[DeTomaso] Fw: 72 Seat belts

[Julian Kift]

On that note for any sanctioned event the two bolts that hold thet bar in place may not be sufficient to pass Tech. Many organizations require at least one bolt per harness strap and I know of a couple owners that have drilled the bar either side of the engine hatch and welded secondary mounts to the bulkhead to stiffen the whole structure.

 

Secondly (and not specific to Pantera's) there have been some e-mails flying around from some of the High Performance Driving Events (HDPE) about the use of harnesses in cars not equipped with a roll bar or hoop. This is because a properly buckled harness locks you in place to an extent there is nowhere for you neck to go in a rollover. I think the Pantera design with the double structure over the rear bulkhead offers more protection than most saloons, but it is a point worthy of note. I'm guessing most of you saw the photo's of Art's car post accident!!

 

Julian
 
> From: JDeRyke at aol.com
> Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 17:51:38 -0400
> To: detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Fw:  72 Seat belts
> 
> For those who are considering using the popular Hall-type crossbar to use 
> with aftermarket shoulder harnesses, be aware that not all cars are exactly 
> identical in bolt spacing across the rear window area. And since the bars 
> often sold are made of 5/8" thick x 1" wide cold-rolled steel, correcting this 
> is not trivial, even if you take the easy way out and just hog out the bolt 
> holes.
> 
> A more elegant way is to bolt one side in the car, eyeball the mismatch on 
> the other side, then take the bar to a BIG, well-anchored vise or hydraulic 
> press and bend one bar end so the boltholes fit your car correctly. It may 
> take a couple of tries but the results look more pro, doesn't crack the 
> flat-black paint and won't rattle around on bumpy roads. It may actually stiffen 
> up the structure a little. FWIW- J Deryke, who's done this on two Panteras 
> (not ours)

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