mfquinn

I have the following pieces I need to install for my 6 point harness. However, the rear bolt studs that the seat rails attach to are not long enough (stick up high enough from the floor pan) to mount both the seat rails and these. Can anyone tell me how they have installed them or how hard it will be to replace factory stud bolts with longer ones?

Thanks

Greywolfe

I believe this is what you need:

http://hardbarusa.com/hardbar/produc...products_id=69

Stud Extenders.

mfquinn

Thank you. I will check these out

Rob Willis

Yep, Gary's extenders should have
ya working. You did get clip-in hardware for your
lower harnesses?

I'll ship your brake backing plates out Monday
morning, btw. Thanks.

mfquinn

I do believe I got the correct belts, they haven't arrived yet. I don't know if they include the clips or not

mountainbiker2

I put a socket under the car where the bolt head is located. Held it with a jack and hit the top with a hammer real hard. Bolt came right out. Put in a bigger diameter and longer.

Steve A.

mfquinn

My local vette mechanic made it sound like it was very hard to change those out. I'm wondering if he was thinking of the Z06. It does look like they have some kind of sealant goop around the bolt where it comes up thru the floor. I will have to get it on the rack and check that out. I can get the nut on but I am not satisfied as it only threads level with the top of the bolt (or barely past that point). I can't feel any threads with my finger nail.

maw455

Not sure why you are having difficulty. I have installed the same lap bar belt with stock seats in a 2008 with stock seat bolts. Make sure you put the lap bar on top of the seat rails, not the other way around. The seat rails have to sit down in the floor recess around the bolt.

Before you order the Hardbar extenders, check with Gary at Hardbar on the diameter of the bolts and whether they will work with the stock seat rail holes as the bolts may be too big for the stock seat rail bolt holes.

Bill Dearborn

The seat will not fit over the extenders so they would have to be installed on the studs after the seat is put in place.

Although a lot of people replace the stock studs with longer studs you do need to make sure the holes are adequately resealed. The floor board is just balsa wood reinforced with two thin sheets of fiberglass. Any water getting into the interior of the floor panel wouldn't take long to ruin the balsa wood.

Bill

mfquinn

maw455

I am not using stock seats or the stock seat rails. I did put them on top of the seat rails and I can get the nut threaded, but it is just past flush and I am concerned that it isn't threaded enough for safety. I believe the seat rails I have are thicker.

Jason

Grind the weld off the head of the stud, apply hammer, replace with longer grade 8 bolt and washer, reseal.

maw455

As I understand the issue from a few physics classes in college (25 yrs ago) and from listening to Gary at Hardbar (I believe he actually is an engineer), the issue is related to the shear strength of the bolts and how high you have the belt bar and seat mount above the floor if you are using washers or spacers. It's the same principle as breaking a stick - the longer and thinner the stick and the further away from the base you exert force on it the easier it is to break. Those bolts have to hold up in a crash, and you are now putting 100% of the load of your body weight on those bolts, whereas in stock configuration, it is only half the load as only one side of the seat belt is attached to the seat.

mfquinn

Update

I have installed my Corbeau TRS seats (Corbeau said they don't fit a C6, I called them today and explained the few things I had to do to get them to fit). I had to install the lap belt bar first and then the seat rail on top of the lap belt bar. The reason is that the TRS seats would not go back all the way as the bottom of the seats were hitting the lap belt bar. But once I changed it, the seat will go back. These seats are really awesome.