Removal of seat-belt warning wiring? ('73 tii)

[Crash513]

Hi everyone:

 

I'm in the process of replacing the carpet as part of the restoration of my 1973 tii.  My car came factory with the "Fasten Seat Belt" warning light pod on the dash (which is still there) and the buzzer to warn passengers to buckle up.  I was planning on pulling out all this wiring and just leaving the wires for the backup light that go under the floorboard and into the shifter.  But my restoration partner (who has restored dozens of 2002's) has suggested we just leave it there and lay the new carpet down over it to avoid creating any problems.  My car has wires that run to both L and R front seats, as well as a set of wires that run toward the back that appear to be intended to connect to the L and R shoulder harnesses on the"B" pillar.  The prior owner disconnected these from their intended connection points when the car was last restored in 1990, but they left the wiring behind at that time. 

 

What experiences have any of you had in disconnecting these wires and pulling them out of the car entirely?  If I want to do this, where should they be disconnected or cut?  Any suggestions on how to best address this are much appreciated.

 

Thanks all,

 

Crash

[Buckeye]

1 hour ago, Crash513 said:

my restoration partner (who has restored dozens of 2002's) has suggested we just leave it there and lay the new carpet down over it to avoid creating any problems. 

 

You have wise restoration partner. I would follow that recommendation if it was me.

 

[PaulTWinterton]

Let me offer you another perspective.  My warning system was removed decades ago, before me and by me when redoing my carpets in the early 90s.  

 

Now my car is back to near 100% stock and I've been thinking that I'd like the entire system to function as it did sans the buzzzzzzz.  That was the nerve-jangling, ear-spliting reason it was discarded in the first place.  

 

What if the buzzzzz was replaced with a chime or a subtle note?  Not only would you be restoring the safety system but you'd also be  upgrading to something that would be an enjoyable conversation piece. 

 

The buzzer module lived directly under the steering column, attached to the lower facia.  Easy to replace or retrofit at will.

 

"Bing-bong - fasten your seatbelts" ?

Edited May 17, 2020 by PaulTWinterton

[Mike Self]

A vote in favor of if not removing all the wiring, at least disconnecting it at its source, and here's why.

 

Some years ago, my 73 kept blowing fuse #11 and for the life of me I couldn't find the culprit.  I disconnected everything on that circuit and still got blown fuses.  Finally in desperation I pulled the fuse box loose to see if there was a short in the box itself.  That was when I found an undocumented (possibly alien?) wire connected to fuse 11--and not in the factory wiring diagram for a US '73.  Turned out to be the seat belt warning circuit, and the culprit turned out to be the sensor in the passenger seat that had shorted out against the seat springs.  I disconnected the wire at the fuse box, taped it out of the way and never had that problem again.  Besides, the seat belt sign location is a perfect place to mount extra gauges.

 

mike

[Crash513]

Thanks all for the advice!  I've decided to just go ahead and tuck the old wires back under the new sound deadening and carpet.  I may never have a need to reconnect these wires again, but who knows what my grand-kids may decide 50 years from now during the next restoration. ?