shoulder harness on Shell Valley cars

[outlaw]

OK, whats the best way to attach the shoulder harnesses on a shellvalley car?
i've got 3 inch belts and realize they must pass through the aft
cockpit wall, but to attach to the frame crossmember under the trunk, it appears to me that another slot will have to be cut in the upper trunk area. this leaves a visible belt in the trunk area and also reduces the upper trunk storage. am i missing something here? my belts are not bolt ons, they are wrap arounds. in addition, how about lap belt attachment? the outboard belt could possible attach to the outboard rail of the chassis, but i don think there is any chassis structure on the inboard side for either seat.
whats being done here shell valley owners? i also intend to call dana. he's always a big help but just fishing for ideas!!!
anybody using inertia reels, like from aircraft?

outlaw

[Dirty Harry]

I welded a tab onto the outboard side of the outside frame. This tab comes up through the floorboard and the 3" outside lap belt is bolted there with a special Grade 8 shoulder bolt so it can rotate freely.

As for the inboard lap belt, I welded a tab onto my home-fabricated driveshaft hoop and ran a (longer) shoulder bolt through the floor and into threads I had tapped into the tab that's welded to the hoop.

Both mounting points are very substantial. If I need anything with more strength than that, I've got bigger problems.

As for the shoulder belts, I am still searching for the best way to do those.

[mj_duell]

Outlaw,
Make sure you mount the shoulder belts at a point that matches or is slightly above your shoulders. Don't mount them to frame rails under the floor. The reason for this is that the belts will compress your body in any forward impact. Shell valley cobras are very close to A&C cars. Use the upper rear crossmember over the rear axle or weld in a cross bar. Your lap belts should connect with grade 8 bolts to the main frame rail (inner) and the outrigger rail (outer). I hope this helps.



--Mike

[maxrpm]

I have an older s/v chassis (1989)so I'm not sure that the design is the same. What I did was formed an inverted u- shaped tubular crossmember which I installed behind the seat wall and attaches to the chassis. I also ran a few gusseted supports from the tube to an existing crossmember. Then I ran anchors through the firewall to the tube. The u- shaped tube take less trunkspace than the rollbar mounts. The steel wall between the seats and trunk is per NHRA rules and my harness installation passes inspection every tech-in. Theres a picture in my gallery. If it wasn't so damn cold out I would go take a couble of underneath shots for you.
-Ed

[outlaw]

thanks guys, as usual a wealth of information. as it turns out SV now has tabs welded to the frame for the lap belts, but the shoulder harness must go thru the aft cockpit wall and thru the upper trunk area to attach to the frame crossmember.
dirty harry, sounds like SV just duplicates what you did in the past.
did you give them the idea? he he

max rpm, i checked your gallery and saw the pic of the shoulder harness maount to the aft cockpit wall. when it warms a little i sure would like to see whats in the trunk (and under the hood)
i get my seats back this week and was just looking into the seatbelt thing.

mike, thanks for the heads up. i was aware that the shoulder harness should not be mounted to the floor for the reason you stated, but one can't be to careful. had i not known, that would have been a major mistake...thanks again

apprececiate the responses guys...

outlaw

[outlaw]

i just reread my response...

i really do know how to spell appreciate, i just can't use a dang keyboard.

outlaw