65 Seatbelt labels..

[Jim V.]

Well after basking in the glory of a recent topflight, it is now time to deal with the L O N G laundry list of items that STILL need attention.

Judges claim the seatbelt labels are incorrect, as they are dated 66. The labels look like the following...
CORVETTE
this seatbelt meets all reqmts
of SAE Spec xxx
IRVING
MODEL 772 COR-H
43-A-65 (this date code in large font)

So...
1 Are these in fact for a 66?
2 How do you interpret the date codes?
3 Where can ya pick up correct 65 labels?
4 Who knows someone who can remove and sew in the correct labels?
5 Anybody interested in the old 66 labels?

Thanks
JimV

[Jim V.]

and oh yeah....

After a little research I see that the 65 model did use the 64 dated label for some time. For a Jan 25, 1965 birthdate, anybody know which would be more correct... the 64 or 65 label. If in fact it had a 64 label whould all of the existing 66 stitching be correct?...hummmmm

Thanks
JimV

[Dwight P.]

Re: and oh yeah....

Jim:
On August 5th, 2005 I posted a message on the Discussion Board concerning 1965/1964 dated seat belt labels.
The historical data is very confusing, but it is safe to say that 1964 dated labels were installed well into the 1965 Model year. My car was built it late March and has 1964 dated labels.
The labels are easy to remove. Use your wifes seam stripping tool to carefully cut the old stiching and then use a normal sewing machine to attach them to the new webbing. If you do not want to use the old label, new lables are available from some of the normal Corvette suppliers.

As far as 1966 is concerned, I am not qualified to say for sure, but I believe the 1966 seat belt and its label was noticeably different than 1964/1965. Check the Nolan Adams or M.F. Dobbins books on that issue.

Dwight

[Eugene B.]

Re: and oh yeah....

JimV,
As a data point, my March 3, '65 convertible has '64 labels on the seat belts.

Regards,
Gene

[Jim V.]

Re: and oh yeah....

Thanks Dwight!
What color are your belts? It would make sense that the lesser used belt colors would have lower turnover and therefore be more likely to have sat in inventory.

[Dwight P.]

Re: and oh yeah....

Jim:
My belts are 1965 Bright Blue. I ordered replacements for my originals last month from Sun West(Karl Reopke). They are as close to the original in all respects as anything repro can be. I spent several hours checking and inspecting. The only slight difference between my originals and the repros was the belt retractors. The replacement was very slightly larger...the difference so slight that I challenge anyone to tell the difference without having them side by side.

Good Luck,
Dwight

[Gene B.]

Re: and oh yeah....

Have you gotten your belts from Sunwest? Unless he ahs improved his customer service leaves a lot to be desired. No returned phone calls and waited alomost 7 months for the belts and buckles for my 58. Many calls and emails later I finally got them. Good quality once I got it, but frustrating.

[Dwight P.]

Re: and oh yeah....

Gene:
Yes I did purchase my belts from Sun West. And yes he was slow. But not 7 months. He promised to ship my belts two times before they finally arrived...probably about 3 weeks after the check was cashed.
Repeating my previous message, his webbing, buckles, retractors, and holders are beautiful and priced right.

[Don H.]

Re: and oh yeah....

Jim,

Nice to meet you at Galena. Your 65 is very beautiful.

Don H.

[Ken Edmunds]

Re: 65 Seatbelt labels..

Call Charlie at Seatbelt Sity 908-719-2354 He has a lot of old stock and is an expert on these belts.

[Louis T.]

Re: 65 Seatbelt labels..

Hi JimV,

Good luck with your laundry list. I too will be hunting for a few parts for my '65, including seat belts.

If it's of any help, I've listed below examples of '65 and '66 lap belt tags, as represented in Barbara Spear's book, Corvette Seat Belts 1956-1976. More experienced members can confirm (or disprove) their accuracy. She makes no comments about date changes during the model year, but Dwight Paul's 8/5 post addresses that very nicely. I myself, with a late (July 7th) Bright Blue interior car expect '65 tags as more likely, but, as Dwight described, '64 would probably have been possible, as well. As an aside, I've always wondered how they managed to stitch the tag side with white thread, while using web-colored thread on the opposite fabric side...

Louis

1965 lap belt tag, buckle side:

CORVETTE
MODEL 772 COR-H '64
FEDERAL SPEC.JJ-B-185A
SAEJ42
IRVING AIR CHUTE CO
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

1965 lap belt tag, D-ring side:

CORVETTE
THIS BELT MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS
OF SAE SPEC J-4c
IRVING 1965
MODEL 772 COR-H
23 A 65

1966 lap belt tag:

CORVETTE
THIS BELT MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS
OF SAE SPEC J-4b
IRVING 1966
MODEL 772COR-H
46-A-65

[Scott G.]

Re: 65 Seatbelt labels..

My Feb. of 66 car has the follwing label on the drivers outer belt:

Chevrolet
Model 772COR-H '65
Federal Spec. JJ-B185a
IRVING AIRCHUT CO
LEXINGTON KENTUCKY

Is this correct for a 66?