shoulder belt install?

byron w · #1 (**permalink**) 07-12-2023, 10:13 AM

Could you please post how you attached your shoulder harness belts?
Thank you, Byron

Austin_Snake · #2 (**permalink**) 07-12-2023, 11:46 AM

Belts and seat - Club Cobra Photo Gallery

strictlypersonl · #3 (**permalink**) 07-13-2023, 02:52 AM

It's not only how, it's where. If you have to, create a reinforced area.
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/ct...afety-harness/

twobjshelbys · #4 (**permalink**) 07-13-2023, 11:46 AM

Shoulder harness SHALL be mounted to attach higher than your shoulders. In a Cobra this means attached to a cross bar mounted on the roll bar.

Anything else and iyou risk the high probability of a spinal compression injury as the harness (being lower than you) will push you down towards the front of the car. It is even worse if you have a 5 point harness as your torso will be stopped from forward/downward motion resulting in more compression.

Sad to say, this effectively eliminates the presence of shoulder harnesses for the passenger as most cars don't have roll bars on both side.

In addition, the shoulder harness on the passenger side without a roll bar means that your passenger, being held upright, becomes a roll bar. This is not good in the case of a rollover.

Shelby American will not install harnesses mounted below the rear deck. Gary Patterson himself educated me on these points...

Simpson says harnesses need 3000lb force. The flimsy cross member that goes across the back in most cars doesn't meet that.

Lots of people do it anyway. Your call.

There is much discussion this, some just within the past few days.

My assessment is there is no excuse for not properly mounting the driver's side shoulder harnesses. The passenger side is all about a risk assessment. Rollovers are rare, and some support for the shoulder in some types of accidents may be better than nothing.

Cobras are race cars that somehow got on the street (they wouldn't in current days). Passenger safety is not an issue in a race car.

My wife wouldn't ride in the car after I explained why there was no shoulder harness. The fact that you could cook a turkey in the passenger side footbox was also a factor.

incoming · #5 (**permalink**) 07-13-2023, 02:20 PM

My car was a dedicated SCCA racer for 25ys and had the FIA cross bar to the passenger floorboard along with a full cage across the drivers and passenger sides. The full cage has been removed. It's still a five point roll cage, not a seven.

incoming · #6 (**permalink**) 07-13-2023, 02:28 PM

My sidepipes are ground flat

DanEC · #7 (**permalink**) 07-14-2023, 05:07 AM

Not an option on a Street Roadster - no roll bar.

Mongoose930 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 10:17 AM

For some reason, I cannot post pictures today. Look at the first picture in the attached thread and that is exactly how mine is. Above and centered over the shoulders with a quick disconnect feature: Roll bar cross brace

byron w · #9 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 02:17 PM

I want to thank everyone for the replies. My roll bar is a 3inch diameter full width similar to a West Coast Cobra. I am exploring options but I think I am going to drill through the back of the cockpit and up from the bottom and through the steel plate that runs between he frame rails into the trunk and install eyebolts, grade 8 and attach to that. If I can post pics I will. Thanks to everyone again.

Byron

twobjshelbys · #10 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byron w

I want to thank everyone for the replies. My roll bar is a 3inch diameter full width similar to a West Coast Cobra. I am exploring options but I think I am going to drill through the back of the cockpit and up from the bottom and through the steel plate that runs between he frame rails into the trunk and install eyebolts, grade 8 and attach to that. If I can post pics I will. Thanks to everyone again.

Byron

Mounting the driver's side shoulder harnesses to anything other than a cross bar on the roll bar is ill advised and there is a proper solution readily available. Your passenger side is up to you.

byron w · #11 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 04:00 PM

Hi Tony,

What is thge readily available option? Short of pulling the roll bar out, welding in a cross bar and rechroming?

Thank you Sir.
Byron

byron w · #12 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 04:03 PM

Hi Tony,

What is the readily available option? The only thing I can see is to remove the bar, weld in a cross bar and re-chrome it.

Byron

byron w · #13 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 04:05 PM

Hi Tony,

What is the readily available option? The only thing I can see is to remove the bar, weld in a cross bar and re-chrome it.

Byron

twobjshelbys · #14 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 04:16 PM

duplicate. Posts have been getting database and memory allocation errors today.

twobjshelbys · #15 (**permalink**) 07-16-2023, 04:19 PM

Please refer to this topic. It has a sub-discussion of shoulder harness attachment with a lead on the shoulder harness cross bar. This is only the most recent topic where this has been discussed.

Rear wind shield

Search can be your friend. If you go to advanced search and search for "shoulder harness" in titles only there are lots of topics on the subject. If you search for "shoulder harness" in the body of the topic there are too many to list but many have additional useful information. As with most questions about Cobras, almost every question that can be asked has been asked so many times that the answers you're getting have been given many times as well

. "There are no stupid questions, only old questions..."

The source referenced is finishline. They have a rather bad reputation for delivery of recent so perhaps someone can post a better source. I can't remember the name of Drew Serb's store. Also I'd bet that Hillbank and/or Denbeste has them. Also Shell Valley in Nebraska also has a pretty comprehensive parts supply. Kirkham might be a source too.

strictlypersonl · #16 (**permalink**) 07-17-2023, 11:20 AM

Shelby's logic aside, browsing the links below seem to reach a consensus: Mount the shoulder harness at or below the shoulder height.

https://www.google.com/search?client...e+mounted#ip=1

HLB_33 · #17 (**permalink**) 07-18-2023, 11:42 AM

It has been my understanding that the race standard is 4 Inches below shoulder blades - Whatever your height. Above shoulders leaves you tumbled dry and very uncomfortable when you are up side down.
Who's Gary Patterson?

N2Cobras · #18 (**permalink**) 07-23-2023, 04:12 AM

HLB,

Welcome to the forum.

Gary Patterson is the President at Shelby America and oversees all manufacturing, sales, operations, distribution and marketing. He has been a key Shelby team member since the birth of the continuation Cobra in 1966 through current Mustang and Ford F-150 based vehicles.

kitcarbp · #19 (**permalink**) 07-23-2023, 04:27 AM

Duplicate

kitcarbp · #20 (**permalink**) 07-23-2023, 04:41 AM

I used a Schroth 4 point Rallye Cross Wrap around harness model in my car. I have an “ornamental” single roll bar on my West Coast cobra. I installed a 2.0” harness bar in the trunk (boot) that spans the whole width and both shoulder harnesses are attached to the harness bar. My fabricator who built and installed the harness bar told me that if that harness bar ever exits the car you're already dead. Lol . I learned alot reading up on how to install harnesses on Schroth website and speaking to their techs here in the US. The shoulder harness vertical height is about same height as my shoulders (im 6’ 1”) as they come through the bulkhead. My goal from my risk assessment using the shoulder harness resulted in trying to prevent spinal compression and keep my face off the steering wheel and windshield in an impact. My car is a street car , no racing.

https://www.schrothracing.com/page/instructions

https://www.hmsmotorsport.com/doc-sh...-2_2019-04.pdf

https://www.schrothracing.com/doc-sh...rsion-2022.pdf