ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

I have an original fan belt. The seller said it was only good for display purposes since it is rather stiff. Is there any process that will soften the belt up enough to use it in the restored class of judging?

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Barb, as you are probably aware, they generally can be soaked in boiling water to soften them. They were originally made out of natural rubber, -and not synthetic so maybe the stiffness is due to the glue that is adhering the cloth outer layer?

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Go to youtube and look up "Rubber Softening Experiment"

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Rubber degrades with age. Bacteria and fungi along with drying out will make it useless. I think that it will break if given any tension.

NOS fan belt, hang it on the wall.

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Not really an option in this scenario.

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

I had an original NOS fan belt that I bought for my fine point 29 Town Sedan for fine point judging, at a swap meet that I paid $5.00 for. Never ran it on the car as it would have just exploded it was that stiff. Put it on before judging and took it off after. Hard to believe but I sold it for $500 after I was done with it, It is one of the hardest original parts to find if doing a fine point car. Bruce Remington

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Barb,
you might ask Arlyn Bieber... I know from personal experience he's done/tried various things to make them work and obviously has in his fine point experience.

I will never forget when his original hershey purchased radiator hoses fell out of his cooler from my van onto the ground and began rolling down the road on our hershey trip one year. We all had a good laugh ( all but him) and fortunately the hoses survived. OK to mention that if you chat with him. He will chuckle.
Larry Shepard

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Us a mixture of 50% Glycerin and 50% liquid dish soap, mix it up and soak the rubber part in it. It will soften up the rubber and make it easier to put on and off with less chance of the fan belt breaking. I still don't think I run it on this belt though. I'd keep it for showing. My father use to fly free flight rubber power model airplanes and this is what they used to lubricate the rubber ban motors. I've used it for years to bring back rubber parts that you can't get. It just takes time for the liquid to soak into the hard rubber. (3 to 6 weeks) Give it a try and see what you think. Hope it helps. JP

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

I can tell Bill is feeling much better, keep up the good work Bill...... Dutie ! ;)

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

I have heard that wintergreen oil is good for that.

Wishful thinking?

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

I see Bill Williamson is back to his old self..............LOL.................


Sounds like I have a couple options. I have some hard rubber parts laying round in junk boxes so perhaps I can experiment with those first.

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Where can I get a Red fan belt for my 31 coupe?

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

If there was only a way to dye a black belt red, then you would have it!

Barb...Try some WD40 on those hard rubber parts.

Pluck

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

There is, From fordscript.com


If one looks closely at available factory photos taken in
the Model A era and compares the shading of the engine fan
belt to other rubber components, etc, he can not help but
conclude that they were different colors. Fortunately we have
been able to find enough documentation, photos and NOS belts
to develop a special color agent to change your black, post-war
service (or modern replacement) fan belt to the correct brown.


B-108-P
Special fan belt coloring agent (it really does the job – one that normal paints can't do)
$ 24.95/half pint


The color might be right but the materials used in the making of the belt would still be wrong.

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

I know it's all in good natured fun. Some day though the judging standards is going to have to be changed to except repro hoses and belts. There is no deduction for reproduction tires. Can you imagine what these belts and hoses will look like in another 50 years? Dryer than King Tut's loin cloth.

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

When no one shows up with them on their cars for judging then it will change. As long as some still have originals the rules will not change. (ie. tires)

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Playing Devil's Advocate with you, ...Yes, reproduction tires can & do get point's deductions. Show up with a set of Lesters or Universals and see what happens. Even Firestones.


50 years, if no one has the correct hoses or belt, then everyone in competition that day will lose the same amount of points in those two areas. In 50 years from now, I would expect someone will be able to take a regular fan belt and glue cloth onto it and dye the fabric where it will mimic the original. The same with hoses. Look at how far we have come within the past two decades on camouflaging reproduction parts where they will pass in F/P adjudication.

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Maybe the Judges will just be like the referees in the NFL and NBA, e.g, pretend they didn't see it.

Wayne Carini on the Velocity Channel (now Motor Trend) found a Stutz Bearcat in an old garage, cleaned it up, took it to the Peeble Beach Concourse d' Elegance and entered it in the Presevation Class. I'm not sure if he changed the fan belt but I think he ran it with the original tires and won. They did cheat because they didn't want to take the gas tank off to clean it so they hid a fuel cell where the judges couldn't see it.

David Serrano

Re: ORIGINAL FAN BELT restoration?
 

Maybe it'll limber up with running. In 1989 my dad found a '40 sedan, sitting in a garage since 1966. He left the original belt on and I'm still running that same belt. Car has a total of 36,736 miles.