Next direction for street/track car

[Evilgt]

That stock 00 GT that Rich V is talking about is mine. Very simple car. Hawk HPS front pads, NAPA rear pads, Nitto NT01s 275 front 315 rear on 03 Cobra's, front springs 650lbs rear springs 250lbs, koni red str's.

Front alignment as close to 3 degrees negative as I could get it and 1/16th toe out.

And thats its!!!!! Stock engine/exhaust etc etc full weight 00 GT with the A/C blowing ice cold and the Mach 460 jamming Stoney Larue.
I was whipping up on E36 M3s, Miata's, Z4 coupes and eventually after RichV's tires decided to go to crap on him RichV.

My big investment in the off season is going to be seats. The stock seats blow junks for performance driving. Great for making out with the old lady and absorbing farts but thats about all they are good for.

Found a dude selling used MM caster plates and PHB. If I have the money I am going to get them.

Anyway in my opinion the first mods and the first step to having fun are
1. Reliable car
2. Seat time
3. seats
4. brake pads and fluid
5. tires
6. alignment

You would be surprised at how quick s fairly stokish sn95 can get around the track.

SEAT TIME SEAT TIME SEAT TIME..............

Have you looked in the National autosport association in your area?
Most regions have a program where you can work corners and earn free track time.

Just another way to maximize the fun with out blowing the budget.

Oh and I run my car in NASA Time trials as does RichV. We both used to run W2W with NASA in Camaro mustang challenge. However the kids are costing me way to much money so the race car had to go.

kyle

 

[ba#97]

agreed though I will say at least with mustangs that brake pads and fluid are pretty high on my list as firsts to do for me. I've run a mild pad down to bare metal in two track days. good thing they threw the checkered flag when they did because the next corner was definitely turn 1 at thunderhill. no bueno.

 

[Evilgt]

Agreed. I have found that most noobs to open tracking are not going fast enough to kill the brakes. Most coast into corners and are a little scared to really use the binders. After you figure out how to carry speed and really use the brakes they need addressed.

I also camp at the track and bring my own food and beer to keep the cost down. The Saturday night NASA parties are some thing to see. Well at least in the Rocky mountian region and Texas region.

Fun times. Cold drinks. Good friends. Fast cars. What else can a car guy ask for. lmao

 

[v6mustang94]

Once again, I want to thank everyone for chiming in. There's a lot of great info/advice here. You guys would be a great group of people to know in person.

As I mentioned earlier, this thing is still a street car majority of time. So despite the 'seat time' advice (which is probably the most honest and best advice), I still wanted to buy a new mod for the car this winter like I usually do. So I went ahead and ordered new seats, harness, and harness bar during LMR's sales. Next thing to do is wait for summer and start driving.

Unfortunately, it looks like there's not much going on in MN when it comes to the road course scene. But doing the driving school is still on top of my list. I'm also looking into an event a local shop puts on every year. Looks like they do a "standing hot lap" event with different classes. Sounds like it could be a pretty fun time.

 

[mcglsr2]

I still wanted to buy a new mod for the car this winter like I usually do. So I went ahead and ordered new seats, harness, and harness bar during LMR's sales. Next thing to do is wait for summer and start driving.

Good choice :thumbsup:

 

[v6mustang94]

How have you guys been mounting your shoulder straps? I watched this video (http://youtu.be/e2nZCAxQJpM?t=11m41s), but my belts are stitched together. So I can't remove the triangle mounting piece like he does without cutting the stitching. Assuming I have enough strap, do I go to the stock waist mounts for the rear seats?

 

[mcglsr2]

How have you guys been mounting your shoulder straps? I watched this video (http://youtu.be/e2nZCAxQJpM?t=11m41s), but my belts are stitched together. So I can't remove the triangle mounting piece like he does without cutting the stitching. Assuming I have enough strap, do I go to the stock waist mounts for the rear seats?

In order to answer, I'd need to see the harness you ordered - link please.

 

[ba#97]

try and see if there is a SCCA Solo 2 region near you. I know it's not road course but sometimes it's all people have in their area and it is pretty good for seat time.

 

[v6mustang94]

In order to answer, I'd need to see the harness you ordered - link please.

I went with this for now. http://www.latemodelrestoration.com...4-Mustang-Corbeau-4-Point-Harness-And-Bar-Kit.

try and see if there is a SCCA Solo 2 region near you. I know it's not road course but sometimes it's all people have in their area and it is pretty good for seat time.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

 

[Evilgt]

Just a FYI that harness bar will not pass NASA tech inspection.

