love the small seat and big seat haha :tup:

That's right they weigh 19lbs without. I'm guessing the brackets and rails weigh about 5lbs. So I'm guessing overall it's about 20lbs in savings per seat over factory (give or take a couple). I put them in today and you can defiantly feel the the difference in weight. I just know my car that well. Probably make up for it when the cage goes in. I also removed the seat belts. They weight about 4lbs.

So far as the rear tube bar I think I'm going to remove that all together. Wasn't really sure if it has a purpose now.

There's a small story behind that but it actually worked in my favor. That why if I have bigger passenger at the track they can ride wihtout me being worried about if they can fit. Instructors too.

Striped out
http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...Seats005-1.jpg

Seam Sealer being stripped
http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...Seats004-1.jpg

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Seats022.jpg

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Seats021.jpg

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Seats018.jpg

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Seats009.jpg

:driving:

Chris,

Do those brackets bolt into the stock seat bolts? Any advantage to using a side mount bracket? Thanks

Yes they mount in the same holes. You have to buy after market rails and brakets that mount to the floor if you want them to slide forward and all. But if you want to go custom you can have them mounted to the floor which makes them low as possiable. Which I might do one day for these are a little higher than stock. But you can't slide them after you have that done.

The side mounted brakets have to be used with these seats so no real advantage beside being sturdy.

Looking good!


The guy that I originally purchased these seats from never specified that they were two different sizes, just advertised them as a pair of XLs.

I got them about a year ago, new and unused and saw the XL label on one underneath the bubble wrap. Apparently, I unwrapped the other one, that wasn't an XL and didn't fit in it, so I sold them to Spohn. Had I just tried the other one! I discovered it when I took the second out of storage a half hour before he picked them up. However, when sitting, my legs go out to the sides, and I don't think I could be comfortable in a seat that holds them straight anyways.

Thanks for the sale Mike. Dropped the car off at Forged (Forged 2 that is) today for the cage. Can't wait till I see it. Especially after I paint it wrinkle red. ;)

What are you doing cage-wise btw? As in, what level of completeness? :)

4 point only with the intentions of going full cage in the future.

Excellent. I'm going to be restricting myself to 4pt initially as well (once I get around to it in a few weeks). It seems like when you evaluate the net of the situation, >4pt requires the car be track only, arriving on a trailer. Anything with forward bars isn't gonna be safe without a helmet on in any kind of collision.

I'm sad I'm just now finding your thread. Good stuff. Love the look of that wing!

I'm just about to try to figure out how to put in the Australian harness bar. :) I got talked out of a 4pt by my local cage builder... He told me it would make a full cage even more expensive if I wanted to go that way in the future. *shrug* I'm still not sure about my decision... but excited to have the new seats/harnesses!

Arguably, a harness bar is always a bad safety idea.

In stock configuration, the safety design with regular seatbelts is that in the event of a rollover, your body can fall to the side a bit as the roof crushes in on you. Once you strap into a 4+ point harness, you're immobilized from falling to the side, and in a rollover without a rollbar your head will take the weight of the car and your spine/neck gets compressed/crushed.

Combining that with what I said above, it seems like the only combined options that don't seriously compromise safety in some situation are:

1) Stock everything
2) 4-pt rollbar + harnesses: still streetable w/o a helmet, can choose harness-vs-seatbelt usage regardless of helmet status (or completely remove seatbelts and go full-time harness).
3) >4-pt cage: not streetable, always requires a helmet + harness.

I realize this but it's a matter of gambling over the likelyhood of a rollover and how much one extra hoop will protect you in that rollover. :P I've gone back and forth on it and it mostly comes down to how serious I want to get in this car!

wow 4 point :yum:

Great Shot Courtesy Of Chad from Forged Performance
 

Here's a pic taken at Forged last week. I know some of you guys are awaitng pics of my roll cage. They will be posted tomorrow after I pick up the car.

http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...53520572_n.jpg

Nice shot. ^^^

Looks good stig!!!

Can't wait to see those seats,cage in person:tup:

Damn SPOHN your cat looks exactally like mine!! WTF:roflpuke2:



Oh, nice shot of the car above. Looks great.

Fire up some steaks and I'll be on my way.
I guess that means there are just two bad a$$ cars out there. Plus Frank above:icon17:

I love ur wheels...AME is back in business right? Any idea how much a set like those run for?

I didn't really know they were out of business. I got mine from SpeedElement. They might have a set in stock still. Mine were about $2600. They used to be offered cheaper but the Yen keeps going up in Japan.

Good price, thanks man

Link to my roll cage install

http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...ml#post1529300

i GOTTA get a welding jacket like that guy MILLER FTW... i got the same helmet lol btw the cage looks... sooo freaking :drool: pure sex man pure sex

:tup::tup::tup::tup::tup:

Looks great Chris now if we can only get you to drive correctly.:bowrofl:

Just having fun with the STIG:tup:

The 4-point Forged put together turned out pretty awesome.

