Thanks
Seat Belt Renewal
Moderator: redstangbob
Seat Belt Renewal
Anyone revitalized their original seat belts? I'm sure mine need to be cleaned, don't look bad but very stiff material. I read where you could boil them with or without dye to bring back to life. I don't want nor need to dye my Ivy Gold belts, just make them soft again.
Thanks
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My t-bird has an ivy gold interior also.
Here is what I did to restore my seatbelts last winter:
I dissasembled the buckle. You can gently pry the bottom half away from the top half by bending the rear "tab" outward using a small flat blade screwdriver. This will allow you to clean the internal mechanism, which is usually covered in gunk and rusted. Cleaning it up will allow the belt webbing to slide through the adjuster nice and smooth.
To remove the belt completely from the buckle, you will need to cut the stitches from the folded-over end of the webbing. You can use a tailors seam ripper or a fresh razor blade will work well, too. Just remember the way it was stitched so you can re-sew it back together using the same pattern.
It is also a good time to repaint the top buckle cover. I used Ivy Gold paint made for 66 Mustangs and it was a great match.
As for rejuvenating the webbing, I soaked mine in a hot bath of water along with some fabric restorer (usually used to clean heirloom quilts and such). I am almost positive similar results could be obtained using hot water and a non-detergent soap like Woolite.
These steps worked like a charm for me!
Here is what I did to restore my seatbelts last winter:
I dissasembled the buckle. You can gently pry the bottom half away from the top half by bending the rear "tab" outward using a small flat blade screwdriver. This will allow you to clean the internal mechanism, which is usually covered in gunk and rusted. Cleaning it up will allow the belt webbing to slide through the adjuster nice and smooth.
To remove the belt completely from the buckle, you will need to cut the stitches from the folded-over end of the webbing. You can use a tailors seam ripper or a fresh razor blade will work well, too. Just remember the way it was stitched so you can re-sew it back together using the same pattern.
It is also a good time to repaint the top buckle cover. I used Ivy Gold paint made for 66 Mustangs and it was a great match.
As for rejuvenating the webbing, I soaked mine in a hot bath of water along with some fabric restorer (usually used to clean heirloom quilts and such). I am almost positive similar results could be obtained using hot water and a non-detergent soap like Woolite.
These steps worked like a charm for me!
1966 Q-Code Town Hardtop
Well I have bad news, good news and bad news. First of all you are depending on 50 year old fabric to save your life and your passengers. This is not good news. Have an accident with passenger injuries and the lawyers will own you. The good news is that www.ssnake-oyl.com will rebuild your seat belts to new condition with new fabric. The last bad news is that you should be sitting down when you get their prices. Steve
Seat Belt Renewal
This is my first post, thanks for the response; sounds like a plan. I just recently purchased this bird (a '66 convertible "Q" code) and it is in great shape, but things like the seat belts need attention due to age.
A seatbelt failure is going to take place in the buckle assembly or in the bolts. (highly unlikely). Unless your fabric is clearly rotted, it is not gonna simply rip in half across the webbing in an accident.
Lets also not forget we are driving cars w/o shoulder belts, headrests or airbags. In an accident severe enough to tear through the webbing of a seatbelt, you are going to take a steering wheel to the chest along critical neck and back injuries due to the lack of shoulder restraint and/or headrests.
You can obtain excellent results by cleaning the belts yourself. The $500 expense of professionally rebuilt seatbelts should not be justified because of a safety concern. You are simply paying $500 to have flawlessly restored seatbelts and the justification would be for purley cosmetic reasons.
Again, use your judgement, it the belts are clearly rotted and frayed, then it could truly be a safety hazard... however dirty dingy and old doesnt mean ready to rip in half at any moment.
Lets also not forget we are driving cars w/o shoulder belts, headrests or airbags. In an accident severe enough to tear through the webbing of a seatbelt, you are going to take a steering wheel to the chest along critical neck and back injuries due to the lack of shoulder restraint and/or headrests.
You can obtain excellent results by cleaning the belts yourself. The $500 expense of professionally rebuilt seatbelts should not be justified because of a safety concern. You are simply paying $500 to have flawlessly restored seatbelts and the justification would be for purley cosmetic reasons.
Again, use your judgement, it the belts are clearly rotted and frayed, then it could truly be a safety hazard... however dirty dingy and old doesnt mean ready to rip in half at any moment.
1966 Q-Code Town Hardtop
Bill, I am interested in where you got your information as to the fact that the webbing will be the last thing to fail on a seat belt. Is there a web site I can go to? By the by, if you have ever been interested in how your old car would fair in an accident with a new car go to http://www.iihs.org/webvideo_index.html and click on the crash test with a 1959 Impala. Kind of makes you thankful for crush zones, door guard beams and a host of other improvements.
Seat Belt Renewal
Bill - thanks for the info on the belts. Mine were not in bad shape, just dirty. I did the hot bath + OxiClean. After several soaks, I finished with a bath of hot water and fabric softener. They turned out Great!