Seat Belts, Restore or Preserve?

[Wakepowell]

Here is a picture of the seat belt in my '63 Corvette. A couple of questions, has anyone ever seen the adjuster that is on this car? It appears aftermarket and I'm not quite sure what its function is. And the seat belts are very faded, would you leave them, try dyeing them or restore them?

[KevinW]

Probably an aftermarket version of a retractor. Take the screws off the side plate and see if the webbing is wrapped around something and has a coil spring. If so, you should be able to remove it easily.

I have dyed a lot a seat belts, RIT dye with salt work well. But it will dye the label too. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img] It might be possible for you to brush the dye on carefully to avoid the label. The webbing looks serviceable in the pic. But you need to inspect them for prior accident stretching and nicks/cuts/fraying on the main webbing (fraying at the ends past the stitching is normal)

[olredalert]

----I'm pretty sure that theres a vendor out there somewhere that makes those labels. Try &quot;Long Island Corvette&quot;......Bill S

[MosportGreen66]

I would contact Charlie Santorelli. I bet he has NOS labels. He is the end all be all for Corvette seat belts and restoration. Even has NOS webbing. Really great guy!

908-719-2354

[KevinW]

I've been wondering how Charlie is doing. I haven't been up to his place in a long time, since I stopped working on seat belts. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]