bgx12

I have been looking into seats for my '03 Z06. Wow they are expensive. I have just installed my Roll bar and want seats and harnesses. I was wondering if stock seats can be modified to accomodate harnesses. I have a custom upholstery shop that I bet can put the slots in the stock seats and sew them in as well as add the crotch slot. Has anyone seen that done?

I may try it. If it works I will post.

meldog21

I did it with mine. I bought plastic inserts for the belt pass through holes and cut the seats myself. Before you ask, I don't have the info on the plastic pieces handy. I do know that the inserts were $15 each, or $60 to do both seats.

Dog

CHJ In Virginia

That is what I did . I had a local shop cut the seat back and insert a sleeve so the harnesses could pass through. There arte no structural members in the way so it is easy. It is important to get the height of the sleve correct so the angle of the harness is proper for your body size. Crotch strap is easy figure on it close in but not too tight with your fire suit on or what ever clothing you plan to use.

Steve L

Just get a race seat for track days , set the seat up so you can switch the stock out for the race seat . It will only take 10-15 min. and is much safer ! In PDA / NASA I will not let you run with your seat set up the way you are thinking !

Steve L

This is not safe ! the seat is not made to work this way . Just think about it , two holes in the seat with plastic inserts , looks good but that is it ! get a race seat .

bgx12

I have seen C5's with harnesses and stock seats. That certainly did not work well as the straps kept following off my shoulders (i was the passenger). I do plan on in the future getting race seats. I think it would be safer than not having the slots to keep the harnesses in place and I do have a roll bar installed. Thanks for the thoughts though...

95jersey

How is this not safe? There are many differences between a race seat and a stock (bolster, material composition, position...), but specifically for purposes of the upper harness, race seats have nothing more than grommets holes for the harness to pass through the seat. I can see where having the harness around the seat would be a bad idea, but how can a stock seat with professionally installed grommets be any different than say a Sparco with the same grommets? You can remove the Sparco grommets to clean or replace the skin of the seat and they pop right out, so there is notamazing engineering going on here. They are simply grommets inserted into the seat to allow the harness to pass through. Now, I do understand they should be mounted in the proper location, but again for someone with say a C6Z in a 2lZ and not willing to buy $2000 Caravagio seats, how could this NOT be considered a safety improvement?

Steve L

Have you seen a stock seat in a c5 after the car has hit the wall on the track ! we had one at Pocono , the seat bent like a pretzel , and he had harness . All you have have to do is lean back hard enough on a stock seat and it will bend. If you are in the stock seat and seat is not against the harness bar and the seat moves in an accident the belts will become lose and you will not be secure in your seat anymore. If you just buy a inexpensive Kirkey seat you will be alot safer and secure then the stock Corvette seat. It would take 10 or 15 min. to change them out .

In PDA/NASA all stock seats with harnesses will be inspected by tech and it will either be passed or failed. This is our new rule for the 2008 season. If your harnesses do not pass with your stock seat set up you will be forced to use your stock seat belts, as they have been designed to work together.

ace996

What if one were to use the stockbelts as well? I wouldlike to keep the stock seat and add the passthroughs, to keep me planted in the seat with the harness. Now what if the stock belt was used in addition? What would be the issue with both used?
Thanks,
TomK

mountainbiker2

You could put a seat brace from your roll bar to the back of the stock seat. That should help out.

Steve

jbauch357

you can get into Corbeau A4's with shoulder harness holes, and anti-sub belt slots for right around $1k. the stock seats come nowhere near providing the required lateral support, the A4's still don't do 100% of the job - but are a fantastic choice for the street car that sees track duty.

1stZ

This is what I did for temporary use. I had tried to install an OMP, but I did not have enough head room. So still looking for other option. But this stock converted set up is doing just fine for me for now. I also continue to used the seat belt added to my harness.

John Shiels

Is there any structure to bolt to on a stock seat for a brace?


here is a bargin http://www.kirkeyracing.com/index.ph...&code=Series59

http://www.kirkeyracing.com/index.ph...&code=Series09

once you put dot slicks on a car and run hard stock seats are usless even with a 6 point thay have no support. You will continue to battle to stay comfortable. I use to break the plastic dead pedals running from trying to hold myself in place, Luck they were 10 bucks each so I bought 4. I have one left. I have the Kirkey Road Race deluxe, I think the smaller 56 series would hold you better at the shoulders.

sefa01

If I read this right, only 3-point belts will be allowed with stock seats. Yet Joe Casella installed 6-point belts (with sternum strap) and Shark bar on my C6Z specifically to run PDA events. Please clarify.

