In No Country for Old Men, Anton offers a coin toss to a shop keeper.
There is a row of cable-tie looking items hanging behind the shop keeper. What are they? I have never seen them in a gas station? Must be specific of that time, 1980s or that region.
They are engine accessory drive belts. They are attached between the engine crank shaft and the engine components like:
Most of these separate belts were replaced by one longer drive belt called the serpentine belt. It was attached between all or most of the components listed as well as various pulleys to provide mechanical power from the engine to run them.
Prior to 1990, the belts shown were pretty ubiquitous to every car. And, like any other part, were prone to wear. Checking and replacing them was a common point of regular maintenance. More common than changing tires since your average driver could do it themselves. Almost as common as checking the oil.
These types of belts were thinner than the more robust serpentine belts. The serpentine belt in a shop would look very much like a thicker version of the belts shown. Just doubled up in the package due to their length. Some of the belts in this shot may be early serpentine belts. Their thickness would be the determine factor versus a pack of two, thinner, drive belts.
Even into the beginning of the twenty-first century, cars with regular drive belts would have been plentiful on the American road as daily drivers. Now, they are more of a Collectors item. But, even as late as 2010, I would change my own serpentine belts and tensioner pulleys.
Here's a clip. There are frames that are more zoomed out, such as 4:24. At 0:47, you can see that they're labelled with the number 15540. When I googled that number, the third result was this. Other than the first two results, all of the results on the first page seem to be fan belts. Also, at 0:05, you can see this is a gas station, which suggests that they may be automotive supplies.
