fleming23

I have only seen it advertised for sale but have not actually seen any installed examples so here you go.

BK makes some of the nicest harness bars on the market, in my opinion. I prefer the location and simplicity of the Shark Bar (I actually have one in my C3) but am not a fan of how low the bar mounts relative to the harness holes. At 6'0 my shoulders are positioned toward the top of the shoulder cut outs as well.

The install went well enough. I did not remove the seats as recommended which only made me contort a bit more. I didn't do the best job of cutting the upper panels but do have an extra set in the event I decide to remove the bar, or sell the car.







Stock driver-side





Stock pass-side





Beginning the tear-down





Driver-side tear down





Upper panel removed, bracket loosely installed








All done. Panels cut and back in place





BK's instructions have you cut completely through the panel. I just did a smaller section leaving the panel nearest the window un-cut. I thought it might look cleaner this way but I believe getting the panel back in place would have been much easier if cut through as they suggest. Was a bit of a PITA





Money shot! The harness bar lines up perfectly with the Comp Seats.

phantasms

Is it so that the holes in the comp seats are too low for a harness bar? I'd love to install a 5 point in my car but not sure if there's a way to do it without drastically changing things.

Install looks great!

Best,
Gene

fleming23

Not sure I entirely followed your question. The Comp seat harness holes are certainly lower than most aftermarket seats. I found that they do still work for me at 6'0 though. My shoulders are toward the top of the harness hole but still below the opening, which is what you want. The BK bar mounts such that the harness is basically level with the openings in the seat. The Shark Bar is at an upward angle, possibly still within the allowable degree range but wasn't what I wanted.

Regarding your comment about drastically changing things. You are going to have to cut panels regardless of what bar you choose. I purchased some replacement upper panels on eBay ($125 each I think) so that I could completely go back stock and nothing would be impacted. There were no other modifications required to install this bar. It mounts to the factory seat belt hole, using factory hardware. The bar mounts to a bracket that curls around a structural component which I assume also provides added strength. Getting the panels reinstalled was probably the biggest hassle of the entire job.

AWARE02

I installed mine Friday, pretty much straight forward following the instructions. Like you I did not remove the seats but did cut the panels per BK instructions and installed the trim on them.....that was a real PITA but did make the reinstall a piece of cake. Wish I had done like you did and only trimmed them. Awesome job on your part!! Thanks for the post.

Mad Dog 24

Im about to buy a bar (maybe) and just measured mine with me in the seat. From what I have read the angle of the shoulder harness should be up to 20 to 30 degree angled down from your shoulder top to the bar. With my height and seat to work so the belt does not contact the seat holes I have to raise my seat some and more than normal. Then the optimal location of the bar I need would be located at the top of the raised section of the carpeted floor behind the seat. I may even need to mount a harness strap rap point below that floor area. The problem is the seat holes could use to be 2 to 3 inches higher.

My driving coach is 6'3 not sure how im going to do this....?

Fleming nice job on the install and hope that works for you it sure would not for me. I have GT seats that doesn't help either.

fleming23

Not sure I follow you on the 20-30 degree downward angle. If anything, that is about the maximum angle you would want. So basically anything level to 30 or so degrees down is acceptable. More than than is not good and could compress your spine. If you are much taller than 6' I could see how the seat holes might not be high enough which could also be a problem as you don't want the belts to deflect off the pass-through when trying to route to your shoulders.

I just noticed you said you have the GT seats. Unless you are super short, I definitely would not recommend routing the shoulder belts through the stock seat. It is just way too low.

Mad Dog 24

Thanks for the diagram that's the one I saw once, it appears your right on. A friend has the comp seats like yours in his Z. The bottom of the comp harness holes are at about the same height as the GT seat thin hole. The problem there is little room for error with the bar placement. In order to run the harness like you have it your right I would need to be like 5'6' and im not.

TG's Z

What are you guys using for lap belt tie downs? I had to pull the seats for the BK lap ties and the seat fire extinguisher mount. For me, doing it all at once was a necessity...prepping for Mojave Magnum and NORC. BTW, the BK harness bar is a high quality piece and I am very happy with the install even with slotted panels

fleming23

I'll use the BK lap mounts as well. I am still working on break-in miles and will pull the seat to install them when I get closer to my first track day in this car.

Edit - I think I might send the mounts out to be powder coated black though. Wasn't too happy with the stainless look, even if they are mostly out of sight.

TG's Z

I wish I had thought of powder coating the lap mounts. My only complaint with these things is they do not pivot like they did in the C6Z so you need to be careful getting in and out. Maybe it good that I can see them! It's minor but my infrequent passengers have complained more than once! And unlike the belts which I take in and out of the car often, these tie points stay.

RBK

Not being critical, but wonder. Absent a roll cage, protecting front, side, and turnover events, this seems like a partial solution to a bigger issue. What is the logic here? Best

Rguy271

People want to be strapped into their seats very securely, but they dont care about getting their necks broken in case of rollover event.

The track people Ive been around look very poorly on people who run *only* harness bars. While it's ok for the occasional auto-xer, if you're running actual track events it's a big no no.

And a harness bar and harness for the street only....might as well use a HANS device to get groceries.

Im sure i will get some hate posts, but it is what it is.

fleming23

I will take my chances strapped in securely with a 5 or 6 point harness and a Hans device. Thanks.

rwheelz

How difficult is it to remove those side panels? I need to remove my passenger side one to get rid of an annoying squeak!

I am 5'11" and completely cover the harness holes on my competition seats. I am admittedly more torso than leg, but I don't see a way to make this work. I would really like to install this harness bar, it looks like a quality unit and an easy install!

Rguy271

Im not alone in this BTW. Read this.


http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...-safety-facts/

fleming23

The lower panels pop right off, just need to remove the tie down bracket. Pretty easy. The upper window panel is more of a PITA.

jvp

First: quoting anything from "The Truth about Cars" is almost immediately an invalidation of your entire opinion. That website is less useful than just looking at a blank web browser.

Second: quoting Jack Baruth on... anything regarding the race track does immediately invalidate your entire opinion. Baruth has lots and lots of delusions of his own grandeur and never hesitates to tell people how wrong they are about being on the race track while it's perfectly OK for him to be.

I've been in a track accident with a harness bar and a 5-point. I never moved once. They work fine. Stop with the FUD, please.

Rguy271

I should STOP posting my concerns for your safety?

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/fo...r/45473/page1/

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48684

jvp

Yes. You should. We're all old enough here to make our own decisions, and some of us actually have first hand knowledge of the goings-on.

Thank you for your concern. Now please stop with the FUD.

Rguy271

You dont know me, or what first hand knowledge I have.

Did you even read those links?