Easily assembled seat belt retractor and method

A method for assembling a safety belt retractor comprising the steps of:

• providing a retractor frame having n integrally formed bottom and left and right side walls and open top, said side walls having inside faces facing each other and outside faces, said side walls each also having a belt storage spool shaft receiving opening for rotatable mounting of a belt storage spool shaft, wherein said storage spool shaft receiving opening in said left side wall is smaller than the storage spool shaft receiving opening in said right side wall;
• providing a belt storage spool shaft having a left end, a middle portion, a right end and a transverse passageway through said storage spool shaft middle portion of sufficient size for receiving a safety belt wherein said storage spool shaft left end has a reduced diameter portion insertible within said left side wall opening for rotatable mounting and a shoulder between said reduced diameter end portion and said shaft middle portion;
• providing a left belt rub protector disc and a right belt rub protector disc, each disc having a centrally located transverse storage spool shaft receiving opening around which is located a concentric collar that is integral with each of said belt rub protector discs;
• positioning said left belt rub protector disc adjacent said left frame wall inside face so as to axially align the left disc storage spool shaft receiving opening with the left wall storage spool shaft receiving opening;
• positioning said left belt rub protector disc adjacent said right frame wall inside face so as to axially align the right disc storage spool shaft receiving opening with the right wall storage spool shaft receiving opening;
• inserting said belt storage spool shaft left end through said storage spool shaft receiving opening in said right frame wall and through said belt rub protector discs to position said left storage spool shaft end within said left frame wall opening and to position said shoulder on said belt storage spool shaft adjacent to the inside wall of said left side wall to provide positioning of said belt storage spool shaft in said retractor frame and to rotatably mount said belt storage spool shaft to said frame;
• securing said belt storage spool shaft to said frame to prevent transverse movement to the right of said belt storage spool shaft relative said frames;
• and
• securing said belt rub protector discs to said belt storage spool shaft at spaced locations adjacent said frame walls by press fitting said collars to said belt storage spool shaft after said storage spool shaft is inserted through said shaft receiving opening in said right frame wall.