quick question reguarding seatbelts

-Dash- · 08-25-2004, 12:48 PM

hello fine gents, just had a quick question.

im getting a 2002 suberu WRX (not sti) and i was wondering about seatbelts.

i want to buy seatbelts similer to these and install them.

now, this pic is just an example, but i would be getting the latch type.

but for the Subaru WRX, would i need to get the "individual" type, or the "Y-Type"?
or does it not matter?

and would i need to buy anything else to install them?
like "eye bolts" or "floor mounts"?

and if so, can you please link me to some instructions?

this is with the default subaru seats, in mind. (ill get better seats when i can afford them)

my reason for wanting to buy these belts, is because i have 1 pair allready but its missing the metal latches so im going to buy a new pair, and my driving style i sit with my back to the seat and my head against the headrest, and the default belts just dont do it for me.

any help would be greatly apreciated. thanks.

Jay! · 08-25-2004, 01:36 PM

Something like this?

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140

Somewhere, I've also seen an article about installing a steel bar horizontally between the front ends of the seat rails for a connection point for the between-the-legs strap...

-Dash- · 08-25-2004, 02:47 PM

wow, thanks for the very useful link.

but is there a way to install a 4 point belt without having to use up the backseat space?

i plan to have 4 people in my car, and im sure the belts will be in their way. ( or atleast be somewhat annoying.)

any help would be useful, and again, thanks for the info.

[EDIT]: yeah, im not too worried about the inbetween legs strap, i only need the waist and chest straps, i can getto connect the bottom one and keep it loose cause its not all that important to me. (i may even leaeve it out)

LjasonL · 08-25-2004, 03:01 PM

A roll cage or harness bar...

-Dash- · 08-25-2004, 03:24 PM

heh, thats a bit expensive and alot of work.

any ideas for a more simple yet efficent way to install these?

as an example, i installed a 4 point harness to my computer chair by using the bolts that hold the chair together, and a Mater Lock.

not saying that a materlock is the best idea for a real seatbelt, but any ideas would help.

LjasonL · 08-25-2004, 03:41 PM

There is no safe way to do it without going to the rear seat belt points or a harness bar.

edit: and with a harness bar as well as any type of roll cage in the passenger copartment, you need to either wrap it in foam padding or make everyone who rides in the car wear a helmet all the time.

-Dash- · 08-25-2004, 04:50 PM

yeah, i thought there would be another way, as i was at a car show not too long ago and they had a mustang 4 seater 2 door convertable with a 4 point seatbelt, i took a few pics of it but sadly i didnt take the time to see how it was attached, now i wish i would have.

id host the pics but my server is down.

theres a really good looking cage over at rallysportdirect.com

but its $900 bucks plus 2 seatbelts would make it $1000 bucks.

heh, little pricey for a seatbelt, but then again, safety is the number 1 factor.

hmm, well i could try ghetto rigging it into the car, and just have it for looks, but i really want to use it as a real seatbelt.

i could try asking some local guys who have worked on this before, maybe i can just bolt a "eye ring" into the backseat floor somewhere and use it for the harness.

kfoote · 08-25-2004, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LjasonL

There is no safe way to do it without going to the rear seat belt points or a harness bar.

edit: and with a harness bar as well as any type of roll cage in the passenger copartment, you need to either wrap it in foam padding or make everyone who rides in the car wear a helmet all the time.

To install a 5-point harness, there is no way to do it safely without making the rear seat unuseable. I'd also go a step further in saying that the roll bar padding is not enough, and a helmet should be worn if there is anywhere that your head can come into contact with the cage. Think of it as someone swinging an aluminum baseball bat at your head at 50 MPH. Even if it's got 1" of foam padding on it, its still going to do a lot of damage.

There are a lot of things I don't like about that roll cage design. It is better than nothing, but for a good quality roll cage, you're looking at $2500 minimum.

Bolting an eye ring to the floor behind the driver's seat is not a good option, unless you're short enough that your sholders are lower than where the sholder harnesses go over the top of the seat. Spinal compression fractures are not good, which I have seen from there being to steep of an angle on the sholder harnesses.

LjasonL · 08-25-2004, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Dash-

i could try asking some local guys who have worked on this before, maybe i can just bolt a "eye ring" into the backseat floor somewhere and use it for the harness.

A lot of people do it that way, but it's not safe at all. The problem is the angle of the belt down to the floor. it's not supposed to be at more than a 30 degree or so angle, because if you get in a wreck, instead of just holding you back it puts pressure down on your shoulders, and can compress your spine and paralyze or even kill you. I have aftermarket seats in my car and I want 4 pt harnesses, but I'm gonna wait and do it right with a harness bar. There are bolt in harness bars available for around $400, if you can find a fabricator you can have one made from scratch for cheaper.

edit: beat to the punch

Jay! · 08-25-2004, 05:59 PM

Short answer: Don't f*** with the safety equipment unless you're going to do it the right way.

-Dash- · 08-25-2004, 08:47 PM

well i certinly have my answer now.

but a question in theroy, what about bolting the harness to the roof?
not that id go that far out of my way to get the belts to work, but would this be a practical concept? (just curious.)

LjasonL · 08-26-2004, 01:01 AM

I doubt the metal is strong enough up there. Not to mention when standing outside the car you could see bolts ssticking out the roof...

kfoote · 08-26-2004, 11:33 AM

Why roof mounting is a bad idea:

1: Car rolls over
2: roof crushes in 2"
3: suddenly you have 2: of slack in the shoulder belts. Very bad.

You have to mount all the points to something that is rigid and structural. The only belt that you can get away with a bit of slack on is the anti-sub srap, which is usually mounted to the floor, and it takes a lot of impact and deformation to bend the floor pan enough to make a difference.

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