E36 Harness Bar/Suggestions

[Fireblade69]

Hi there, I'm after some advice.

I've got an E36 coupe track car in progress and aiming for a track day, (already booked), in the next few weeks but my cage supplier is letting me down and can't get it done in time to be fitted for the track day. 4-6 weeks has now turned into 8-9 weeks after the 6 weeks was up. I can't put the normal seats back in as they were sold 2 months ago & anyway, there are welded in seat rails in for the buckets now so that's a deffo no go. I've got 6 point harnesses and there are 2 harness eyes on the floor for sub strap, 2 on the tunnel/side for lap strap but without the cage and integrated harness bar, I've got nowhere for the torso straps to mount to. Don't really want to cancel the track day as I won't have time for another for a few months and this is the shakedown run for the car after the winter build so we'll be taking it easy anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what can be done without being a) stupidly expensive, b) stupidly patronising and that is atually doable?

I've got access to a garage where the car is stored, have welder and can weld, have watched several epsiodes of McGyver and can spend *some* cash but the car, (which is near Tunbridge Wells), is not road legal and is not movable until next weekend when we get the alignment done.

Any suggestions?

Edited by Fireblade69 on Friday 13th April 08:41

[iguana]

Putting harness eyelets in the rear belt positions is not the ideal solution, but the best you are gunna get without proper harness bar on cage, or removing petrol tank & welding eylets in a better angled further back position.

[Fireblade69]

Did think of that but this takes it outside of the recommended 20 degree belt angle which people suggest is even more dangerous. Mind you, without a cage it's already a bit dodgy.

By the way, the car is running on raod legal Goodyear Eagle F1s all round so they're not the stickiest tyres in the world. It's not like I'm running slicks or AO48s

[BJT]

What about where the rear headrests attach?

[BJT]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=997...

[bulldog5046]

BJT said:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=997...

yeah, looking back i wouldnt trust those points now.

if i were you i would use the rear seat belt points until the cage can be done.

i now have a fully welded cage wth proper harness bars integrated.

[Darranu]

Hi, I was in the same position and didn't want to mount to the place's mentioned. I opted to fabricate a harness bar which picks up on the seat belt hight adjustment mounting points.
It didnt take long and it keeps the straps at a nice angle in relation to my shoulders.


I've tried to upload a pic, hope this helps
Regards,
Darran.

P.s
Who are you using for your cage, what sort of price have you been quoted? I've had some huge variation in quoted price.

[bulldog5046]

Darranu said:

Hi, I was in the same position and didn't want to mount to the place's mentioned. I opted to fabricate a harness bar which picks up on the seat belt hight adjustment mounting points.
It didnt take long and it keeps the straps at a nice angle in relation to my shoulders.


I've tried to upload a pic, hope this helps
Regards,
Darran.

P.s
Who are you using for your cage, what sort of price have you been quoted? I've had some huge variation in quoted price.

I'd be a bit worried with something like that.

Sadly the photo has gone but in the thread that was linked to i had a link elsewhere to photo of a similar thing that did not withstand a crash, it just bowed under the weight and ejected the passenger through the windscreen.

[Darranu]

bulldog5046 said:

Darranu said:

Hi, I was in the same position and didn't want to mount to the place's mentioned. I opted to fabricate a harness bar which picks up on the seat belt hight adjustment mounting points.
It didnt take long and it keeps the straps at a nice angle in relation to my shoulders.


I've tried to upload a pic, hope this helps
Regards,
Darran.

P.s
Who are you using for your cage, what sort of price have you been quoted? I've had some huge variation in quoted price.

I'd be a bit worried with something like that.

Sadly the photo has gone but in the thread that was linked to i had a link elsewhere to photo of a similar thing that did not withstand a crash, it just bowed under the weight and ejected the passenger through the windscreen.

No risk of that, it's mounted at 4 reinforced points and triangulated to the rear seatbelt mount as well in the centre, if that gives it will be the least of my worries

[sheps]

bulldog5046 said:

I'd be a bit worried with something like that.

Sadly the photo has gone but in the thread that was linked to i had a link elsewhere to photo of a similar thing that did not withstand a crash, it just bowed under the weight and ejected the passenger through the windscreen.

