V-belt reliability

[Ed S.]

Looking for alternator and water pump V-belts for a 64 L76, no A/C. There is an old thread in the forum - last posting was in 2004 where members highly recommended Quanta belts for appearance and judging but they also said they have a tendency to stretch or break and are not all that reliable. Do members have any recent (and more favorable) experience with Quanta V-belts, or belts from any other vendors for that matter? Looking for belts with the correct embossed GM logo & part numbers. Corvette Central carries them as well.

Just looking for comments or recommendations regarding the reliability of correct appearing repro V-belts.

[Dan H.]

Re: V-belt reliability

Hi Ed, have run Quanta belts on my 64 FI for 29 thousand miles, no problems, just normal wear same as original belts years ago. The fit was exact also.
Dan

[Ed S.]

Re: V-belt reliability

Hi Ed, have run Quanta belts on my 64 FI for 29 thousand miles, no problems, just normal wear same as original belts years ago. The fit was exact also.
Dan

Dan - thanks for the quick reply - glad to hear the belts work. Others have said they flip over when they ran up to 6k rpm. I am thinking they may have had other issues, wrong pulleys or misalignment.

[Larry M.]

Re: V-belt reliability

No reliability issues with Quanta belts. On my car last 20+ years.

Having said that, I did find it very (very) difficult to get the proper length belts for my car: 1967 327/350 HP with factory air and no power steering. Had two or three exchanges before getting correct fitting belts. I would highly suggest you know exactly the sizes you need (width and length) and make certain these are what you will get. Part numbers may or may not match these lengths.

I found out there were two AC belts, with A and B suffix and same part number. Difference of about 2 inches. The correct alternator belt was from a 64-65 327/350 HP and 327/365HP factory air car.

My car is original 27K miles with all factory correct pulleys per AIM and NCRS.

But when finally obtained correct length and width belts, wear and aging are very good

FWIW.

Larry

[Jeff B.]

Re: V-belt reliability

I replaced the four belts on my 67 BB air car about 3 years ago. Since so few (if any) of today's cars even use the older type V-belts, I worry that many of these belts have been hanging in distribution warehouses for years and years. Don't know what effect age has on the integrity of these, been hanging in a warehouse for how long. I went to a local part supplier who let me look at his inventory (Gates brand) and noticed differences in the sleeves on the belts. Was able to select what appeared to be his "freshest" belts. Don't know how long before dry rot sets in, but these belts still look good as new.

[Mike M.]

Re: V-belt reliability

go with Quanta ed. mike

[Ed S.]

Re: V-belt reliability

go with Quanta ed. mike

Done. Thanks Mike

[Joe L.]

Re: V-belt reliability

No reliability issues with Quanta belts. On my car last 20+ years.

Having said that, I did find it very (very) difficult to get the proper length belts for my car: 1967 327/350 HP with factory air and no power steering. Had two or three exchanges before getting correct fitting belts. I would highly suggest you know exactly the sizes you need (width and length) and make certain these are what you will get. Part numbers may or may not match these lengths.

I found out there were two AC belts, with A and B suffix and same part number. Difference of about 2 inches. The correct alternator belt was from a 64-65 327/350 HP and 327/365HP factory air car.

My car is original 27K miles with all factory correct pulleys per AIM and NCRS.

But when finally obtained correct length and width belts, wear and aging are very good

FWIW.

Larry

Larry-----

GM never had "A" and "B" suffix for belt part numbers and belts of a certain part number were only one length. I think what happened here is that Quanta had belts made with a certain GM part number but with a length that differed from the original belts of that part number. Why? Well, I expect it was "by popular demand" so that folks could get a belt that fit and still have the part number to satisfy judging standards. The fact of the matter is I believe that the belt part numbers shown in the AIM are in some cases not the actual ones used in PRODUCTION.

[Richard G.]

Re: V-belt reliability

Sure belts have a shelf life.
Most manufactures recommend 4 to 6 years.
And all qualify it as "under ideal conditions."

In an industrial environment I have documented V belt drives last over 5 years, running 24 hours a day. They are amazing if installed correctly (aligned and tensioned)

I used to have issues with loosing the V belt on my 57 Corvette. Of course it was typically ridden hard and put away wet. (I have owned the car since I was 20. 40 + years ago. It had a 302 in it from a 69 Z28 at that time.
If I used the belts with the X in the number (the ones with the notches on the inside diameter) the belt would typically turn upside down on the first high rpm shift.
I could always tell when the belt was knocked clear of the pulleys because the tachometer would quit. I figured out if i used the standard style belt i.e. no notches, like the stock belt, it would stay on longer, much longer. I still always carried a spare.

Later in life I found out the X belts are designed to carry a larger load and run longer than the old style belts. This is in an industrial environment of course. Obviously when you are driving your car like a rented mule things are different. When impact loading is an issue, i.e. 4 or 5 speed, I would use the standard belt.

Stories from a long time ago. Some of them are even true.
I received a traffic ticket once because they heard me. (his words not mine). I paid it, as I figured it was for all the times they didn't catch me.

Rick

[Edward J.]

Re: V-belt reliability

Ed, V- Belts can have a shorten life if the belts are over tightened. I have a set of Quanta belt and a set of Gates belts - for everyday driving.

[Larry M.]

Re: V-belt reliability

Larry-----

GM never had "A" and "B" suffix for belt part numbers and belts of a certain part number were only one length. I think what happened here is that Quanta had belts made with a certain GM part number but with a length that differed from the original belts of that part number. Why? Well, I expect it was "by popular demand" so that folks could get a belt that fit and still have the part number to satisfy judging standards. The fact of the matter is I believe that the belt part numbers shown in the AIM are in some cases not the actual ones used in PRODUCTION.

Joe:

You are correct, and I probably needed to be more specific in my reply. The A and B suffix were developed and used by Quanta. In this case (factory AC belt) it was to accommodate either the standard compressor clutch pulley or the large compressor clutch pulled used by the 365 HP cars. But this information was never published in Quanta booklets...........you either had to know it or it was trial and error or luck.

I have no idea about the alternator belt, which was correct for my type of car in 64-65...........but not supposed to work for 67.

But now I have the Quanta Part Numbers and the exact lengths required...........so going forward it is not an issue. But the belts are holding up so well, they may outlast me.

Larry

[Gene M.]

Re: V-belt reliability

The only thing I could add is I’ve had warped belts flip over at high RPM’s. Replaced it with a molded one and all’s well. Not saying one style is any better than the other, just my experience. Deep groove pulleys have a major factor. But one wants the correct style pulley for judging.

[John S.]

Re: V-belt reliability

I have seen them flip over. My preference for everyday use is always Gates.