Racing Seats with 4 Point Harness

[devinhal]

I've been thinking about a build like this for a while and I haven't found one on this site. I started with a pair of 60/40 seats in the front of my '99 extended cab. But as with much of my truck I WANT MORE. I got the seats and harnesses in Monday and started work yesterday. Here is a picture of my old seat next to the new racing seat.

The shoulder straps need to be mounted at close to the same height as the shoulders. To do this I decided to build a bar to go across the back of the cab. This is much safer and better looking than just attaching the belts to the back wall. I painted the bar a modest black and waited over night for it to dry.

Started early this morning and drilled the holes in my cab and bolted the bar in place.

I like the way it turned out and can't wait to try them out on the trail over my break.

 

[devinhal]

Seats review

ok now that i've had some time to get used to the seats, I think I have a problem. The back of the seat slowely reclines as I drive. The adjustment stays on the farthest forward setting. I think the whole adjustment system is sliding and allowing the seat to recline. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[Bennybooster]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?! That is the most unsafe harness attachment point I have ever seen, NEVER use harnesses without a cage

 

[ES894x4]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?! That is the most unsafe harness attachment point I have ever seen, NEVER use harnesses without a cage

X2

props on getting a harness bar so the force of a head on impact wont break your back, like mounting the belts to you seat, but this is an EPIC FAIL.

now if you roll over your seats going to keep you firmly in an upright position and you are going to die, instead of being able to lay down against your bench.

 

[doyouquaxu]

x2 what the two guys above me said. way to go doofus!

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I don't have a clue about your seat reclining problem but if you put up some seat info [make and model] maybe someone else will know.

On another note, instead of bashing you I intend to try to enlighten you. Have you ever noticed how the stock over the shoulder harness mounting point is never below the shoulders? That is because in a roll-over or violent impact, the shoulder portion is to hold you back, not down. the lap belt is meant to hold you down. You can have a significant spinal cord injury by having the shoulders in compression in an accident. Without seeing you in the chair,it's hard to know if this is a concern for you, but it may be a very bad thing for your passenger. I know that my shoulder belts come over the seats, not through the holes in the seats for that reason. Here is an in depth article on mounting belts and reasons why they do what they do. The following site is populated by a bunch of ignorant pre-teens for the most part, but their is a lot of good info if you can get by the bullshit. I don't agree with all that is said in this article but it's a great starting point for your research.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Harness_install/
Other good sources are out there, you just have to take the time to search and read lots and then form your own opinions.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

On another note, instead of bashing you I intend to try to enlighten you. Have you ever noticed how the stock over the shoulder harness mounting point is never below the shoulders? That is because in a roll-over or violent impact, the shoulder portion is to hold you back, not down. the lap belt is meant to hold you down. You can have a significant spinal cord injury by having the shoulders in compression in an accident.

They are not that or close to the center of the truck, but for me (6'-3" I ain't terribly oversized) usually the trucks with the seat belt in the seat back are just slightly below my shoulder. That is obviously a three point belt too.

The 4pt without a cage is pointless and dangerous though.

 

[doyouquaxu]

The 4pt without a cage is pointless and dangerous though.

exactly. say this ranger below was the OP's (i know it's an expo). the stock belts let you lean to the center out of harm's way. the 4 points will keep you in the seat, and your life is over.

 

[devinhal]

Ok those are good points. I hadn't even thought about that scenerio. Guess I need to start saving up for a cage.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

^^^ Good attitude. Check the tech sections at the following for ideas on both cages and/or harnesses;
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/rollcage.htm
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/55-Shop-Safety
http://www.offroadfabnet.com/forums/index.php? use the search button
http://www.gmecca.com/byorc/dtipssafetyergo.html
These are just a few of the sites that I went to when I was researching both cages and harnesses. I had a pro do my cage @ C$2500.00 but for what I think you're doing, buying a 6 or 8-point pre-built cage might suffice.
After a lot of research and flipping my race truck, I decided to go with theses guys;
http://www.hookerharness.com/about.php
They have a ratcheting system available on their lap belt that makes sure you are IN your seat. One of the things you don't notice until using a harness that's tight is how much you needed to brace yourself before. In a long race that makes you tired. In my case I liked that it sucked me down into my seat-so no more sliding around.
Anyway, good luck,

Richard

 

[devinhal]

Thanks for all the info and words of wisdom. I'm not a pro on cages, but isn't that about the same as a bed bar? Looking in jegs the 8 point doesn't even have a halo. would this be dif. for my truck? I am also not so much making a race truck as a very agressive wheeler. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Bennybooster]

just return the harnesses

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I took a quick look at jegs and I'm not sure what you mean. They all have a main hoop. A halo is one style of connecting the a-pillars to the main hoop. There are different ways of building cages and I'm no expert. But there are three styles I know of and probably as many as there are cage builders.
1)main hoop [which includes the b-pillars] behind the seats running from DS [drivers side]to PS[passenger side], a halo running from DS main hoop forward to front windshield then over to PS and back to main hoop, the a-pillar running from the front of the door [floor] to the top of the halo.
2)two main hoops, one behind the seats running from DS to PS, and one at the windshield running from DS to PS, tied together at a min. of two points, front to back on both DS and PS as high as possible.
3)two main hoops, one on the DS, one on the PS, tied together at a min. of two points, one behind the drivers seat from DS to PS as high as possible, and one at the windshield DS to PS as high as possible.
Only one contains a halo but all serve the same purpose. One style may be easier to build into the vehicle because of the way the vehicle is built ie: full frame, uni-body, monocoque...
Also this is a very basic over-view and there are lots of very important info left out, like triangulation and how to connect the cage to the vehicle.

Richard

 

[devinhal]

Oh ok that makes sence. I've been doin some research on cages and it looks like a really cool project. I think i'm just goin to order the Jegs 10 point and 4 point and combine the two to build a cage with two hoops behind the seats.

 

[devinhal]

Well latest update on the build. I took out the 4 points and went back to the old harnesses. I figured out the problem with the seats wanting to recline on their own. The tubes that made up the seat frame (cheapo) were cracked. The weld that held on the nut used to connect the seat to the sliders weakened the metal and it cracked. By the time I got home and had access to my tools during break, the crack had gone half way around the tube. So I'm back to square one with the old seats back in. Now I have a couple $130 paper weights. Live and learn. Now back to day dreaming about the next project for my mini.