ydasscar

Hello all, I would just like to share a report on the new extended mount system for the Hardbar harness bar. It now allows for the Hardbar to be installed so that the seat can be adjusted the entire way back. Up to this point this bar was not really ideal for those of us who are need the extra room. I know that while racing you need to be up on the wheel and not reclined like a lounge chair, but I am 6'6" with a 38" inseam...... I need the room.
While visiting Dan Hagerty at his Vetteworks shop www.vetteworksonline.com , to stock up on some halon fire extinguishers I mentioned that I would like to have a Hardbar harness bar but that it would not work for me because up to that point they did not allow for full seat back mounting. As it turns out Dan not only sells his own Corvette creations but also sells products from other manufacturers including from Gary at Hardbar, www.hardbarusa.com
Dan told me that Gary was working on an extender that would allow for his Hardbar to be mounted farther back from its normal seat belt attachment point. Knowing the reputation these bars have as being the best on the market I did not mind waiting for this part. The first extender we tried which was originally made for a C6 did not fit the C5 so Gary being the perfectionist and aerospace engineer he is, went back to the drawing board and with the measurements that Dan and I provided him produced his new extender that is not only a piece of art in in itself that I almost hated to hide behind the interior panel but also provided incredible strength and perfect fit.
Dan installed this part with me there either to help or to get in his way, with due care to measure everything several times to be sure that the end result would meet my demanding approval. The install was so clean it really looks more factory than some other parts of the car to me. The combination of the red bar and the mod red C6 seats that I recently installed really makes for a nice combination. Dan also sold me a set of 6 point Teamtech harnesses in red that will be installed with removable clips in the near future. I'm also using Vetteworks lap belt bars(both powder coated red). I am really looking forward to some autocrosses track days this year, now sliding around in my seat will not be one of my excuses for not winning.

So if any of you tall racers out there have been waiting for such an item I can tell you it is not only available now, it has been well worth the wait. I can also tell you that both Gary and Dan provided fantastic service during the fitting and installment process. I would highly recommend both of these companies to provide you with whatever you need to make your Corvette complete.
John

Wicked Weasel

Hardbar stuff is always top quality.



BTW - IF you plan on doing HPDEs many organizations are not allowing the harness straps to go around the seat any more.

Bob

astock165

I can attest that they work well on the C4s too (I'm 6'4"). Below is a pic of the extender installed in my 93 coupe (although I had not reinstalled the interior panel yet)

Cobra4B

That's the cleaneset harnessbar install I've ever seen... I love it. I ran a BK bar for years becaue being 6'4" the Hardbar didn't work for me.

Love how you cut the panels like the C6 kits.

EDIT: Only thing I don't like is that there are not belt guides on the bar. I found that the belt guides on the BK bar really helped when using a stock seat and having the harnesses go around the seat.

Can you strap the two shoulder harneses together behind the seat to keep them from moving outward?

Webz

This is what I plan on using on either side of the shoulder harnesses on the bar. Shaft collar available from McMaster-Carr.

ghoffman

If you need it, (and there have been only about 3 requests in 8 years) we use this:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=35509232

TRACKMAN2

who?

ghoffman

Nice write up! Here is a pic of what the Hardbar extender looks like:

It is CNC machined billet alloy steel, 1/2 inch thick!

Wicked Weasel

George you will have to check with each organization. I know that PDA was checking harness setups last year real close and I would not be surprised if they make changes this year to their requirements. I asked SCDA and Ian told me no changes this year.

I read Porsche Club or another club has mandated the change for this year.

IMHO around the seats with a sternum strap is not a good idea. I read alot this winter about safety and again IMHO seats and proper harness setup have to be the 2 critical elements regarding safety. Looking at the vette seats they are just not made to take that kind of impact on the track especially with harness setups. The seat moves the harness slips off your shoulders and now you are in a world of hurt.

I ordered Kirkey seats with Gary@Hardbar rails because of that research. My car is fast and I also know that I am willing to push myself and the car to the next level. As we know in that scenario in a split second crap can happen and I want as much safety equipment around me to give me a better chance to walk away.

gkmccready

Can somebody very slowly explain this whole "seat moves" thing with the stock seats?

The only situation where I see the stock seat being an issue would have the same problem with and without a harness... and that situation is backing into an impact where the adjustable seat mechanism is likely the first thing to break on the seat. But that happening, sending you backwards, is going to be the same with a stock 3-pt or a fancy 6-pt.

In a head-on impact the harness seems like it should be better since you have no chance of slipping to one side and out from under the 3-pt (or even choking yourself on it).

In a side impact the forces on the seat [back] seem like they'll also be the same with a 3-pt or aftermarket harness. Maybe a little more if you've got yourself in the harness so tight you and the seat are basically a single unit.

Maybe I'm just not visualizing this appropriately. Not that I'm talking about a 6-pt harness with the stock seats here; if you're using a 5-pt as a 4-pt without the sub-belt then I can completely understand the submarine issues.