Original 356 C Spare Tire Straps
Fairly easy to tell original from reproduction on these parts. But, over time the reproduction belts will become aged and stressed, and look more like a 50 year old belt.
Please look carefully at the buckles. The reproduction ones I have had in my hands have a curved prong. The originals are straight as you can see in the photo. Also, the tip of the prong is pointy in the originals, not simply cut off.
There have been several attempts at reproducing these, but I do not believe any of the attempts have the buckle correct. Look closely at the original, and you'll notice that the sides of the buckle have a flat surface on the top and bottom. The reproduction buckles are made from round stock.
Given just the above info, you should be able to tell reproduction from original, even if someone finally gets the leather right. Not all of the original belts I have owned (about 7 or 8), have identical leather. There are slight differences in the length, width, thickness, and even in the appearance of the "lines" that run the length of the sides. Some belts have this feature more pronounced, some it is barely visible at all. Perhaps this is due to wear.
By the way, the length of this belt is 36". In my experience, spare tire straps for the disc brake cars are this length and the ones for the drum brake cars are actually shorter. That is because of the difference in the center of the wheel. The hole in the center of the drum brakes cars is larger, meaning the distance from the strap mount is closer. You'll also see lots of belts that have been cut short because of a bad end. That is evidenced by the holes in the belt being closer to the end.
Please look carefully at the buckles. The reproduction ones I have had in my hands have a curved prong. The originals are straight as you can see in the photo. Also, the tip of the prong is pointy in the originals, not simply cut off.
There have been several attempts at reproducing these, but I do not believe any of the attempts have the buckle correct. Look closely at the original, and you'll notice that the sides of the buckle have a flat surface on the top and bottom. The reproduction buckles are made from round stock.
Given just the above info, you should be able to tell reproduction from original, even if someone finally gets the leather right. Not all of the original belts I have owned (about 7 or 8), have identical leather. There are slight differences in the length, width, thickness, and even in the appearance of the "lines" that run the length of the sides. Some belts have this feature more pronounced, some it is barely visible at all. Perhaps this is due to wear.
By the way, the length of this belt is 36". In my experience, spare tire straps for the disc brake cars are this length and the ones for the drum brake cars are actually shorter. That is because of the difference in the center of the wheel. The hole in the center of the drum brakes cars is larger, meaning the distance from the strap mount is closer. You'll also see lots of belts that have been cut short because of a bad end. That is evidenced by the holes in the belt being closer to the end.