I'm just in the planning stages of making the upper harness mountings. My seats don't have harness holes so the effective mounting rules don't apply and the measurments will be from the belt mounting point rather than the seat.

Looking at the chassis dimensions, in particular K4, the top tube "O" would be the correct place to place the upper mountings only if you have no seats at all.

In the diagram below I've approximated my seat base and I would need the mounting to be at least 80mm above tube "O". This is a large amount to make up be having mountings attached to tube "O" so I propose to install a horizontal bar low down on the roll bar with either tubes or threaded portions welded in. The diagram below shows the issue with cross section of the proposed mountings.

Anybody have any comments? The roll bar is bolted to the chassis, is this an issue? Even if I thread the tubes for mounting the belts to I was going to add a Nylock on the bottom for extra security - good idea or overkill?

thanks

Andrew
Rescued attachment Seatbelt Mounting.jpg

apart from the rollbar being bolted, what you propose sounds exactly like the way luego do it - extra horizontal tube welded between rollbar uprights at appropriate height with threaded tube welded in.

You want a bar across as shown HERE as shown on the late lamented Tangerine Dream

Cheers

Chris

But my harness straps are v v long, so i was thinking of passing the straps over the horizontal bar, then dropping them vertically down, and anchoring them on a plate, through the rear bulkhead, on the bottom rail.
Its either that or cut the harness straps, and do what you did, but I dont fancy cutting straps etc etc

I'm in the same boat atm. Was looking at it this afternoon trying to work out how to do the upper mounts.

CHrisg, I cant replicate that position with my cage layout

see here

Was wondering whether with the full cage I could argue that a thick plate on the top of the crossmembers behind the seats was strong enough.

Time to approach the SVA man I think?

ATB

Dave

Jumpy Guy I've seen it done like that so you should be ok.

Dave, I think you would be ok to do as you say from a srength point of view but would it be high enough as the straps cant slope down to the mount behind the seats. They have to be level or slope up to the mount.

cheers

Chris

Chris,

From you photo of the tangerine dream, it looks like your roll bar was bolted on. Did it pass SVA like this?

Andrew

Chris,

Its strange that you say that, the instructions in the bag for my Willens harneseses say it can slope down but by no more than 20 degrees. Then there's a little diagram illustration with rear anchorages and an an arc with 20 deg in it .

Gonna try and see an SVA man tommorrow.

ATB

Dave

Andy, I should point out that this is not my car, it's the Plastic Tank Man's, but yes it did pass the sva in this configuration.

Dave, that might be the best bet now, as I've looked and I can't find the Diagram that I remember!

Mind like a collander!

Cheers

Chris

Hi Chaps,

I popped into Southampton SVA centre to ask about this today.

Had a good chat with 5 different inspections officers all of whom seemed interested and sought the opinion of another, adding to the crowd and giving opinions plus scribbling on my printout of the photo from my archive.

No definitives but I was basically left with two options:

1: Mount the upper mountings on simple "n" shaped ERW bulkhead extensions AND triangulate these with ERW fore and aft!

- yeah right!.

OR

2: Cut off my diagonal rear cage bracing and fit a horizontal replacment (as with the "Tangerine Dream" picture).

Brutal - but I guess this is my only option.

It was made explicit that the way they interpret the rules, if the belts go through seat slots the whole seat is tested for strength as if it was the main chassis mounting for the belts

Unless - The belt passes horizontally through the seat slot relieving the seat of the load. They said to mount the cross bar at the height that has the eye bolts level with the slots.

And use crush tubes?

And I have to get a letter to prove the grade of the eyebolts - Feckit. FFS

Plus the usual caveat "....of course we'd have to see it 1st none of this is gospel."

They seemed ok..... ish. They were interested though, but then they deal with all the Jap Crap pickups and SUV's that come in through the Southampton docks, (and there were a stream of these coming an going whilst I was there)

Kinda geeky spuds tho all of em, if u know what I mean. In a nice way of course.



And the answer is - you'll have to see what the bods at your local SVA office think

ATB

Dave

[Edited on 24/9/03 by Sideways 2 Victory]

[Edited on 24/9/03 by Sideways 2 Victory]

I knew I'd seen something about the belts being horizontal, Is there no other way than cutting up your cage?

Cheers

Chris

[Edited on 24/9/03 by chrisg]

If I pass my harnesses through the seat slots, horizontally to the roll bar lower horizontal, then they are effectively taking the load...
can i then go vertically down, over the top of the roll bar horizontal, to a mount?

Yes, I think so, but nobody who's actually done it has posted, I'll try and find a picture from somewhere.

Cheers

Chris

Hi chaps,

Whats the situation if you have no harness holes in your seats? I have low backed seats and h have quite a long back. Do you just have to mounth them level or just over the horizontal line of your shoulder so thet are either level or slopy slightly upwards?

Cheers

Colin