Swapping the colors.
First locate a local boot or shoe repair shop. This is because they have thicker needles that can handle the fabric.
Take your newly freed belts and the new fabric to the shop and tell them to switch over the hardware to the new set.
Important things to Bring:
Anchor
Buckle
Pulley
Spindle Pin
Important things to mention:
Length should be the same
Orientation of the hardware needs to be the same
Length of the area of fabric that is folded over and sewn (at both ends) should be the same
And once again ORIENTATION of the hardware needs to be the same as the orientation of the hardware to the way the fabric is sewn.
So once you have gotten back your nifty new belts it is time to put them back in. (before you take them from the store do a quick quality control of the belts just make sure they were done well and that the cut fabric was melted at the ends so that it doesnt fray. if they are not hit them quick with a lighter.)
heres mine before it was sewn up:
The Process of putting them back in is easy.
if all of the orientation is correct just put them in the way they came out.
Just take a look at your old belts and notice which direction the fabric rolled. In my car and in my spare set of belts the belt wound up with the underside of the belt on the inside (spindle side) and the top of the belt outside.
This means that if your shop paid attention to detail the underside is the side that the flap is on at the two ends.
so this is the TOP
and this is the bottom
and the same goes for the spindle pin side.
Take your spindle as in this picture with your stopper in place:
Grab your new belt and put the plastic feeder piece on the belt like in this picture:
remove the stopper but FIRMLY HOLD THE SPINDLE do not let it spin.
With the other hand take your new belt and with the BOTTOM of the belt (IE once again the side with the sewn tab on it as noted before) facing you, because remember you are holding the spindle like in the picture.
Push the loop through.
Once the loop is through put in your spindle pin. pull tight
Now let the spindle reel back up.
Repeat for the other side.
it should look like this.
now put your car back together.
and the finished product courtesy of a friend of mine as a passenger.
Final note. do not forget your buckle stoppers. and post up your final pics.
This is the first rendition of the DIY let me know of any serious mistakes and concerns and ill fix it. also ask questions and i will edit the tuturial to address it.
