IMO flipping the 2 belt sections isn't a good plan. The belts take a "set" where they park non the two drums. The "set" is largely responsible for the failure to move dilemma.
Between the set and the hard/oxidized surface of a 40 year old belt, it is easy for the belt to slip at the deformity ion start-up.
Flipping the belt might be helpful if the service side is real glazed, but the now backwards "U" where it had parked is now bigger and on the opposite side of the belts.
I always scuff up the service side of the belt with ScotchBrite, de-glaze the drums by lateral strokes with 320 wet or dry paper, then a belt dressing, the name of which evades me.
Springs don't need any help here unless the belt has stretched. I've only found one stretched belt in the 6 PXs I've serviced. Ion that case I did shorten the springs by the amount of the stretching.
Somewhere on this forum is my post; it details the length of a (new) factory belt and the type of belt dressing (I tried 5 dressings on latex gloves to confirm they didn't degrade rubber)
After doing the above, the arm climbed at least a 20* pitch, probably 30*. I didn't measure.