Hot Rods V belts are obsolete?

All these issues should make us appreciate this hobby more.
The parts are there.
Just a little harder to find.
Being different comes with a price

 

As Squirrel pointed out, some belts have the sizes coded on them, but many brands do not. So even if you know the exact sized belt you want for a project, it's really hard to find it.
Also the lengths can be specified by either outside, or pitch circumference which are about 3/4" to 1" different for the sizes of belts we typically use.

I keep hoping Rockauto might start a belt section listed by sizes.

 

This type of thread has come up many times. They (as in chain and non chain parts stores) don't carry many things in stock that we use, it's not a good business model if they do (a lot of stock not moving). Also the average age of the parts "counter person" is that of a 90s car.....if we're lucky.

• It's up to you to do the leg work for your parts now. Know your parts, know your part numbers (old AND new), keep a record of the numbers if need be. I collect old parts books and have a folder on each car.

• Keep some stock on hand if you don't want to wait...that belt (or whatever part) will sit at the warehouse just as long as it will sit at your house.

It sucks, but this is the time we're living in.

 

I walk in with part numbers.
Seldom walk out without parts

 

Almost all part store websites have this feature buried on the page, I don't trust them totally so once I get the application I hit google images to double check. This is why I'm on the computer so much .

 

I really should invest in one of these sooner than later. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2355603369...EUzAc6t3ohXzPGJCGZGcayIT-NTaurPBoCG58QAvD_BwE

 

everything cool is obsolete

 

Including me.

 

Had no idea stores stocked stuff based on demographics. There is a very small privately owned auto parts store in the village (pop 500) closest to me. Never ever went there for anything for almost twenty years figuring “what would they have”. I started going there a couple years ago. Was really surprised at what they had in stk. They are a husband-wife team, getting old, and haven’t seen him the last few times I was there. Feel bad for not going there from the get go…

 

Demographics are typically used in comparison with age and wear. A area with more make or model is going to stock more of those parts. Some stores you go to will stock 4 brake pad sets for a Silverado where a store two towns over might stock one set. Or a city with more fords is going to have more of a selection in store over other manufacturers. Are simple examples.

 

Where you messed up was going to AutoZone lol. Napa or O'Reilly. Or if you're lucky enough to have an advance auto parts near. Even when advance has to order stuff they get it stupid fast. One time I they ordered a flywheel everyone else said was impossible to get. Advance said they'd have it the next morning at 9. When it came in at 11(keep in mind I ordered it at 4 pm lol) they knocked $80 off the price since I had to wait lol

 

I was shocked when I realized that the "late model" parts that we often incorporate into our builds are old and obsolete. For example, other than Jeeps, what is the newest car that came with a 7" seal beam?

 

Freightliner till like 2003

 

I've had 3 different times and different people not no how to use a belt length gauge at the parts store.
Like Squirrel I know how to read the numbers. If I 'm looking for something longer than 7530 I know to get a 7550 or 7560. Just had to yesterday.
Those length's are 53 ,55,56 long.

 

When I was searching for a belt for my flathead build a few years ago, I thought I it wasn’t going to be easy to get one. Went to my local CarQuest store in town. Brought the old original belt. They measured best they could with a tape measure (no belt measuring tool). Ended up ordering three Gates belts in different lengths. Got them within a day IIRC. I didn’t get around to fitting the belt right away, and now own all three. Lol!

 

THIS IS WHY AN ASE PARTS SPECIALIST ARE A MUST and why I quit buying stuff locally because idiots suck.

The counterman you delt with was improperly trained I used to work in the parts stores and I hate incompetence) and he and his coworker are typical parts counterman we all run into and are a product of corporations taking over but I digress.
They absolutely didn't know what they were talking about other then yes v belts are as old as the earth itself (I believe the last vehicle that had a V belt was the hardbody Nissan and that was in 1997.)

As for ordering the belt, they had the part number if they knew how to translate it they could have ordered it.
Gates numbers are simple but different then AutoZone or dayco or Goodyear and a million different brands
So Gates type numbers are super simple but are unfortunately antiquated because they deal with the United States imperial measurement system
Here are the widths:
A= 1/2" Wide (the typical water pump/alternator belt)
B= 5/8" Wide (generally the AC belt)
C= 7/8" Wide (early car wide belt for HAMB description like a model A engine)
And the length is the number
So your belt The "A" translates to 1/2" wide and the "53" is the length in inches
So the modern part number is a product of the unelected President Gerald Fords metrification of the USA but that to digress and it's pretty stupid because it's a hybrid of American and metric and it too will be phased out at some point adding to the confusion)
The modern part number is pretty easy too but not as easy as the old gates number but a good parts man should be able to read all the part numbers.
Your belt is either
"13" width which is metric in millimeters and is about the equivalent of a ½ inch
Or the belt may be read as a "15" which 15/32 of an inch or slightly less then a 1/2" (I have no idea where this measurement came from what was wrong with a half inch?).
So the Autozone duralast width is the first 2 digits of the modern part number it is always either a 13 or a 15 when talking about a half inch wide belt
The next 3 or 4 numbers is the length
So your belt in AutoZone terms is a
"15530" or a "13530"...
Although rare Sometimes the numbers will be reversed so the belt may read 53013 or 53015 or for some reason Goodyear Gator backs Goodyear will measure them in tenths of an inch so your belt could be 15529 (15/32" by 52.9" which I assume is because it's a metric number that Goodyear has translated into that abomination number system).

