[DeTomaso] 5 or 6 point harness with out dedicated racing seat

Kirby Schrader kirby.schrader at gmail.com
Fri Sep 17 09:47:58 EDT 2010


I have had a pair of Recaro KRS seats in my Pantera since 1985. I like them.
The cloth is actually getting pretty worn on the side support where I get
into the car and an upholstery job is on the cards.

I have a set of Simpson belts in a 5 point set up with the quick lift hook
latch style release. The crotch/anti-submarine strap comes up over the front
of the seat. I have always wanted to make a slot in the seat for it, but
never got around to it. The upholstery job would be a good time to do
that...

I make sure the anti-sub strap is pulled tight enough that my lap belts are
as low as possible. This does pull the front of the seat cushion up, but
that's never caused a problem.

As I saw David comment, yes... agreed. They do take some time to put on, but
as far as I'm concerned, once you get used to it, it's just part of driving
the Pantera. The only time I don't just sit there and put them on is when
somebody who is in a REAL hurry is behind you at the gas pumps... Those
'need to get a life' people seem to have no patience, so I roll forward
enough for them to get up to the pump and then put the belts on and drive
off.

As for the legality of them, I have never had a law officer say anything
about the seat belts. It's usually 'And what is your hurry, sir?' or 'Do you
know what the speed limit is here, sir?' The one ticket I have kept for
posterity's sake is 126mph in a 55mph.... but that's another story.

The previous company I worked for pulled spot checks on employees wearing
seat belts. I came roaring into the parking garage entrance in the Pantera
(one of my personal little joys was setting off every car alarm in the
garage while I found a parking place) and was stopped by these two guys who
wanted to see if I was wearing my seat belt. When they saw what I was
wearing, I actually got commended for being so 'safe'.

As has been pointed out... if the belts are not DOT certified, then to the
letter of the law, they are illegal.
However, as Michael inferred... they'd have to really have it in for you for
some other reason if that was one of the ticket items or why they stopped
you.

For what little that entire diatribe was worth,
Kirby




> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com
> [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]On Behalf Of boyd casey
> Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 8:55 PM
> To: De Tomaso List
> Subject: [DeTomaso] 5 or 6 point harness with out dedicated racing seat
>
>
> How many people are using a harness with anti submarine belts with out a
> dedicated racing seat? Did you modify your seat to allow the sub belt to
> come up through the seat bottom? I have recaro style seats and I have seen
> people modify their seats to allow the crotch belts to come up between the
> calf support cushion and the thigh cushion and add a grommet around the
> belt
> hole. Has any one done this?
> Boyd
> _______________________________________________
>
>



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