talon Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Has anybody installed racing harness's in their Esprit? Where did you mount the shoulder straps? I know the Elise/Exige have an optional bar that runs across the car behind the seats specifically for mounting the harness straps. Is it safe to fix the straps to the bulkhead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_sekinger Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I have motorsport harnesses installed. I advise that you consider motorsport seats in conjunction with the harnesses. For the shoulder straps, it is okay to use an eye-bolt through the bulkhead, provided that you employ a spreader-plate on the engine side. You will need to use a similar load spreader on the floor bolts for the side and centre straps. If you have never experienced fully harnesses, you will be amazed at the difference to standard belts. Just a word of caution....... you will need to get into the habit of releasing the handbrake BEFORE you clip yourself in...... it is impossible to reach the handbrake lever once fully installed. Cheers, Mike S Quote 1996 Esprit V8, 1998 Esprit V8 GT, 1999 Esprit S350 #002 (Esprit GT1 replica project), 1996 Esprit V8 GT1 (chassis 114-001), 1992 Lotus Omega (927E), 1999 Esprit V8SE, 1999 Esprit S350 #032, 1995 Esprit S4s, 1999 Esprit V8 GT (ex-5th Gear project), 1999 Esprit V8SE ('02 rear) 1999 S350 #002 Esprit GT1 replica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Haven't done it yet but I bought some super high tensile eye bolts for mine. It all depends on what fixing the straps have, my Willans one has bolt holes instead of spring loaded hooks which means I can get the ends closer to the fixing points and it just looks neater. I bought these special eye bolts (more like swing bolts) - they are 12mm diameter. http://www.wdsltd.co.uk/Fixings,%20Torque%...%20Heavy%20Duty If you sheer one of those latterally, you're dead anyway. As Mike says a load bearing plate is needed the larger the circumfrence the better as it would have to sheer more GRP to break through....not that it should. One word though, it's not easy to do, esp the floor pan mounts depending on the car as they had different mouldings by the looks of things (the SE is different to the GT3). And again as mike says the handbrake is impossible, I have looked at moving it back, it's very possible just to remove the extension bar but a fair bit of work. Keep in mind this makes some road driving very hard (hill starts). I'd also go for a 6 point - safer on the goolies. Quote facebook = [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talon Posted March 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 (edited) I've had harnesses in previous cars, so it's funny to hear about the handbrake issue - I had the same issue with my last vette. If either of you has any shots of the interior and mounting points, I'd love to see them. Edited March 18, 2008 by talon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 As I say I haven't mounted mine yet. I have drilled the points though and they are basically defined by the harness manufacturer. So the shoulder straps run directly behind the seat - the moment they leave the shoulders they go horizontally into the bulkhead along the same line as the original seat belts do. The waist goes straight down and just slightly to the side of the seat rail and the 2 crotch straps (oo err) go under the bum of the seat. As I say a lot of this is guided by the fitting instructions. Quote facebook = jon.himse[email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8Esprit73 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 The best place to pick up for the shoulder straps on the standard car is the steel beam that runs across the engine side of the bulkhead underneath the rear window. - Still worth reinforcing both sides as well, as mentioned. Are you intending to remove the original belts? If you do, the best place to fix the lap straps is the original lower seatbelt mounting point in the inner sill and the mounting point in the chassis that the original Stalk/buckle fixes to. - After all Lotus deemed these the best place to attach their own seat belts!! Read the instructions carefully, there are a range of angles that the belts can be mounted through. How far forwards you have the seat also affects the side mounting points... If you've fitted some before you are probably aware of that anyway! - Also with regard to highway use/ track use only etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Basset Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Read the instructions carefully, there are a range of angles that the belts can be mounted through. How far forwards you have the seat also affects the side mounting points... If you've fitted some before you are probably aware of that anyway! - Also with regard to highway use/ track use only etc... Very carefully, badly fitted harnesses can cause incredible damage to the human body in an accident. The shoulder straps are particularly important from what I've read as they can compress the spine if fitted at the wrong angle behind the seat. Regards Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGFCrasher Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Somebody may shoot me,(perhaps somebody involved with Lotus racing can add their opinion )but having raced for many years and been cut out of a car at Rockingham where I actually stretched the full harness I was in, I felt I should add this. As I understood it the bulkhead on an Esprit is a piece of Ply fixed to the shell.It is not part of a roll cage or the chassis or connected to the seatbelt anchorage points.I personally would not want to be strapped to a piece of bonded in ply in an accident ,spreader plates or not. An elise has a roll bar fitted for which the factory sell a bolted in cross bar that harnesses can be fitted.On an Esprit (if t hasen't had a cage fitted and bolted to the chassis) a bar should be made up that is bolted engine side between the seatblt points and then the harness bolts bolted into this through the bulkhead. I have one that has been made for this purpose but it requires quite a lot of work to fit it.I can email pics of it to people if they are interested. I personally would not just bolt the eyelets through the bulkhead.14 stone of human will exit the windscreed with the bulkhead attached to his or her back!!!! Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_sekinger Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Somebody may shoot me....... ... you got that right .. Mike Haines has been involved in professional racing for well over 15 years. In his considerable experience, he assessed the installation of the harnesses on the Esprit road car and deemed them to be Quote 1996 Esprit V8, 1998 Esprit V8 GT, 1999 Esprit S350 #002 (Esprit GT1 replica project), 1996 Esprit V8 GT1 (chassis 114-001), 1992 Lotus Omega (927E), 1999 Esprit V8SE, 1999 Esprit S350 #032, 1995 Esprit S4s, 1999 Esprit V8 GT (ex-5th Gear project), 1999 Esprit V8SE ('02 rear) 1999 S350 #002 Esprit GT1 replica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Common misconception that plywood and fibreglass isn't strong, it's incredibly strong ! The issue I have with thing like this is that at a point where the bulkhead gives out the forces on the straps would probably cause you so much internal damage that you'd be better off out the windscreen anyways !! There's no 100% safe way to be in a road car, race car you're better off in - but thats why driving a car (on the odds) is actaully fairly dangerous, tracking one is even more riskay. Using the Elise as an example - a lot of people said that there was no way the Aluminium / glue chassis would hold up nor would it last, yet people race them quite merrily. On that the cross bar is fitted between the seat belt reel anchors. Ever tried ripping vari formed GRP ? a 5mm section about A4 size can support my 11.5 stone weight - when I was ripping the rear hatch to pieces to reduce its weight I couldn't believe how strong it is, I thought I could just tear it up - LOL. Valid point though, money no object you should be in a roll cage and the harness fixed to that - ideally. If I ever develop the race car thats what I'll do, but its a HUGE project. FWIW only 1 of the seat belt anchors on the Esprit run to the chassis and thats the buckle fixing to the tunnel - the reel is mounted on the bulkhead where you'd bolt through with a harness fixing, also the seat is held in by 4x M8 bolts through about 6-7mm of wobbly GRP (thats the bit that scares me - the seat mount). BTW gald you got out of the car OK, stuffing a car up at speeds which requires more than a 'sod it' and opening of the door yourself is an experience I bet. Quote facebook = [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talon Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 BTW gald you got out of the car OK, stuffing a car up at speeds which requires more than a 'sod it' and opening of the door yourself is an experience I bet. Agreed! I have the titanium femur and platic kneecap to prove it. The exprience of 18 months in a wheelchair is not one I'll soon forget. Glad you made it out OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8Esprit73 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 As I understood it the bulkhead on an Esprit is a piece of Ply fixed to the shell.It is not part of a roll cage or the chassis or connected to the seatbelt anchorage points.I personally would not want to be strapped to a piece of bonded in ply in an accident ,spreader plates or not. An elise has a roll bar fitted for which the factory sell a bolted in cross bar that harnesses can be fitted.On an Esprit (if t hasen't had a cage fitted and bolted to the chassis) a bar should be made up that is bolted engine side between the seatblt points and then the harness bolts bolted into this through the bulkhead. I have one that has been made for this purpose but it requires quite a lot of work to fit it.I can email pics of it to people if they are interested. I personally would not just bolt the eyelets through the bulkhead.14 stone of human will exit the windscreed with the bulkhead attached to his or her back!!!! Rich I'm with you on that! Thats why i was suggesting picking up on the steel beam that runs behind the bulkhead. - The original belts are attached to it and its probably the strongest point in that area on a standard car. Yes the bulkhead is bonded in place, i personally wouldn't want to chance my luck on how well its bonded in on all cars! - I've removed 2 bulkheads from V8 shells and both literally pulled out by hand! They did come out leaving the beam in place though...... My harness is attached to the full cage thats in my car, but that isn't a realistic option for the majority! Glad you got out of what must have been a big crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGFCrasher Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 .Ok I asked for it!! If somebody Like Mike has made that statement ,thats excellent.Certainly makes mounting harnesses to an Esprit much easier. Fortunately I was in a National one make series with a car that had been built by the factory for that championship. I got out because there were three doctors and an ambulance there in the time it took the race to be stopped! And also the car was built for racing so I had a 6 point harness,arm restraints,wraparound eared seat,full cage etc etc.I still managed to bend the pedals with my feet and pull the steering column off its mountings.The seat tore off one of its side mounts.Trouble with Rockinghanm is that the fastest bits only have concrete walls! Two weeks later it was reshelled and I was on the grid at Cadwell park for the next race (which, by the way I crashed in) Happy days. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killboy Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Would it be possible to fit a 3-point harness using just the 3 existing seat belt fixings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Yeah you could use the original fixing points - IF - the belt instructions allow the angles. You'd still have the issue of fitting the shoulder strap ahchor through the bulkhead though directly behind the seat. Quote facebook = [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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