Reproduction belt for a 440 from Year One

[Hoser2455]

Has anyone ever run into the problem with a date coded restoration belt for a 440 from Year One stretching.  I am on my second one now. After driving the car for a while, and it seems to get ran through traffic on 80 degree days or hotter, the belt keep stretching. It then starts squealing when you start it up again. When I get the car home, the belt is loose but the mounts and adjustment bolts have not moved.  The belt is straight and lined up with the other pulleys and the alternator is not locked up and spins freely. I'm wondering if I should just by a regular belt from NAPA instead. Seems like a relatively easy problem but it has me scratching my head if the Year One belts are just bad. This belt is on a Superbird and it does get hot in the engine compartment.

[DAY CLONA]

Is this repro belt a Quanta repro?

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Quanta are JUNK!  Dont use them if you actually plan on starting your engine!

[Hoser2455]

This belt is from year one. I looked it up on their web site and it does not say Quanta on the website.  The part however is labeled QB 44. (Quanta belt 44 maybe?)  I haven't looked yet but it probably would not say Quanta on the reproduction belt or would it? If it is a Quanta belt, does anyone else make a reproduction belt with the part number, factory code and the date code embossed onto the belt? If you don't know should I just go to NAPA and order a regular gates belt for it?  I'm afraid that since I went though the one belt and now the other one is starting to stretch, if I order another one from Year One it could be from the same batch.  They probably ordered and made a run of 500 of them or more and the whole run could be bad.  If I would order one, they will give me one from the same batch again.  Thanks.

[DAY CLONA]

Quanta are JUNK!  Dont use them if you actually plan on starting your engine!

Agreed, the same discussion about Quanta belts is going on at Moparts, a number have chimed in to say they roll over, stretch, fall off, squeal, etc, etc

[Charger-Bodie]

Quanta are JUNK!  Dont use them if you actually plan on starting your engine!

Agreed, the same discussion about Quanta belts is going on at Moparts, a number have chimed in to say they roll over, stretch, fall off, squeal, etc, etc

True story.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

A little light reading for you of my Quanta debacle....

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=82707.0

[Hoser2455]

Thanks for your input on the belts and the reading about them. I think I'm just going to go to NAPA now and get some regular Gates belts.  My previous belts stretched and rolled over also disintegrated and then ripped.  Had belt crap all over my engine compartment but at least nothing was destroyed. Barely made it home.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Good choice! 

[Hoser2455]

Went to NAPA today for some Gates belts.  All that NAPA has is cogged belts which would actually be better because they run cooler and are more flexible. O'Reilly Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts and Rock Auto all have cogged belts.  Anyone know where you can get any other V belts not cogged anywhere?  I'm thinking I'm just going to go with the cogged belts for cooler running belts and they probably would be newer also.  I can always put the old ones in my trunk in case of emergency.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Going to be very hard to find the solid v-groove belts now a days.  Most are all cogged on the inside of the V.  Gates makes a "Top Cog" that is cogged on top but solid in the v-groove....

The old Mopar belts are pretty much non-existent as well.  I am running an older Mopar solid V-Groove belt for my fan but the rest are Gates bottom groove.....function/reliability over form in this case....

[Hoser2455]

Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and installed the two Gates belts that are cogged at the bottom but at least they are new.  They were just a little bit bigger, (.200 thousands wider but they appear to fit in the pulleys just fine and that's what Gates calls for that engine. They even look a lot bigger than the old ones I had so I'm thinking they will last a lot longer.  Took a test run, so far so good.  Time will tell especially when it gets hot in the summer.