4 point harness with bench seat

[1971c10La]

Anybody running a 4point harness with a bench seat if so send pics of your set up please i know im gonna need a back bar but dont know how to go about it without puting bars everywhere i would like to have just one bar aross the back of the seat any help thanks

[68Stepbed]

I bolted mine through the floor with 1/4" steel plates to reinforce it. However, I had talked to Rob MacGregor about building a harness bar that uses the 3-point attachment point. I may still have it done sometime soon.

[1971c10La]

Originally Posted by 68Stepbed

I bolted mine through the floor with 1/4" steel plates to reinforce it. However, I had talked to Rob MacGregor about building a harness bar that uses the 3-point attachment point. I may still have it done sometime soon.

You bolted your roll bar with steel plate at bottom of the cab so it comes up over amd back down is there anyway to just go across the cab??

[68Stepbed]

Originally Posted by 1971c10La

You bolted your roll bar with steel plate at bottom of the cab so it comes up over amd back down is there anyway to just go across the cab??

I just bolted the harness through the floor. I have no harness bar or roll bar yet.

I had talked to Rob at an event a few year ago about building a harness bar that bolts to the existing insert for the 3-point attachment, but I never had it made.

[Robznob11]

Just FYI. I dont think any harnesses carry the tag to be legal for street use....not that you would be checked....just saying

[dmjlambert]

Are you saying seat belts need a tag to be legal? Is that like the tag I cut off my mattress?

[stsalvage]

Man in any of my trucks i drive I'm going throw what ever i hit.So the lap belt will stay put in my 1965 It never came with them but i put the lap belt in

[Killer Bee]

safety belts weren't federally required until 1968

FMVSS/NHTSA cert tags are required on all DOT legal safety belts per CFR 571.209

many aftermarket manufacturers like seat belt planet install them on theirs.. not sure about racing applications, check with your manufacturer..

enforcement varies by state however, for instance CA does not conduct periodic safety inspections, other states do..

as for belts without certs, there could be a liability issue though if occupants were injured in an accident, especially on public road ways but possibly even off highway if there was a reasonable expectation of safety..

mattress police however, not to be trifled with

[68Stepbed]

Originally Posted by Robznob11

Just FYI. I dont think any harnesses carry the tag to be legal for street use....not that you would be checked....just saying

Yeah, I know. Luckily Tennessee isn't a strict state on auto laws. I typically don't drive on main highways with the shoulder belts with the bench seat, usually just the lap belts.

These particular harnesses are SFI 16.1 certified for racing applications, but not DOT approved, but I also got them used from a friend that wasn't using them anymore, and the SFI rating is out of date, so I wouldn't pass tech in sanctioned events. However, most of the autocross events I run in really only require you have a safety restraint of some sort. Most guys still use factory 3-point belts.

[Robznob11]

Lol was not trying to be Johnny know it all...it is just what I ran across when I went to buy belts for mine. I could just see Dilbert dipstick denying my inspection to be a jerk! Lol plus I find not want to fight a harness for daily driving. I would however like the added protection for racing!

[68Stepbed]

Originally Posted by Robznob11

Lol was not trying to be Johnny know it all...it is just what I ran across when I went to buy belts for mine. I could just see Dilbert dipstick denying my inspection to be a jerk! Lol plus I find not want to fight a harness for daily driving. I would however like the added protection for racing!

Don't worry. I didn't take it you were trying to be that way. I know if anyone saw how I mounted mine, they'd probably tell me how unsafe it is.

I may upgrade harnesses later and use the "snap in" style that hook to eye bolts, and add a harness bar. I actually switch between the bench and Corbeau racing seats depending on the type of event I'm attending. I could leave the lap belts bolted inplace for the bench, then snap the harnesses in when using the race seats.

Here's how she looks with the Corbeaus installed.

[Killer Bee]

number one, how well they sustain a high speed crash to a dead stop into a hidden ravine..

thankfully, my buddy with a pacemaker and I crawled out unscathed, laughing all the way to camp..



number two, how long they sustain a siesta in the baja sun

[Overdriven]

I’d be tempted to make something that attached to the original 3 point mounting lug too. But I’d probably go from the 3 point mounting lug to the floor with tube the same size as the harness bar. This serves 2 purposes. 1 you can use flat plate to attach to the 3 point mounting lug while keeping the bars tucked. 2 going to the floor prevents the assembly from rotating at all without having to add anything to the walls of the cab making it more easily reversible.

One thing I just want to touch on as it’s important. The mounting point for shoulder harnesses should be as close to shoulder height as possible. When viewed from the side, if the shoulder harness goes down from your shoulder to the mounting point at an angle greater than 15 degrees it will compress your spine during an impact. Less than 15 degrees will just hold you in the seat without compressing your spine.

In the case of bucket seats with harness holes, if the seat is rated to take the load of the harness it’s acceptable to use the holes in the seat to obtain the proper angle. Not all buckets with harness holes are rated to take the load of a harness. Meaning some buckets require a harness bar mounted at the proper height so the seat doesn’t see any load from the harness. But if your bucket seat with harness holes has the proper rating and the holes in the seat give you the proper shoulder harness angle, the shoulder harness mounting point can be wherever you like.