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Aftermarket seats, belt mounting

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Old 03-22-2012, 02:12 PM
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Default Aftermarket seats, belt mounting

Disclaimer: this car is not going to be tracked. Strictly a weekend toy.

I recently got new seats. I am reusing the stock sliders, and making plates/bars to attach the new seat. On the old seats, the receiver is mounted to the side of the seat, and there is a long flat metal bar that attaches to the anchor point on the rear of the trans tunnel.

The new seats have no provision for mounting the receiver to the side. So, how to do it? Just mount that metal bar to the tunnel and let it hang loose in front? That doesn't seem quite right. Make a bracket mounted to the stock sliders for the front? Anyone else have different seats but not harnesses?

Harnesses are intended for the future, but I have no rollbar at this time. Mounting to the stiffener bar in the rear doesn't sound like it would be strong enough for the shoulder belts. Is there a way to mouint them that is considered acceptable (safe)?
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Old 03-23-2012, 09:07 AM
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Nothing? No suggestions, no telling me to search?

I'm gonna have to install a style bar and attach the home made harness to that.
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Old 03-23-2012, 10:39 AM
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What kind of seat is it? Brand/model?

Companies like Sparco/Corbeau/425Motorsports etc. make bolt-in seat brackets for street/"tuning" reclining seats that often have a tab in place to relocate the belt receiver. They often also work with their own sliding track. Looks something like this:



Probably your best bet if you want to do it right with no headaches.

Harnesses are a whole other bag of worms. Yes, you want something more solid than anything the factory interior has to offer in terms of mounting - I'd wait until you get a rollbar with an integrated harness bar. That, and "sport" harnesses almost always suck. If its a reclining seat, harnesses are no bueno as strapping yourself to a seat that can easily bend in an accident does weird and bad things to your body.

The 4-point "tuning" harnesses aren't great either, with few exceptions (Schroth ASM), as you'd run the risk of submarining without a 5th/6th point.
Attached Thumbnails Aftermarket seats, belt mounting-planted%2520seat%2520bracket%2520ct9a%2520sb049dr.jpg  
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Old 03-23-2012, 12:27 PM
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Seat brand is eBay cheap. They are modeled after the Recaro SRD.

They came with sliders, but they sit out too wide, and hit the tunnel. Use of the stock sliders lets them sit level.

I guess, based on your pic above, that I'll incorporate some sort of mounting tab to attach the stock belt slider in the front. Thank you and props for the info.
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Old 03-26-2012, 06:02 PM
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I'd really like to use the sliders, because I'd hate to bolt it down only to find I didn't have it in the right place. I drew up brackets today at work, but couldn't find any material. They have stainless, but it's only .078 thick, and I don't think that's strong enough. I'll probably either double it up, or order material from McMaster-Carr. Most likely use the double thickness, as that's free from the scrap bin.
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