Re: [Chevelle-List] Dying Seatbelts

[Kent Lewis]

Craig,     Here is a message that was sent to the Chevelle list back in early July from Ron Griffith:   FYI   I recently dyed the seat belts in my 71' Elky and they look like new.  My method was a little different from the instructions.  I used 2 bottles of RIT Liquid Dye as suggested for thick fabrics. Mixed in a cup of salt as suggested for color-fastness.  I did not remove any hardware so after boiling I waited until the dye had cooled just enough so as not to melt the plastic.  I left the belts in the dye overnight rather than the half-hour the instructions called for.  The next day I washed and rinsed the belts in the sink using laundry detergent.  This took several washings before rinse water was clear.  I then hung them out in the sun to dry before reinstalling.  They look great.  Fortunately, my seatbelts were black.  I wouldn't expect much success with matching other colors.  For some reason the white tags hardly took the dye at all.  They remained white and look as if they are slightly soiled rather than dyed.   Hope this helps someone avoid buying expensive belts.   RWG