Re: [Chrysler300] The Belt Jumpin' Blues

["Roger Schaaf" <obiwan10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have one of those belt measuring devices.  Mine is a Goodyear unit.  Very simple to get an almost exact measurement of a belt's length. Also has a "notched" scale to give you an accurate measurement of both belt "width" and "depth".   Picked it up at a swap meet several years ago.  Believe it is the only one that I have seen for sale in many a year.

Roger Schaaf
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rich Barber 
  To: 'John J. Hertog' ; 'Ray Jones' 
  Cc: mallyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; MJRAGUSE@xxxxxxx ; 'Chrysler300' 
  Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2006 10:15 AM
  Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] The Belt Jumpin' Blues


  Ray's & John's comments are accurate and educational, as always. Thanks to
  both for same. The matched set concept may be part design, part marketing
  and part good sense. If only one belt fails, many owners might buy just one
  to replace it--probably not a good idea. Replacing both belts at the same
  time from similar source and stock should achieve a decent match, although
  not as good as a matched pair. 

  I seem to recall a belt length measuring instrument with two curved ends.
  If these are still used at parts stores or shops, they could verify or help
  select a best match from the dealer's stock.

  Our 1955 C-300 has two pair of dual belts Gates 7390 and 7450. One to drive
  the fan and one to drive the generator. Unscientific thumb-press suggests
  similar, if not precise tension on each. The generator has the power
  steering pump on the backside of it. I wonder if the idea of double belts
  in this application is somewhat for redundancy. One might fail-and if it
  doesn't take out the other, the engine might keep on fanning or generating.
  The old single belts were getting huge and thick before the wholesale switch
  to dual belts.

  Belts must be getting better as I don't see so many in the road or big old
  iron parked beside the highway with hoods up and steam erupting. And the
  serpentine belts have become a standard and expensive maintenance item.
  Their thin grooves do tend to crack early.

  Finally, we used to watch for the Gates Mystery Motorist who would drive
  around with crappy belts. If the pump jockey discovered the bad belt and
  suggested replacing it with a Gates belt, he could win $100, or something
  like that. The owner of the Phillips 66 station where I worked won once.
  We pump jocks very seldom even looked while checking the oil and didn't give
  that much attention when lubing the car.

  C-300'ly,
  Rich Barber
  Brentwood, CA
  1955 C-300 

  -----Original Message-----
  From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
  Behalf Of John J. Hertog
  Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:20 AM
  To: 'Ray Jones'; 'Rich Barber'
  Cc: mallyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; MJRAGUSE@xxxxxxx; 'Chrysler300'
  Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] The Belt Jumpin' Blues

  Ray is perfectly correct - a matched set of belts consists of two
  "adjoining" belts cut off from the same piece of belt stock. Kinda like two
  adjoining slices of boloni as they come off the meat slicer. This was
  standard practice back in the 60's and, if you look at an old Gates belt
  application book, you will find a notation stating that "matched set
  required"

  I don't even know if matched sets are still available today..

  John Hertog

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