Not sure about other organizations.

kyle

 

[mcglsr2]

So the issue you are having is you can't get the harness through the holes in the seat without undoing stitches?

 

[Evilgt]

Is that bar and harness FIA approved?

The driver and any passenger must utilize modern style stock seatbelts in very good condition, or a DOT
approved restraint system, while operating a vehicle on the track. Lap belts used without any shoulder
restraints are not permitted. Restraint system requirements are listed in Section #11.4.8. The only
four-point belt systems that are allowed for use in HPDE / TT are 1) those that carry an “FIA B-xxx.T/98
certification, or 2) those that carry a label from the belt manufacturer stating that the belts meet Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 209 AND that the belts were designated for the specific vehicle
(e.g. “For use only in BMW E36 models”). Such label must be easily visible to the NASA inspector.
Note- four-point belt sets that have a DOT-only certification are not allowed.

 

[v6mustang94]

Just a FYI that harness bar will not pass NASA tech inspection.

Not sure about other organizations.

kyle

Which is fine. I'm not currently participating in any NASA events.

So the issue you are having is you can't get the harness through the holes in the seat without undoing stitches?

I can get it through. Just wondering where to mount it. The video says to remove the triangular mounting piece and wrap the belt around the bar, but I'd have to remove the stitching to get that piece off. So instead, should I just mount the shoulder straps to the stock locations for the waist belts in the rear seat?

 

[wmfateam]

4 point NO!

 

[Evilgt]

Probably work for autoX. However if the angles are not correct where the belts attach to the harness bar is correlation to the angle where they go over the seat they can actually kill you in the event of a collision.

Just some thing to think about.

Not telling you to use or not use them. Just want to make sure that you are aware of this fact. We have reasons behind not allowing certain set ups and making sure that they are installed correctly.

Again probably fine for autoX and that set up should hold you in the seat.

kyle

 

[mcglsr2]

I can get it through. Just wondering where to mount it. The video says to remove the triangular mounting piece and wrap the belt around the bar, but I'd have to remove the stitching to get that piece off. So instead, should I just mount the shoulder straps to the stock locations for the waist belts in the rear seat?

Ah, I understand now, sorry about that. Okay - to answer your question, I'm not sure If it's stitched, that usually means the harness is intended for bolt-in applications only (unless the manufacturer expressly says it's okay to remove the stitching there, but that would surprise me). The harness bar is meant to have the harnesses attach to it...so I'm not really sure what's going on with your kit. I'll do some research on Corbeau's website, see if I can determine what's going on there.

 

[mcglsr2]

Alright, I think I understand what's going on here. Those harnesses are not meant to wrap around the harness bar. It looks like they are meant to attach to seatbelt holes and (I suspect) the rear bolts holding your seat down. The harness bar is there to provide the correct angle for the belts coming over your should, and is NOT mean to attach harnesses to. Take a look at this image from Corbeau's website (sorry for the largesness of the image):

Notice the driver side harness - it passes through the belt retainer thing on the harness bar, then goes down the back of the seat - I suspect to bolt in where the seat is bolted to the car. I don't know if that Corbeau harness bar is actually intended to have a harness wrapped around it - usually for that to be okay, it needs to be solidly mounted to the car (like on a roll bar or cage) - I'm not familiar with how the Corbeau harness bar works. Did the kit come with any instructions?

Looking at the above image, I am almost certain that the harnesses you have are not meant to wrap around a harness bar, but rather are meant to be bolted in on all 4 straps.

 

[mcglsr2]

Alright, it looks like the harness bar is supposed to be usable with wrap-style harnesses. However, you have a bolt-in harness. You are meant to install it like the image in my previous post. If you want wrapped style harnesses, I'd suggest returning the kit, buying the harness bar by itself, and getting the harnesses separately.

And just to put it out there - for not too much more than you are already spending, you could get a 4-point roll bar from MM with a harness bar and harnesses. While not as good as a 6-point (or more), the 4-point will be better than the Corbeau harness bar. And you will still retain the use of your rear seats, for the most part (though it comes with a harder install process).

 

[Evilgt]

http://www.autopowerindustries.com/RollBars.aspx

 

[Evilgt]

For about 700 bucks you can have a roll bar and them mount a good set of harnesses from G force and be good for just about every organization out there. And add a little structual rigidity to the car. vroom vroom

http://www.autopowerindustries.com/PriceList.aspx