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Arospeed floor "strut" bar - does it fit? Harness bar

Has anyone ever used, or measured, the Arospeed floor bar/brace? It goes across the floor, behind/under the front seats and over the driveshaft hump, and bolts to the seatbelt mounting points supposedly. I'm just wondering if it really bolts into a Galant, or even fits at all. It appears to be adjustable, but I can't find out how far you can adjust it.Okay, before you all start laughing, I realize this is a hokey piece of junk, performance wise. The reason I ask is that I'm thinking about replacing the front two seats with "racing" seats/buckets, w/3, 4, or 5 point harnesses but don't want the harnesses snaking all over the back seat and getting in the way. I also don't want a full cage (don't need it, costs a lot more, and it'll get in the way even more). It occurred to me that having this bar go across the floor would be perfect, as the harnesses could go through the seats and straight down & around the bar. I figure the weight savings from the seats & no automatic belts should offset the weight penalty of the bar, but now the weight is much lower and farther back in the car.So whaddya think? Am I crazy?Jon F.
'92 #305
 

number3

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Messages
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WARNING!!!!"The reason I ask is that I'm thinking about replacing the front two seats with "racing" seats/buckets, w/3, 4, or 5 point harnesses but don't want the harnesses snaking all over the back seat and getting in the way. I also don't want a full cage (don't need it, costs a lot more, and it'll get in the way even more). It occurred to me that having this bar go across the floor would be perfect, as the harnesses could go through the seats and straight down & around the bar. "WARNING!!!
THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!When picking the rear mounting point for race harnesses...Anchor the shoulder harness behind the driver and above a line drawn downward from the shoulder point at an angle about 40 degrees to the horitonal level with, or no more than 4" below, the shoulder line. The shorter the better.NEVER ANCHOR STRAIGHT DOWN BEHIND THE BACK!Harry
 

Wow, thanks for the vehement cautionary reply, Harry! So apparently there's a very good reason not to anchor straight down... what is it? And I didn't mean that the straps would be coming over my shoulder and straight down, but rather over the seat and then down, such that the harness would be pulling on the seat, not my shoulder. Does this make sense, and would it make a difference? I suppose for this to work I'd have to find a seat taller than my shoulder... Or is this still a bad idea? This is all new to me, and just an idle thought, so I'd appreciate all info and tips.Thanks,Jon F.
'92 #305ps- this is not for any type of racing that requires a harness, as I understand this would never pass tech. Just something to grip driver & passenger better, like during a rallycross or autocross.
 

^
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I was going to say the same thing. VERY bad idea. Invest in a roll bar if you dont want a full cage. This will give you a good mounting point, provide some protection and may stiffen the chassis as well.
Be safe...
 

number3

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Location
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quote:Originally posted by Compressed:
^
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I was going to say the same thing. VERY bad idea. Invest in a roll bar if you dont want a full cage. This will give you a good mounting point, provide some protection and may stiffen the chassis as well.
Be safe...
By rollbar, do you mean basically a 4 pt. cage? A large hoop going from base of B pillar, up, across ceiling, down other B pillar, with two bars that follow the C pillars into the trunk? I've seen one's like this that have a cross bar connecting the two main side bars, immediately behind the front seats, with harnesses attached to this bar. It seems that is basically what you told me not to do (have the harnesses come straight down from the top of the seat, albeit a much shorter distance) and doesn't allow the seats to recline, something I was hoping to maintain...Thanks for the info, guys, but I'm still a little confused as to WHY mounting the harness that way is a bad idea... The Schroth faq had a lot of good info, but didn't explain all of it...Jon F.
'92 #305
 

number3

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Joined
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Messages
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The short answer is because in an impact or roll over your spine will compress causing injury if you mount the belt other than what I stated. Why? Well...You want the lap and crotch belt to do most of the work not the shoulder straps. There would be no give in the shoulder straps to allow the lap and crotch belt to so this if you mount them "straight down your back".Make sense? You don't need a Cage etc to mount the belts you just need to follow the guidelines of proper harness mounting and usage.Long and short of it...You must block the back seat with the belt if you don't have a cage.
Take alook at the pictures of my car on this site and it will give you the right idea.Harry
 

Lucky trick: I installed the eye bolts for my Simpson H-style competition shoulder harness in the anchor holes for the rear seat lap belts. The threads on the Simpson eye bolts worked perfectly and replaced the factory bolts. The eyes are hidden between the rear seat bottom and back; the stock rear belts work as usual. The angle looks just like shown in one of the Schroth diagrams cited above. Simpson eye bolt also replaced the driver's outboard lap belt anchor. Had to drill holes for the eye bolts for anti-sub and the inboard lap belt anchor. Eyebolt mountings permit me to remove competition harness when not at the track. The factory sealtbelt mounts ought to be sturdy enuff, right?[This message has been edited by bob in chicago (edited 11-02-2002).]
 

markrieb

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Joined
Feb 23, 2001
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613
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Kennewick, WA, USA
What you are looking for is called a Harness Bar.Something like this (from a WRX, but you get the idea): http://www.speedwaremotorsports.com/safety/hbars.asp. Look about half way down for the WRX bar. I think that if you don't completely polish them, you should be able to get one for much less than $400.I hope to try and make one of these for my car this winter. Once I get one made, I'll make drawings or send it to somebody like Harry that can have them more mass-produced.Mark
 

Hmm... that bar looks nice, but don't wanna spend $400 on it. I like Bob's idea of using factory mounts w/eyebolts, and stashing the harness when not in use. I was hoping to avoid something like a full cage or harness bar so that the seats could still recline if so desired.Jon F.
'92 #305
 

markrieb

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2001
Messages
613
Location
Kennewick, WA, USA
If you don't have the bar electropolished (stay with a satin finish), I'm guessing that the harness bar will be more in the $200 range.Give me a chance to get home and try this on my own and I'll have a better idea of what it should cost.Mark Rieb
Stuck in Utah til sometime in December...
 
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