Conveyer belt material for body pads

W

wrndln

Well-known member
Does anyone know where 3/16" corded conveyer belt material can be found - used would be OK? I bought some body pads from a reputable parts supplier and they were not even close to what was originally used. They were to thin and had no cording in them. Someone said Tractor Supply carried the belted material, but I could not find it on their website.
Rusty Nelson
 
Look up "conveyer belts" in you local area. There should be a supplier there. Or find a local manufacturing plant and see the Maintenance Manger, might get some samples....
 
Jim Parker Toronto said:
Look up "conveyer belts" in you local area. There should be a supplier there. Or find a local manufacturing plant and see the Maintenance Manger, might get some samples....
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Jim has the right idea. You won't need much, and a belt supplier could have some scraps. Lots of different manufacturers have big conveyor belts, and when they are changed there is a lot of good scrap. Ask around your area.
 
Mac's surplus has a good variety, but they are in Watertown and Aberdeen S.D., and Detroit Lakes, MN.

About 5 miles south of my house, there is a conveyor belt store/factory and when I told the owner that I needed pads for my Model A he gave me some.
 
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Go to your local CO-OP elevator. Basicly the same belting material used in bucket elevators. I have about a 6' strip of the stuff that still has the buckets on it. Let me know if you don't find any. Rod
 
If anybody cares....original stuff seems to measure between .170 & .186 at areas that have never seen body weight.
That's on the skinny side of 3/16 but maybe it shrunk after 80 yrs.
There was a single fabric layer.
 

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Tractor supply has it but it isn't conveyor belt it is the belt for use in round balers. Try a different search term on their site or just give them a call. Try your local small engine repair shop and see if they have any used paddle material from single stage snow blowers. It is the same type of stuff.
Dave
 
Rusty

send me a list of your requirements. I have a stash that I think I might be able to get you what you need. I have some already cut, and a choice of thicknesses.
 
Semi tractor-trailer mud flap material at truck stops, Farm and Fleet, TSC, etc. come in different thicknesses and belted or not. I've even been Dutch enough to pick up torn off mud flaps along the back roads and scrounge the local gravel pits (with permission) for conveyor belting.
 
got a 100lb roll. It's a nylon impregnated polyester. I would need to mic it as I think it's thicker than 3/16. I bought it by the pound at a junkyard.:cool:
 
Sling strap material for a wrecker sling is the same strong corded material as conveyor belting. You can look for an old wrecker in a junkyard and cut the straps off, or try a wrecker/tow truck supplier.
 
Check McMaster Carr --- I bought some converyor belting material, by the foot, from them about 5 years ago.
 
As mentioned it's baler belting and the Tractor Supply here has it in stock. If your Tractor Supply has it and you think you will need it, buy it now. While the website shows three different widths (and we could use any of them), my store had seven inch. It is on close-out for 99 cents per foot as they are changing to only full length rolls up to $49.99/$69.99 or so.
 
To be honest, the Tractor Supply stores in my area do not carry anything that is remotely close in thickness or aesthetics, and while I did buy several sheets from McMaster, it really does not look like the original material either as the thread count on the exposed areas is way more, ...and those exposed threads are thinner in size.

I was hoping to find a sheet or two of some authentic looking material and have it water-jetted to the correct shape for those desiring authentic looking pads. Even the repro shapes that are available from vendors are not that correct based on what I have experienced.

.
 
I have used various sources for such rubber type materiael ---golf cart floor mat(old ones with hole by gas pedal have lots of other good areas), truck mud flaps from along side of road, one time I was in supermarket whan they were changing checkout belt, gave me old one with torn edge, while on vacation in China I went to the buisness materiael district, found a rubber store, they had everything, found some rubber in the same pattern as my 53 Citroen needed --for 10$ I got enough in 3 thicknesses to have 10 attemps at making what I need---then to the sandpaper store, then ball bearing store ---the same flapper sanding discs that are here at 5-9$ were !$, ---
The old time plumbing store also has had some rubber sheet gasket in different thicknesses that I have used for body shims and as has been mentioned, Mc master carr, grainagers, Fastenall, reid supply etc.
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
To be honest, the Tractor Supply stores in my area do not carry anything that is remotely close in thickness or aesthetics, and while I did buy several sheets from McMaster, it really does not look like the original material either as the thread count on the exposed areas is way more, ...and those exposed threads are thinner in size.


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While I don't disagree, 99% of those restoring Model A's are not doing them for fine-point judging. Therefore, something is better than nothing. In most cases it may take more than one thickness to true everything so if the mult of Tractor Supply's offering works than it's viable. I wonder if a judge will even detect the difference from original given the dark relatively hidden place these are installed. (and this comes from someone who has done four fine-point A's)
 
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