Leather-pairs/dp/B007TYC2S8
Are there any safety concerns to having a retractable seat belt integrated into the seat itself? I imagine the seat back flexes in a collision - is that good or bad? If flexes a little then it could dampen the impact, but if flexes too much it may send you sliding sideways from under the belt or something??
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I'd hope that the hinges and frame work of the seats with integrated belts would be more sturdy that others. The Sebring convertible seats have their belts and retractors built into the seat.
Also, It might be wishful thinking but newer car safety being what it is, I'd also expect newer seats to be built with higher crash standards than those our classic cars have.
Also, It might be wishful thinking but newer car safety being what it is, I'd also expect newer seats to be built with higher crash standards than those our classic cars have.
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