Topic: Re-dyeing of seat belts??

[Hipo giddyup]

Hi all. I will be taking my interior apart in order to get my coupe painted. I will be taking the seatbelts out and noticed a few are a little discolored from the others, not as dark black. Has anyone tried dying these with RIT color dye?? I was just thinking of how to darken these up while they will be out of the car. Also, I will be working around what white stitched tags are left (some are missing) and the buckles, so I was thinking of sponging on the dye instead of soaking the whole belt. Any other options are greatly welcomed. Thanks!

[67gtasanjose]

Dye won't hold, will rub off in your clothes.

I have had BASIC success using rattle-can SEM vinyl dye to darken faded areas. The way I have had success was to open up the end seam and slide the buckle parts completely off (restore as needed while off). You will want to have an upholstery shop available to stitch this back on when finished. DO NOT SEPARATE THE FLOOR-MOUNT ENDS. This will leave the belts in "As Safe As They Were At The Onset" condition once completed. I usually will pull the tags too and have those stitched back on at the same time (take pictures and take notes). When the belts are partially apart, use Oven Cleaner to scrub clean with a stiff brush, pressure wash the belts till clean, then repeat cleaning till you see no more crud coming out. Dry in the sun a minimal of 1-day (longer drying time required if it isn't a sunny summer day). Mask off the floor mounts and shoot LIGHT MIST COATS of vinyl spray. Wet coats will cause a "brittle feeling" of the belts. A person can change colors too, to a degree, but not like red to white or darker to lighter in color but Dark to Darker is possible. Clean any overspray on the floor mounts with lacquer thinner.

Upon edit: See REPLY #13 for more details

[Bob Gaines]

Dye won't hold, will rub off in your clothes.

I have had BASIC success using rattle-can SEM vinyl dye to darken faded areas. The way I have had success was to open up the end seam and slide the buckle parts completely off (restore as needed while off). You will want to have an upholstery shop available to stitch this back on when finished. DO NOT SEPARATE THE FLOOR-MOUNT ENDS. This will leave the belts in "As Safe As They Were At The Onset" condition once completed. I usually will pull the tags too and have those stitched back on at the same time (take pictures and take notes). When the belts are partially apart, use Oven Cleaner to scrub clean with a stiff brush, pressure wash the belts till clean, then repeat cleaning till you see no more crud coming out. Dry in the sun a minimal of 1-day (longer drying time required if it isn't a sunny summer day). Mask off the floor mounts and shoot LIGHT MIST COATS of vinyl spray. Wet coats will cause a "brittle feeling" of the belts. A person can change colors too, to a degree, but not like red to white or darker to lighter in color but Dark to Darker is possible. Clean any overspray on the floor mounts with lacquer thinner.

+1 . The seatbelt fibers when magnified are basically slick exterior surface artificial made fibers. The dye will not absorb and hold like on a porous organic fiber in comparison.

[ruppstang]

I have good luck using Rit fabric dye. Not spray vinyl dye.
I used a large metal pot to heat the water and dye. Then added the belts making sure that everything was saturated. I then rinsed with cold water to set the dye.
I have not have any come off. I also dyed the pot and stirring spoon black, my wife said no more car parts in the kitchen .

This might not be the best solution for a concours car due to the tags and thread.   

[Hipo giddyup]

Thanks for all the replies!! I might try to spray paint idea I was curious what others have used and this is all good feedback.

[Bob Gaines]

Thanks for all the replies!! I might try to spray paint idea I was curious what others have used and this is all good feedback.

Most people I know have had the best success using the product and process in reply #1. Not to say that there are not other products and processes that may work in varying degrees but just reporting on what I have had first hand success with on this particular type item. 

[jwc66k]

Send the belts to Python http://www.pythonrestoration.com/ for rebuilding. You also get new labels.
Jim

[67gtasanjose]

Send the belts to Python http://www.pythonrestoration.com/ for rebuilding. You also get new labels.
Jim

Yes, Python & Snake Oyl do great work I hear. My checkbook has it's limits though so I have to choose where to spend that kind of dough today. A person might be impressed with I was able to do with the process I described on the set of BLACK ones I will use. Perhaps once I get to a point where what I have is not good enough anymore, I could consider that route too.

[midlife]

I had an excellent experience first soaking the belt assemblies in warm Simple Green solution, then warm water until the water was clear.  I then dried the belts and applied RIT black dye.  The dye never wore off in 8 years of driving. 

[Hipo giddyup]

  I have found that Lestoil and a good scrub brush work well also. I have ordered a can of SEM satin black and we will see how it turns out. I would have no issue getting the belts replaced with new webbings but my wallet has it's limits as well. I just paid for paint and materials ($1900) and will be painting the whole car myself to save money. The car might not turn out 100% concourse but thought I would at least address the belts when they are out of the car. Thanks again and I will likely post pics once the belts are done.

[Bossman963]

I have done numerous belts and the best solution to clean them is   oxi-clean with brightner as let them soak overnight and you bill amazed what comes off the belts- do a 2nd time if needed until you get clean water- and dry as noted above

[Hipo giddyup]

I Purchased some oxi clean and will start to soak the belts to see if I can get them cleaner. Do you know if there’s any scrubbing involved or simply let the oxi clean try to pull the dirt out of the seatbelts on its own?

[jwc66k]

Invest in some new ones from Python http://www.pythonrestoration.com/
Jim

[67gtasanjose]

Upon re-reading my 1st reply to this thread, I should amend my reply to point out that a person SHOULD NOT re-stitch any portion of an original belt on the "tongue" portion, the part you insert into the buckle. ONLY pull the stitching that will allow the END to slip off of the buckle-side, for service/cleaning/dyeing (or re-plating if needed). Note: You definately need to take notes of the orientation of the parts as you dissassemble (take pictures).

I know the 67 Deluxe Front Seat Retractors can be taken apart and re-assembled exactly like original without being a "seat belt specialist", just simply take notes on the number of turns the recoil spring takes to keep the recoiled belt tight. That end of the webbing slips off the shaft with no re-stitching needed. I imagine other vintage belts are much similar to the 67's I have worked on, though I imagine things do change a bit from year-to-year.

[Bossman963]

Yes as mentioned above get the seat buckles off the seat belts and get a 1-5 gallon bucket, put 2 cups of the oxi clean drop in leave overnight then hose off the best to let them dry and you be amazed how new they look- done this numerous times.