Thinking out loud here but what I need to do is make a parts store that focuses on restoration and quality American made parts for vintage vehicles and staff it with knowledgeable people know how to read fan belt or spark plug numbers or understand that there is a difference between bonded and riveted brakes...

 

The problem is when a customer is turned away because the employee doesn't know what they are talking about there is a chance that part may never get sold and then it will be discontinued.

 

Kids gotta start somewhere? But, when I asked for a long oil filter for a small block Mopar, the kid disappeared. He came back and went through a book, and disappeared again. An old guy came out and asked if I had been helped? I pointed to the kid. The kid came over with the book, and told the old guy he could find Mazda and Mercury, but no Mopar. I wish the new guys would just say, “I’m new, what’s a Mopar”? Now the old guys look like they might be 30, and probably never heard of a Plymouth or Pontiac, much less a Packard.

 

Years ago I did a stint behind a parts counter. It was quite an education. Those were the days when everything was looked up in parts catalogs, not computers. I learned a lot about parts and people. Things were somewhat simpler then. Cars for the most part were not computerized. A lot of the parts stores then were independent businesses, not chains like today. I try to avoid the chains these days. Most of the independents are gone. There is still a pretty good CarQuest and a NAPA locally. If I go to one of the chains and say I need a belt the first question is, "Year, make and model". I tell them it's a '32 Ford with a '50 Mercury flathead and I get some real blank looks!

 

I take part numbers.
Fastest method to get what ya need
Hasn’t failed yet

 

Don't think that works for Autozone Duralast belts. The belt they had that was closest to my A53 was a 15595, and should have only been about 4" longer, but it was 5"-6" longer. An A53 measures 55" OD, and then you subtract 2" to get the proper ID. At least that's the formula I've always found online, and used to measure my old belt.

I was told that their lack of inventory is because they get taxed each year on stock in each store. So if something doesn't move quickly they don't want items to stay in stock to long when they do fall inventory before taxes.
I've sometimes found that items not at any of the chain stores will be found at what they call "hub stores", so if that's the case they can get them the same day, or I can drive to the hub store. I chose not to screw with it anymore, and just ordered one online.
The V belts on most cars are an "A" width, and most name brand manufacturers use the A, and then belt length for their code. So and A53 is a common number for Gates, Goodyear, and many other quality belts.

 

I didn't used to know that, but now I do. Thanks!

 

I have learned by experience to avoid the auto parts box stores, I prefer to go to the local NAPA that has been here all my life, 99% of the time they have what I need and as a added plus these guys have years of experience. HRP

 

Well the ebay seller of this tool sure doesn't understand V-belts either, he thinks it's for measuring the V-belt tension on your motorcycle(!):

 

I was 20 to 26 years old when I worked at Kragen Auto parts which today is part of O'Reilly's, the woman that hired me was an idiot she didn't know a Packard from a Pontiac. All of my coworkers were pretty much the same way... CSK Auto which was the parent company of Kragen's wanted us to hire a 70% part-time 30% full-time staff... Problem is with the part-time staff a majority of them are college kids that have no interest in automobiles but their parents told them they needed a job.
I obviously was a true gearhead at that time I was a kid and I looked really young in my early twenties. I remember guys in their 40s coming in thinking they would be cocky and show the "Young Buck" a thing or to...
I used to love the old guys that would tell me a small block Chevy is a small block Chevy when they were looking for spark plugs or something along those lines and then I would explain to them different heat ranges and thread reaches... I was the exception not the rule when it came to selling car parts. Every time I transferred to a different store when I would get promoted there was usually on average one person that somewhat new cars sometimes it was late model stuff sometimes it was early stuff or sometimes it was a automotive gearhead that just loved vehicles, everyone of those people that actually knew their job all quit including me because they got tired of everyone in the store asking them to do their job for them at least that would be my assumption.
I don't have a problem at all training or understanding that at one point everybody is the newbie I just have an issue that the stores hire people that realistically have no interest in the crap they are selling. It's just a job to them.
I don't expect people to have part numbers memorized the way I do I just expect them to understand that the belt was a mass produced item and it is a common wear item so even 80 years out the belt is probably available to a parts store.

 

The reason Autozone couldn't match the Gates A53 up is that it is an industrial belt rather than an automotive belt.
Power and motion could have matched it right up.

