Racing seats

[Bigfoots N Mopars]

This won’t be a dedicated Drag car. When it does goes out in public I want to run these seats as they fit the theme of the car. My roll bar will have a bar behind the drivers seat to attach the harness belts , and we are waiting to add the side shoulder bars. Has anybody ran the harness through the factory bucket seats? I don’t have the base tracks to mount these seats. Thinking of making some base that I could maybe switch out these buckets quick and mount Just one racing seat when at the track. Anybody doing something like this. Pics if you can.

 

[vintage chromoly]

That’s a neat old school bar.
That said, your lateral cross bar doesn’t meet the requirements.
The harness is supposed to be attached to a lateral crossbar (welded in and going between the vertical main hoop bars) no more than 4” below the drivers shoulders and no higher than the shoulders.

If you aren’t getting it certified and it’s just for kicks, it’s not a big deal, but to properly install harnesses, that angled brace won’t cut it.

I have seen guys modify factory seats with 2 pass through areas to pass the harness belts through.
Mostly for show and shine type of hot rods. Racing seats will have those 2 locations built into them as I’m sure you know.

I bet a good upholstery shop could modify those seats in your pics

 

[Bigfoots N Mopars]

Thanks

That’s a neat old school bar.
That said, your lateral cross bar doesn’t meet the requirements.
The harness is supposed to be attached to a lateral crossbar (welded in and going between the vertical main hoop bars) no more than 4” below the drivers shoulders and no higher than the shoulders.

If you aren’t getting it certified and it’s just for kicks, it’s not a big deal, but to properly install harnesses, that angled brace won’t cut it.

I have seen guys modify factory seats with 2 pass through areas to pass the harness belts through.
Mostly for show and shine type of hot rods. Racing seats will have those 2 locations built into them as I’m sure you know.

I bet a good upholstery shop could modify those seats in your pics

Thanks for the heads up, car should break into 10s. Might have to rethink that???

 

[dvw]

My Volare has very similar seats. My wife cut and sewed the covers not only for the shoulder strap but the crotch strap as well. There is a flap of material sewn into the cut that the belt goes thru to protect the rest of the cover. But first your bar needs to pass these specs.
Doug

 

[66Satellite47]

BigFoot, give me a call when you have a chance, I have some thoughts. Bill

 

[Bigfoots N Mopars]

My Volare has very similar seats. My wife cut and sewed the covers not only for the shoulder strap but the crotch strap as well. There is a flap of material sewn into the cut that the bet goes thru to protect the re
st of the cover. But first your bar needs to pass these specs.
Doug
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SOOOO. looks like we will re-do the hoop. . The seat idea is exactly what I was thinking so thanks for the pictures!

 

[Bigfoots N Mopars]

THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE INFO ON THE HOOP.! The rear bars are just tacked in... so we can start from scratch. Bill, this is where the rear bars end in the trunk... So guys should we re-do and extend to above the shackles??? Or is this Ok?

 

[6PKRTSE]

I was going to do this very thing with my factory seats but decided to go with some custom
made Kirkey's for my car. Need to start taking some weight out of this all steel beast somewhere.

 

[dvw]

THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE INFO ON THE HOOP.! The rear bars are just tacked in... so we can start from scratch. Bill, this is where the rear bars end in the trunk... So guys should we re-do and extend to above the shackles??? Or is this Ok?

View attachment 912527

Those bars will work. You can add a bar on each side. Go from the bend straight back to the area at the shackle. Not totally necessary. I did mine since the factory wheel tub add WAY more strength to the 1/4 panel . Mine doesnt have factory wheel tubs

Doug

 

[66Satellite47]

Mark, I'd add a bar on each side from what you already have back to the shackle area. Could be either straight or the bent version like dvw's. Bill

 

[Mike Gaines]

In 1967 when I built my Funny Car there was NO SUCH THING as Kirkey Seats, Jegs Seats or etc. So...I went to the local Lawn & Garden store and bought a plastic lawn chair seat with round steel legs. Unbolted the legs and put a couple holes in either side of it and bolted it in between the 2 sections of my roll bar coming down beside the seat.
Lucky I never crashed it. I think my cage would have held up but the seat would have been a HUGE problem.
As I look back in it I think for a 25 year old guy doing 100% of the fab work in the back room of my Speed Shop it turned out pretty good.
I altered the wheel base, set the engine back 26", installed the Tube Front Axle, welded up the cage, did all the tin work, etc, etc, with no specialty tools whatsoever. Notice there was NO "bends" in the roll cage, all the tin work was just flat aluminum sheets. I made the windshield out of a big sheet of plexiglass from the local hardware store. Screwed it in at the center and then gently heated in and "wrapped" around and screwed it in as I went.

 

[66Satellite47]

Mike, it is interesting the stuff we were able to do with little to no special tools & in my case no training. Got lots of tools now though!

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

In 1967 when I built my Funny Car there was NO SUCH THING as Kirkey Seats, Jegs Seats or etc. So...I went to the local Lawn & Garden store and bought a plastic lawn chair seat with round steel legs. Unbolted the legs and put a couple holes in either side of it and bolted it in between the 2 sections of my roll bar coming down beside the seat.
Lucky I never crashed it. I think my cage would have held up but the seat would have been a HUGE problem.
As I look back in it I think for a 25 year old guy doing 100% of the fab work in the back room of my Speed Shop it turned out pretty good.
I altered the wheel base, set the engine back 26", installed the Tube Front Axle, welded up the cage, did all the tin work, etc, etc, with no specialty tools whatsoever. Notice there was NO "bends" in the roll cage, all the tin work was just flat aluminum sheets. I made the windshield out of a big sheet of plexiglass from the local hardware store. Screwed it in at the center and then gently heated in and "wrapped" around and screwed it in as I went.

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Mike,your one of the guys here that I have so much respect for! You HAVE been there and done that and your straight up with no other screen names,Just your name.I dig the fact that your still at it balls deep and can still cut a light!

 

[66Satellite47]

Mike is an ICON. We are lucky to benefit from his experience.

 

[biomedtechguy]

Class act too!
Mike Gaines has offered me advice, and was patient and thorough.
Thanks @Mike Gaines!