Topic: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

We've bought a car that's campaigned a couple of years in Lemons. Some of our taller drivers are going over 15degrees in the seat with the current harness bar. Some options we've discussed:
- take the minimum amount of foam padding out for the taller drivers. There might be a 1/2" drop this way, so it'd still be pretty borderline.
- mount the current seat with more tilt to lower the driver's shoulders
- buy a different seat that has a thinner/lower base
- welding in a new, higher harness bar and paired anti-bow bar. Use thicker seat pad for shorter driver

This last option seems attractive because it lets us easily mock up what we need against the existing seat in place, and should come in cheaper than a new seat.

Has anyone done this with a car they bought -- installed an appropriately sized harness bar over/under the old one?
Can you see any problems with passing tech with an added-on pair of harness and anti-bow bars?

2 (edited by jimbbski 2017-07-04 07:48 AM)

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

I see no problem with attaching  an extra tube to your present harness bar. It doesn't have to be a "full length" bar only enough for the two shoulder straps to rest on and not be in danger of slipping off.  Try to space the extra bar away from the present one so that the belts can be fed though the gap so that your shorter drivers are still comfortable.

Some steel plates shaped like the number "8" with holes to match your tube diameter will work as spacers. Just cut off half of one of the loops so it can be welded to the current harness bar.The closed end of the "8" can slip over the added tube. You may be able to just use clamps to hold it in place so that it can be removed. I would however run this past the Lemons Tech guys before the race.

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

jimbbski wrote:

I would however run this past the Lemons Tech guys before the race.

How do we contact them in general?

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

Contact Evil John at pagel@24hoursoflemons.com.  He is the authority on all things cage-related.  If you can send a pic or two of what you are working with, and a pic or two of a mock up of what you intend to do, you should get an answer fairly quickly.

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5 (edited by -SDR- 2017-07-05 01:59 PM)

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

We have two shoulder bars in one of our cars for the same reason.  With the rules clearly showing that the shoulder bar does not need to go past the diagonal bar, having more than one can't be a 'problem'.

In our car the lower one goes all the way across, but the upper does not.    If they make a rule that it has to go all the way across we will deal with it then.    They are spaced JUST far enough apart to be able to swap the harness from one to the other as needed.


Bill

2020 I.O.E. CT #36 The Rootes Of All Evil,1958 Sunbeam Rapier Convertible (YES 1958!!) & 2019 Judges Choice NJMP
2016 Thompson Speedway #36 Sabrina Duncan's Revenge, IOE Trophy, 5th Place 'C' Class 1977 Ford Pinto
2009 Stafford Motor Speedway #16 Team Teflon, 11th Place (overall) 1997 Saturn SL2

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

-SDR- wrote:

In our car the lower one goes all the way across, but the upper does not.    If they make a rule that it has to go all the way across we will deal with it then.    They are spaced JUST far enough apart to be able to swap the harness from one to the other as needed.

Do you end up doing shoulder harness mounting swaps during the race?
We were thinking to just booster up the shortest driver to be able to use the new bar. Or if we wanted to pay to be fast, to have an extra set of shoulder harnesses mounted to the old bar.

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

One of our cars has a traditional outside hoop to diagonal harness bar.  Cage dude welded it too high so we had him add a 2nd bar shaped like a long cabinet handle that is welded to the bottom of the original harness bar and the shoulder belts are wrapped around that 2nd bar.  Have passed tech many, many times like that.  I would strongly discourage you from trying to move shoulder belts from bar to bar.  Way too easy for someone to mess that up during a pit stop.  If you are going this route, use two separate shoulder harnesses.  However, this setup is very unusual.  It's not uncommon to see two submarine belts to accommodate short/tall drivers but two shoulder belts is something I've never seen.  I think I'd tilt the seat back and/or use a bolster before going with two shoulder belt sets.

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita"  1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless) 2002 Jaguar x-type (Winner C-Class 2021 Sears Pointless)
Gone bye-bye
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Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

Our shoulder harnesses are 'attached' to a bar that connects near the bottom of the main hoop.

Also, our 'lower' shoulder bar connects to the main hoop at the same level as the nascar style top door bars (both sides) and goes 'through' the diagonal bar.  The 'upper' shoulder bar is where the belts need to change direction for proper angle to the driver.  The two bars are just barely far enough apart to very quickly move the harness from one to the other IF we ever needed to, but we don't have to at this point.


Bill

2020 I.O.E. CT #36 The Rootes Of All Evil,1958 Sunbeam Rapier Convertible (YES 1958!!) & 2019 Judges Choice NJMP
2016 Thompson Speedway #36 Sabrina Duncan's Revenge, IOE Trophy, 5th Place 'C' Class 1977 Ford Pinto
2009 Stafford Motor Speedway #16 Team Teflon, 11th Place (overall) 1997 Saturn SL2

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

Are there any requirements for the booster pad, in terms of how secured it is or what materials can be used?

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

No requirements on a booster pad being secured. It's under the driver's butt, and the driver is strapped down tight so it's not going anywhere. I'd recommend any seat pad you use being at least made of natural fibers like cotton if not specifically fire-resistant material like nomex. It's outside the driver's fire suit, but they're still sitting on it. I wouldn't want a pillow full of polyester foam anywhere near my crotch in a burning racecar.

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

If you're still looking for a driver, I'm interested.  Send me an email through the forum or to:
dfrmn@vt.edu

I have my own safety gear, live about 2 hours out of Atlanta, and raced at RA multiple times.

Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

My team has drivers of vastly differing proportions,
so the seat is mounted on sliders set at an angle.
It works for everyone since the shorter, thinner drivers
move the seat forward, and thus up, while I move the
seat all the way back and down. I barely clear the 2" height rule,
while they can barely see over the dash and use pads to gain some height.
The harness stays within the appropriate angle range.

Capt. Delinquent Racing
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Re: extra harness bar for team with varied driver height?

Sleeping since July 2017.

Looks like another inadvertent thread resurrection from a login to respond in a different thread.