'68 Charger seatbelts

[terrible one]

Alright, so here are my seatbelts after cleaning. Can anyone tell me 1) if I have a complete set and 2) where they go in the car?

Also, I'd like to dye them back black but don't know about the material? I was just going to grab some of that Ritz dye from Wal-Mart in black and try it out . . . what do you think about that?

Thanks!

[tan top]

first three belts on the left handside of the picture are for the rear seat passangers , fourth & fifth belt are shoulder belts  roof mounted !
sixth & seventh are front lap belts  , eighth & ninth are the front seat belt retractors ..mount one each  mounted on the inner rocker ,  & the last three are the male  parts of the rear belts 

[terrible one]

Thanks so much man, I see how they go now. And in that case I have them all! 

[maxwellwedge]

Tan top nailed it. I throw them in hot soapy water - dump each day and repeat 2-3 times. Let hang dry. Scrub with carpet cleaner and supplied brush. Let dry and maybe final clear rinse. That should get all that rusty crap of the belts and make them look better. Never tried dyeing.The short one not on the outside rear goes on the same bolt along with one of the long rears. There should be a metal spacer between them. Good illustration in the FSM.

[terrible one]

Thanks for the additional information. I took them up to work today (restaurant) and gave them a few goes in their killer dish machine along with some detergents and degreaser. They look a lot more faded now, but there isn't really any more rust except for on the metal. I just picked up some boxes of the Rit dye from Wal-Mart and I'll try dying at least a few of them tonight.

[bull]

You might have a good look at www.ritdye.com before you get too carried away but it sounds like that's the dye of choice when doing seat belts based on a search I did. What are they made out of anyway? Are they nylon?

[mikepmcs]

rit dye is/was also the choice of the US NAVY when it came time to dye our Dungarees when we needed to keep em looking good!  If it's good enough for the Navy............
It should work.

ripped from the site

RIT works best on many natural, washable fabrics such as...

    * 100% cotton, linen, silk, wool, ramie
    * Synthetics such as rayon, nylon and acetate
    * Fiber blends with at least 60% cotton or other dyeable fiber (Blends will tint evenly but will not achieve full color)


...but there are fabrics that will not accept dye such as...

    * Fabrics with 50% or more polyester content
    * 100% acrylic, fiberglass, or metallic fibers
    * Fabrics with rubber backing (bath mats or throw rugs)
    * Fabrics with special finishes such as water repellents
    * Fabrics with bleach damage or extensive staining
    * Fabrics washable only in cold water or labeled "dry clean only"

[terrible one]

Well guys, the Rit dye went pretty damn well! They are a deep black now and will set a lot better with the other new black parts in my interior. I tried to take a picture of them before I ran them off to the shop but the lighting doesn't show how nice they really came out. They're next in line after I get the transmission and driveshaft in today, pending the floor plugs coming in the mail from Bill which will set off the carpet/ seat/ seatbelt installation. Got the upper and lower door panels in the other day . . . it's starting to look like a working vehicle!

[tan top]

look great 

[mikepmcs]

Jackson, you kept rinsing them real good, right.  Don't want that black to come off on some nice slacks or a shirt.

They look awesome!

[terrible one]

No nice slacks or shirts in my closet! Haha but really, thanks for that note. I washed them a few times with laundry detergent per the dye intructions after I dyed them until nothing came off when I put a white rag to them. Hopefully I got it all!

Thanks for the kind comments! They really do look good. Now instead of just uniformly looking like shit, it looks like I have practically new webbing on those buckles hahaha but it's all good! The passenger can have the worst of them 

[bull]

So what are your plans for the rusted buckles?

[terrible one]

As of right now I'm just going to let them ride! 

[Tilar]

You could probably take a little 000 steel wool and clean them up pretty good.

[Neal_J]

If they're too far gone to polish the chrome, maybe some 150 grit sandpaper followed by a coat of satin black rustoleum.  That is, if you want to spiff up the buckles.

