Seat Belt Q's
 

Pulled these out of storage today want to ask the best method of cleaning perhaps dying (see how cleaning goes first)... retract mechanism works good

I cannot for the life of me remember how i came upon them they have 3 manufacture dates all 69/70

i have a pressure washer if that wont destroy them with mild soap

so some lengths don't make sence one for shoulder harness looks long

do i have a mixed up set? and whats best way to care for them?

i dont have show cars just want to do the best with what i have thanks.

any pics? i used warm soapy water with a shot of dawn dish soap and mine came out real clean. didnt need the pressure washer either.

sorry i went through the motions for pics, let me try again

i figure the lower ones are rear seat then up from there front seats then top shoulders

i can take different pics if needed

i may of pulled them from a donor i have three 1970 birds one is blue belts and the other 2 have black belts but they came with the tan interior so these belts in my picture may be original to one of them... i might of grabbed some black belts out of pick a part to getaway from dirty tan

might seem strange not knowing what i have or where they came from, one of these cars ive had since 1982 ALOT of water under the bridge

No not at all i find stuff weekly that i have no idea where it came from LOL

here is my gut-style reaction to the query of belt lengths;
you should have in essence five belt types/lengths:
1: short male / fixed length = rear
2: short female / adjustable length = rear
3: long male / fixed length = front shoulder
4: retracting male = front lap
5: long female / adjustable length = front lap & shoulder (same units)

I seldom see 1970 deluxe/brushed buckles, so it is possible that the rear seat shorter 'female' buckles may have been substituted with the same lengths as the front units - I say this, because that is what your "set" appears to be;
That top 'female' belt in your second picture is (I believe) the rear seat part - NOT a shoulder belt companion.

Note;
The front 'male' lap belts are side specific.

If you have - or have access to - a dishwasher
Do just one belt in it as a test.
The test will be if the tag holds up , but it should .
It will clean them better than you can.
Use the normal amount of detergent.

Best scenario is when there aren't any women in the house while doing it.
Covert ninja operation.

Probably wouldn't put the retractor covers in there though.
Very hot water , might could deform or something.

Then 6 months later, when the dishwasher will stop draining water and the repair man will take the washer apart only to find a government seat belt label stuck in the drain ...:)

I like to live dangerously or maybe just plain stupid, my 73 Bird has the oh so wonderfully safe exploding seat belt buckles lol

ROFLMAO!

I used Woolite in a warm bucket of water. If uppers are on an actuator, use a clamp to keep all the way out.

My DW has a strainer in the bottom. Nothing can get in, most do. If you’re going to Dayton, the room usually has a DW, I use it for the parts I buy to clean them. Rims are best on the bottom 1 at a time. Pot scrubber cycle.
Hub caps yiu can do a bunch like plates. I even cleaned a crossmember up,once. Lmao.

oh, come on!

that's what filters are for!

My college roommate always cleaned his Holley's in the dishwasher using 1/2 the regular detergent amount and 10 (magic number) drops of Dawn. Always left an interesting aroma for the next load of dishes.

My dishwasher is on the fritz went to use one night and it wouldn't power up then 4 nights later beep beep it turned on with no one around made some noise for half hour then stopped .... iam going to get a new motherboard for it....after i look for cold solder joints and so on..

back to the belts, it was mentioned i dont have the proper female belt with front shoulder strap do i have the back seat belts paired correctly?

You guys make me want to put an old dishwasher in my shop

Formulas ,You have a GE i bet and it needs a software update.

It is a GE you Einstein LOL update never occured to me on a dishwasher other than a BFH..

How do you software update a dishwasher?

i will search the net of course when i installed it i didn't notice any USB ports but then again i wasn't paying that deep of attention to that sort of thing.. Thanks

I soaked mine for a long time in warm water with laundry detergent, then lightly brushed, then rinsed. And repeated once more. Worked well, but I like the dishwasher idea, too.

Those appear to be deluxe Sandalwood belts you have. Some pretty rare kit.

Just some experience in cleaning my seatbelts from my 1971 TA, warm or hot water tends to "bleed" the color some. I have switched to cold water only for colors, as my wife advised me!! Ha-Ha.
I just soaked them in a tub or basin with clothes detergent. Then rinse, again cold water and let hang dry naturally. Tough stained area I brushed lightly to remove rust/grime. Overall they came great for little to no money spent (Very rare in our hobby).

Sandalwood belts in that condition are going to need all the help they can get .
Hand job won't hardly make a dent in those.
On lighter colors you won't really know what you've got until after they dry completely.

No dishwasher method
 

Use the foaming carpet cleaner you can get at your local autoparts store.
remove the buckles and then spray each belt heavily with the foaming cleaner and place them all in a bucket and let them sit. The foam and basically dry cleaning chemical in the formula will lift all the grease and dirt out of the seat belt and clean it very well. You can repeat the process and it should not affect the labels. Little light scrubbing in between works great. Rinse and let dry.
Leaves a nice fresh scent.

thanks for all the advice

it appears i do not have a proper set length wise and upon further pondering i dont believe they came from any car i have now anyways so they will go back in a box

i will however try some cleaning methods on my black standard belts .. thanks again