I'm getting closer, I've stripped down my car from the backs of the seats on back and all of the side-plastics in that area, but not the headliner. Been staring at it for a couple of days and reading up on various rules and regs and safety issues so that I at least have some idea in my head what the right design should be. Then I'll head to a local shop or two and see if I can find someone I'm comfortable with to do the work (Forged is a bit far heh).

Got a couple random Qs:

1) What was the idea behind standing the harness bar off to the rear like that? Most I've seen keep it in-line with the main hoop? Just to avoid the X-shaped intersection with the diagonal and inherent weakness that comes with chopping one of the bars for that intersection?

2) Where you put the bottom mounts of the hoop makes a lot of sense, and seemed like the best option to me when I'm looking at mine as well. But, was there any argument though, for moving the legs forward a few inches and going to the lower floor (level with the bottom of the seat rails, in other words)?

Seems like it would possibly cut into your seating space (moving the seat forward another inch or two) to try that, but on the other hand the spot you've chosen makes me wonder about adding lower door bars later, or directly mounting seat rails to square-tube floor extensions from the cage (both seem easier with the main hoop going all the way to the lower level).

3) Also, what was the factors that went into settling on 1.75x.095? I've been waffling between a few different dimensions of DOM looking at different regs and things and hoping I don't have to rip out my 4-pt a year or two down the road just because I end up trying out some event/series or other with different rules than I expected.

Wstar, not sure I could answer your questions. If you would copy and paste them in the write up Forged did. Sharif would defiantly have the proper answer and spec that went into my build.

All I can say is my cage was build to a cetain spec with the mind set of going to a six point cage (maybe more) in the future. So that could have a lot to do with the design your seeing. Also the sizing of the DOM is all spec also. Sorry I couldn't be more informative.

Plasti-Dipped Side Markers
 

wow they looks good Chris, plus they match your theme :tup: good one!

wow man that looks pretty bad *** man!!!!

Excited to see you guys caging your Z's! (:

I'd likely to strongly recommend that whoever you hire - pick them from among the guys that routinely build cages for the sanctioning body you will run with. Consider calling up your regional NASA and SCCA directors and ask each of them for the names of three guys. Pick from that group. Just going to any old fab guy that tells you they can do it is asking for rework or worse.

I'm sure WSTAR you were planning to do this anyways, and you are always meticulous- so my input is as much for everyone else.

Well, I am meticulous about these things in general, but the problem is the scene around here is far more centered on NHRA when it comes to builders. The only reasonably-priced builders all work on drag cars in high volumes. They do know how to build safe cages to professional specs, just not NASA/SCCA specs necessarily. I found a couple shops within range that know about NASA/SCCA rules, but they're asking for ~4x the price for the same pipes, same welding, same specs, etc. So if I did (or when I do) put in a cage, it will likely be me carrying a copy of the relevant rules down to a very reputable NHRA-based shop here to have them do the work. One in particular that I've been looking at, about 2 hours away, is also well-versed in doing LeMons cars, so that should carry over some as well.

But in any case, I've dropped the idea of putting in a 4-point for now. Going to wait until a full cage makes sense. See this thread: http://www.the370z.com/track-autocro...yet-again.html.

Also, Spohn, when I've been looking over cage specs myself, I'm concerned about your 1.75x.095 build. Seems like for NASA (if you plan to do NASA TT stuff), 1.75x.095 is only allowed if you can get the car under 3000 lbs comp weight, otherwise you'll need 1.75x.120. Or did you have some plan to get under 3K somehow?

Edit: it could also be, of course, that I don't fully understand the build rules. Maybe you can step down a size when you've got more than the required minimum tubing (e.g. extra rear cross-bracing like you've already got). Still, I'd look into it on my own if I were you.

As for now or a couple of years to come I don't plan to run any NASA events. Maybe in due time when more time and money is there. I am trying to shave as much weight as I can and keep it streetable. I'd like to see what it's at now. it needs to be cornered balanced soon. Im about to get a lighter battery and move it to the rear, remove radio, speakers, and front beam off the front. So that on top of all I have done is pretty significant. So I am working on getting it to the lowest weight.

As far as detailed specs I'm unsure of the actual rules/ specs. I really should read up on them. I put a lot of faith and trust in Forged Performance where it takes the guess work out for me. They know what to do inside and out.

What front beam? The crash-absorber one?

The rest is a good tradeoff, I've been running radio-free for a while now. Even travis's car though, which I suspect is about the pinnacle of where yours or mine would ever end up at (well, except I'd like mine to have a working engine :p) can't get down to 3K competition weight I don't think.

Oh, and NASA CCR link: http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/ccr.pdf

Yep the crash beam.:tup: If you run a TT kit you can't run this anyways due to the large intercooler. I know it wouldn't be recommended by some. Soon enough the AC will be compromised also. Let me get through this summer.

but thats also cus the intercooler gets bolted in place and essentially becomes like your crash beam.. I would leave it honestly man, it also provides alot of support for the shape of your bumper, your bumper would become all flabby otherwise.

The more I think about it, it's defiantly a bad idea. One of those rambling think out loud ideas.:shakes head: I've gone weight saving crazy

Go to the Gym! and get a good poop in before the races. that ought to save a few lb's!