GREGGPENN

Sounds like you should trade up to a (car) model with air bags...side and front. I live on the edge and rarely wear mine. Past my prime now anyway. It's all downhill from here!

daddysvet92

I also got a quote of $175 for each side! just for the webbing!

Maybe I'll look into someone who is parting out one with black interior!
Might be a whole lot cheaper!!!!

Thank
Chris

cv67

Quotes Ive gotten were $200-225/pr now thats for 2 pt lap belts.
North Hollywood auto upholstery
North Hollywood, Ca.
Probably have them do mine their interior work turned out great.

Superman_006

I agree, perhaps some dyes contain a form of bleach, sodium-hydrosulphite, thiourea-dioxide or something to strip the color that would weaken the fibers in the belt. I wouldnt think anymore than 25+ years of aging though.

As far as the stitching on the ends of the belt that holds the tounge on is very important. All the seat belts are made to stretch on impact and stiching is made to work like a reverse crumble zone (good for 1 crash).

But I quess if we were worried about saftey in crashes, we should trade our fiberglass cars that is 3" off the road for a new volvo or build a cage and go with the 5 point harness

icemaidenz

i died mine black just outstreched the belts used a close pin to hold it out got black fabic dye used boiling water and about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt let the belt did in the kitchen sink with the pacage of dye and 1/4 tsp of salt got my dye at a local fabric store for about 5 bucks the sanded primed the plastics and mine look fine ...i agree witht he 25 year statement cant see how die would affect it more than 25 years of age

cv67

Wasnt dye for me it was the warm soapy water. Just workign with that for a few minutes was all it took for things to disinegrate prior to that they looked great. I was shocked, buckle came off right in my hand.

Up to you how important safety is. Like brakes, cant see them much and dont want to spend on it but the risk of what could happen is awful high.

GREGGPENN

I'd be more concerned with the boiling dye technique vs spray-on SEM. OTOH, if umpteen-yr-old belts come apart in soapy water, you gotta think they were on their last leg already.

Are you talking about belts in your 60's Camino?

a454corvette

I still have young kids...I'd like to be around to say I have old kids

Sounds like YOU should buy a donorcycle

GREGGPENN

Reconsider a 4-dr sedan (though C4's fair better than I would have guessed). Or try not to crash!

I used to have a motorcycle. Lots of fun during a smaller period of the year. With a 383, my vette is getting close to what the 400cc bike used to run.

BTW: Safety agencies will always err on the safe side for general recommendations. [seat belt] Manufacturers will also lead buyers to new setups vs older ones. In both cases, it's the correct recommendation. Of course, when you buy a new car, they want you to buy a warranty. Oh yeah...They also want you to buy the newer car [technology] for safety. If you buy a salvage set, maybe it could have been flooded or under water. I could go on....

Bottom line....I bought an '89 to save money back in 1999. Newer models were equipped with air bags. If security were my bottom line, I'd have sprung for the newer setup and/or avoided the vette all-together.

ratchetmaster

Digging up an old thread . . .

I wonder what the producers of the seat belt fabric used to have so many colors of belt fabric? Hmmm

I have seen belts dyed by what appears to be the factory producer of the belts After the belt tags were on the fabric.

Here are just Two examples . . . A green set from a 71 gm full size car. I am looking at a gold set from a 1980 gm full size car as I type this. The green ones had green date tags and the gold ones I am looking at have gold tags . . . both due to being dyed after assembly. Tags were obviously white and have have been affected by the dyeing process. They are not DARK but obviously dyed by a dyeing process. I have seen many examples of this.

I probably have over 100 sets of GM belts from cars from the 60s, up to the early 80s. All kinds of them. But no corvette belts.

Dye Damaging the fabric or affecting the integrity of the material?? That would depend on the TYPE of dye being used.