 

I have found the Tractor Supply stores have a good grade of belts that are intended for farm & ranch use, so they are rather heavy duty, as long as you know your belt length, width & depth (just like you'd need at the auto parts box store anyway), & they usually are not that expensive, either

 

I've been at O'Reilly many times when the "an sbc spark plug is an sbc spark plug...they're all the same" types come. They usually try to belittle the teller when the said teller insists they at least need a year range. I usually step in and start listing examples of how they AREN'T all the same. Like how the plugs in the power pack heads on my 57 283 won't even fit in the 882 heads on my 76 350. Not just thread depth but actual hole size. I then ask them what heads are on their engine. Usually if they even know it's a smog head like my 882s and I ask them why they didn't just say 75 c10 when asked. If they don't know I ask them why did they think they were in a position to belittle someone else over a part for their engine when they don't even know what they're working on? Roflmao. When I go to a parts store that knows me usual first question is either "what paint code?" Or "how many different vehicles to you need to look up parts for today?" Lol.

 

I had some customers that were really knowledgeable in fact one that sticks in my head was I had a WWII vet named Elden that was a Street Rodder with a beautiful 31 Victoria Street rod (it wasn't my style but I can appreciate the work that went into that car), I met him while working at the store near my house, he was a really good guy and I'm sorry I didn't know him sooner he passed away shortly after I met him but he was a die-hard gearhead and a hot rodder since before the war living in Riverside Ca his whole life.

Here comes the retail rant in 3,2,1...

Unfortunately he was the exception not the rule a vast majority of customers did not even know what kind of car they were driving and that is not an exaggeration I would have people tell me they are driving a "1989 Toyota Areostar" and I would go out into the parking lot to verify their vehicle and it wasn't even a minivan or a Toyota or a Ford Areostar it was actually a Mitsubishi pickup how in the F do they screw that up but yet they feel confident enough to buy parts for it... or another one that I still remember was a "1983 jeep Wrangler", I remember on the "Jeep Wrangler" I was expecting to go outside (to the parking lot) and see a CJ7 or maybe some kind of Jeep product, nope boy was I wrong, I go outside and it's not even a Jeep it was a two-door Dodge Raider, I guess the basic shape is kind of the same but I still don't understand how you can confuse such an iconic car with a Raider... The worst part was is they did not know what car they were driving so I would sell them the parts to the wrong car and then they would blame me for them not knowing what kind of car they were driving and me selling them the wrong parts because they told me the wrong car... What's funny is they didn't even understand that the Dodge Raider isn't a jeep and jeep Wrangler isn't a generic word but a brand and model...
Then I would have customers come in with a oddball part and they would tell me that they "need this" and it was some weird OEM vacuum something or other and I would look at them and say "I'm pretty good with my parts but I have no idea what that is so what is it?" They would respond with "I don't know my mechanic says it's broke" I would say call their mechanic figure out what the part is and I will do my best research it, they would call their mechanic their mechanic would tell them that they don't know what the part is either I would ask them how do they know the part is bad if they don't know what it is, I would ask how they could test something if they didn't know what it did... Then they would be mad because I didn't know what the part was, not to brag about myself but I'm a damn Rolodex of car parts ranging from the early 20th century all the way up until about 10 years ago I'm familiar with probably every car sold in the United States and I would say I know a vast majority of the parts on said cars with the exception of some of the goofy emission stuff from the 1980s there was a lot of stuff that would only run for a year or two and I did it memorize it all.
So moving on
Then there was opportunist thieves, those were the guys that you would accidentally give them too much money back in their change and they would never ever ever ever say "hey you gave me too much change" instead they would pocket it. Then at the end of the evening you would come up short in your drawer or your till whatever you want to call it and you would get in trouble like you stole the money and usually you kind of know when the money disappeared because you replay the customers in your head and you can recall the ones that were acting funny... I'm still mad about those guys to this day and it happened more than once I was a piss poor cashier I won't deny that I was an excellent part salesman but I would say I was mediocre on the cashier front thank God I got promoted away from doing that as a full time gig. Then there was the blatant thieves, I used to like humans until I worked retail both at harbor freight and Kragen Auto parts I never realized how many thieves there are in society. I am honestly shocked more stuff isn't locked up like it is at Walmart, people would steal the shirt off your back if they could, I would be cleaning the store in the evening and it would find empty packages on pretty much every aisle and it didn't matter if I was in a bad neighborhood like Pomona California or a good neighborhood like when I was working in Irvine for a few months... It's not like the items were expensive either it would be like an air cleaner wing nut or a cheap Pennzoil oil filter or those little smelly trees I would imagine an entire Forest of smelly trees got stolen at every store every quarter.

Selling Auto parts has made me loose hope in humanity from customers to co-workers to professional mechanics I'm still trying to figure out how these people weren't Darwined out of existence I am trying to figure out how a lot of them managed to function as adults or how come some of them weren't thrown in prison...

To anyone reading this in the future my personal opinion is buy your stuff online or at a mom and pop Auto parts store, let the chain stores go out of business.

 

We, as old car hobbyist/owners are the experts on parts for our cars.
No one knows more than we do about our cars, realizing that will make life much easier.
Keep all pertinent information logged in a book, or at least in our minds (wouldn't trust that).
Building a Hot Rod, requires research/knowledge of parts and components, don't expect todays counter person to share your passion.