Dave Deerson

For this season there is a new updated tech. sheet which says we will no longer allow "race belts" with stock seats.We are looking for "race seats" with "race belts" installed to NASA GCR code 15.5 or "stock seats" with "stock belts".
What has happened in the past was there have been instances of very "creative methods" of installing race belts by newbies that never ran track events before or not many events in general.Some of these installations were just for "appearance" and not very safe at all.All of us in Tech. are volunteers, and with the many events held on weekdays or weekends,continuity in regards to standards was difficult to maintain due to the possibility of different staff per event.This makes it very difficult to assess each installation as the staff member in tech on any given day may/may not be qualified to make the call on the quality of the install in question.This was the reason to require race seats/racebelts or stock seats/stock belts-no gray area,just black or white.
Just think of the compressive forces on the seat back in a frontal collision as your body goes forward with the belts pulling down compressing your spine as the seatback compresses.The stock seatback was never designed to cope with force in that direction.Also,you drivers have cars with the potential performance of race cars in the speeds and cornering forces.At the speeds you are reaching(120mph+),wouldn't you want to be safer with proper seats and harness that are as uprated as most of your suspensions and engines??Some of you will spend $20,000 on the engine but will not want to spend $500 on proper seats and belts in hopes of keeping the buget down.The stock seats were designed by GM to work with the airbags and 3-point belt as a unit,and any alteration may give unknown results in a collision. However there are some 4-point belts (Scroth for ex.) that are certified to be used in particular installations and have been tested and certified to DOT FMVSS 209 in those particular intallations and will be permitted to run.

Dave Deerson
NASA/PDA Tech.

sefa01

I have two cars with stock seats--a 2004 CTS-V and a 2006 C6 Z06--that have aftermarket seat belts, 5-point on the CTS-V and 6-point on the Corvette (both installed by Joe Casella). While I agree that I would be safer with "proper" seats, I use these cars on the street much more than on the track. I certainly feel more secure and safer with the aftermarket belts at the track than I do with the 3-points. In the past 4 years, I've run more than 25 PDA events in the Cady and half a dozen in the Corvette. But if your policy is that strict, I think I'll just run the non-NASA PDA events, along with SCDA, Trackmasters, Chin, etc.

meldog21

This is basically the same set up as mine, except I modified the side bolsters by putting all the foam inside the side wings. The seat now holds me in place much better. Obviously this mod is not a racing seat, it's just an alternative for HPDE use. For me it works great since my car is used for 95% commuting and track work 1-3 times a year.

I found where I purchased my seat grommets:

HMS motorsport , you can google it or add the dot com.

Also I miss-quoted the price, although the grommets were $15 each, with two needed for each seat, the added shipping brought the total to about $75 to do both seats.

Dog

Dave Deerson

sefa01,
You're going to see the rest of the track-event clubs adopting this type of standard.PCA,BMW club,Viper Club and others already use this type of "strict" standard.It falls under a liability issue.You may use a hybred setup and be fine but should there ever be an injury or fatality then lawers will be all over the sanctioning body for "allowing" such a restraint system.A possibility may be to have a driver restraint/safety waiver putting the onus of responsibility on the driver/owner should any injury/death result from any shortcomings of the installed sytem.This may be the best solution,what are your feelings?

Dave D.

sefa01

I think the onus should be on the driver/owner and I would be happy to sign such a waiver.

AndyF-Dallas

Check this out for locating you harness with stock seats.

http://www.koolmat.com/race.shtml

thedickstrap
“A shoulder belt holder
for the secure Racing Guy”
For Corvette, Porsche & Nopi Racing Part. #09028

For the Racer to secure shoulder belt harness while road or drag racing. No need to purchase an expensive racing seat, just slip “thedickstrap” over the center of the seat (face logo forward) and run straps through left and right side straps. Holds shoulder straps in place for racing so you can reach them. Remove and store when not in use. “ The Strap you can depend on!”
Featuring : flexible, smoother, more versatile, some adjustment, and responsive. Color: Black - Used for all production single seater type harness systems.
Available thru dealers! Retail $49.95 each
Also……it may fit your race car, try it today!
Gentlemen get your straps!
Not to be used as a safety harness, only for belt location.