I have seen 'a' photo.
I've no idea if it was the same one, but..

The bar in the one i saw, was a 'show car' type bar. It would of bent if i had lent agains't it!

[Fireblade69]

Darranu said:

Hi, I was in the same position and didn't want to mount to the place's mentioned. I opted to fabricate a harness bar which picks up on the seat belt hight adjustment mounting points.
It didnt take long and it keeps the straps at a nice angle in relation to my shoulders.


I've tried to upload a pic, hope this helps
Regards,
Darran.

P.s
Who are you using for your cage, what sort of price have you been quoted? I've had some huge variation in quoted price.

I'll see if that's doable. At the moment, thinking of cutting the headrest towers off and reinforcing the shelf with some plate steel welded in. Then use some high tensile bolts to go through the shelf and through the brace underneath. Should suit and I've tested that the straps go horizontal or just below horizontal which they do.

Oh, and the cage is bolt-in and with extras is around £600. Fully welded in cage prices have been quoted between £950 and £2000! We were on a couple of group buys which mysteriously went up by £200 when the time came to order so they were told where to go. I suppose it all depends on how much business they have, how good/desperate they are and all of them required some prep work and the car to be taken somewhere. So if you factor in another £250 for trailer hire & diesel and the time dropping off, picking up and chasing then £600 for a half bolt-in is very reasonable.

Edited by Fireblade69 on Tuesday 17th April 13:06

[bulldog5046]

Darranu said:

No risk of that, it's mounted at 4 reinforced points and triangulated to the rear seatbelt mount as well in the centre, if that gives it will be the least of my worries

ah, couldnt see the extra support in the photo

If it helps, my welded cage was £950 for a basic cage and then i added a rear X and harness bars which put it up to around £1050-1100 and was done by Huxley Motorsport to FIA spec.

I drove my car there pre-stripped and drove it back home after so the price might not be so bad all things considered?

[BJT]

I got a 4 point rear cage from these guys http://www.customcages.co.uk/homepage
Welded in by http://www.wp-ms.co.uk/Willie_Poole_Motorsport_Ser...





All about £600

[Darranu]

Thanks for the info on cages, it's on my "to do list" for this year but the quotes seem to vary enormously.

[Fireblade69]

That cage is pretty much what we're getting, (half cage, x brace & harness bars), and it'll be here Friday 11th May but the track day is Tuesday 24th May so too late. I just need something that is cheapish and doable in the time left, i.e. this weekend.

[isleofthorns]

Where the headrests mount.... Cut off the current points, weld two blocks with threads in under the mounting points and bolt harness eyes through?! Have seen this done on a group n car....

[joe_90]

Fireblade69 said:

Hi there, I'm after some advice.

I've got an E36 coupe track car in progress and aiming for a track day, (already booked), in the next few weeks but my cage supplier is letting me down and can't get it done in time to be fitted for the track day. 4-6 weeks has now turned into 8-9 weeks after the 6 weeks was up. I can't put the normal seats back in as they were sold 2 months ago & anyway, there are welded in seat rails in for the buckets now so that's a deffo no go. I've got 6 point harnesses and there are 2 harness eyes on the floor for sub strap, 2 on the tunnel/side for lap strap but without the cage and integrated harness bar, I've got nowhere for the torso straps to mount to. Don't really want to cancel the track day as I won't have time for another for a few months and this is the shakedown run for the car after the winter build so we'll be taking it easy anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what can be done without being a) stupidly expensive, b) stupidly patronising and that is atually doable?

I've got access to a garage where the car is stored, have welder and can weld, have watched several epsiodes of McGyver and can spend *some* cash but the car, (which is near Tunbridge Wells), is not road legal and is not movable until next weekend when we get the alignment done.

Any suggestions?

Edited by Fireblade69 on Friday 13th April 08:41

Just a quick one.. have you have changed the waterpump yet?

[Fireblade69]

Why?

[Jim1556]

Fireblade69 said:

Why?

They're a known weak point, along with the radiator...

[Stubby Pete]

On the subject of cages, try here. £442 inc VAT for a basic cage, add another x to the rear and a harness bar in the fitting.