seatbelt styles

[nawlins-tim]

I have a question for the guys that have been around g-body's for quite a while. I come to find out that there are at least two styles of seat belts. I really shows on the buckles. One is metal and one is plastic. I bought a set of Bucket seat receivers which are the plastic style buckle. And my car( 80 Malibu wagon ) has the metal style buckles. My problem is the two odd pieces wont lock. Is this a real issue or do you think I have screwed up parts? Any info on the differences in various years of Malibu/Monte seatbelt buckle styles would be a big help.
And anyone with any bucket seat receivers with the metal style buckles that are for sale let me know.

 

[pagrunt]

If I can remember right, the metal are the basic set as the plastic are the deluxe set. Think this was a way to keep them from mixing sets up on the assembly line as told by the parts dept. manager at the old Chevy dealer I worked at in the '90's. But it might just be cause two or more different suppliers. Been fighting similar issues for my dark maple plastic style until I broke down and got a complete set of burgundy belts out of a '86.

 

[nawlins-tim]

Well it looks like I have a set of the "delux" style in Oxblood That I cant use. I'm pretty sure these came out of a mid 80's Monte Carlo. Wish I could trade these for the receivers with the metal buckle.