[mikepmcs]

That is what I was thinking too.  It looks like some of the buckles are already black.  What about that wrinkle finish paint, that's pretty neat stuff.  I know that isn't your main priority right now Jackson, but just an idea and you would never have to replace them.

[1970Moparmann]

If they're too far gone to polish the chrome, maybe some 150 grit sandpaper followed by a coat of satin black rustoleum.  That is, if you want to spiff up the buckles.

Agree.  Spend the little extra time and you'll feel better in the long run.   The dye job looks great!

[BBKNARF]

If they're too far gone to polish the chrome, maybe some 150 grit sandpaper followed by a coat of satin black rustoleum.  That is, if you want to spiff up the buckles.

Agree.  Spend the little extra time and you'll feel better in the long run.   The dye job looks great!

[Sixt8Chrgr]

I don't mean to hi jack the thread, but I have a question.

My 68 outboard front seat belts have a retractor but they dont retract into a plastic sheath. They recoil into a roll but not into a sheath. My car was built Dec 21 67. Is this incorrect for this date build of car? Also my interior color is gold and my seat belts are a blackish blue color. Again is this correct for this color interior or should I have gold seat belts too. If anyone out there has an original interior car with gold C6Y interior I would like to know what your seat belts look like.

Thanks,

[8WHEELER]

The seat belts came from the factory, matching the color of the int. So they would have matched
the gold/tan int. As far as the seat belt recoil cover goes, it is not uncommon to not have the
covers on an early 68, my September 67 built Charger did not come from the factory with the
recoil covers. Its a blue and white int, with blue seat belts ''no covers'', the same color as the carpet.

My December built 68 int pics are in this thread,
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63983.0/all.html

Dan

[Sixt8Chrgr]

Hey 8wheeler thanks for posting that thread....it is awesome.

Your car is the first car that I have seen that has the same color interior as my car (C6Y). My car is also a JJ1 paint code. I love that gold. Unfortunately, someone has repainted my car lemon twist yellow. Although it is a very poor paint job and I can see a lot of the gold in areas. Soon I will put this car on the rotissere and bring it back to it's glory.

My car was built Dec 21 67 when was your JJI car built? You mentioned Dec 67, what date. I will post pictures of my seat belts that appear to be incorrect based on your car, and since they are built so close together I am assuming my car should have the same type of belts your car has. Where was your car built?

[8WHEELER]

I actually don't remember the actual day right now, but it was mid December, could be the same as yours.
All 16 of the 68 Chargers I have owned were from the Hamtramck plant, most 68 chargers were.

Your belts were definitely changed at some point.  What color top was on your car?

Dan

[Sixt8Chrgr]

That is what I thought when I bought the car but have not changed them yet. I am going to find a set like yours.

My car has a black top with bumblebee stripes. I know the stripes are wrong but they look so good I am going to put them back on when I paint the car back gold.

I noticed your car does not have the center rear seat belt. Mine does have the center seat belt in the back seat. I have the original window sticker for my car and noticed on the w/s that the center seatbelt was a $15 option. Seems high back in '68? At least when my belts were replaced they put that one in too.

All my seat belts are date coded the same, and I have been told that when these cars were built in 68 they did use left over 67 parts where they could. Do think my seat belts could fall into this category?

[oooobarracuda]

I don't mean to hi jack the thread, but I have a question.

My 68 outboard front seat belts have a retractor but they dont retract into a plastic sheath. They recoil into a roll but not into a sheath. My car was built Dec 21 67. Is this incorrect for this date build of car? Also my interior color is gold and my seat belts are a blackish blue color. Again is this correct for this color interior or should I have gold seat belts too. If anyone out there has an original interior car with gold C6Y interior I would like to know what your seat belts look like.

Thanks,

awesome to see another car in C6Y i have a 68 RT restoring now, TTI medium metallic with C6Y interior, seatbelts are definately gold.

[twodko]

Rit dye, Brasso, StayPuff, coffee and sliders........the mainstay of the USN!

Tom