#238 - UK based - project thread

[hjdca]

Great Video and Scenery !! You were passing those European cars like they were standing still !

[Harryoz]

great write up

[pat_t]

Ok so I have been promising an update on this for a while. Basically I have been working since as soon as I got the car on a solution to run some proper 6-point harnesses without compromising on rear interior space (i.e no ugly, heavy, space consuming harness bar).

I initially thought I'd be able to cope with the standard seats, however the first trackday, and even some spirited road driving, has proven that they are not supportive enough for me. So along with a great opportunity to save a fair bit of weight I'm changing them out for some fixed buckets too.

I'll take you through step-by-step with pictures and some explanation for my actions.

Step 1 - rear seats removed:


Step 2 - removed and inspected the rear seat base bar. This will form the basis for the shoulder stap mounts. What do we know about this part? Well we know GM have engineered it to take all the rear seat load from 2 adult passengers in an impact. We know the rear lower seatbelt mounts are on it. We know that GM have specifically stated that it contributes significantly to chassis stiffness and the Z/28 was quicker with it than without it. Therefore , ergo, we know it is very strong! Certainly strong enough to take the shoulder strap loads from a 6-point harness that actually more even distributes the forces around the chassis than the OEM 3-point in a crash.


p.s - I see Camaro5 owners doing rear seat deletes and not replacing this bar with some suitable bracing...?!?!?

As you can see in the image I started mocking up some additional steel bracketry around the seat base bar. These runners form a guide for the shoulder straps to improve the angle they run from the shoulder, and to correctly thread the belts through the gap between upper and lower rear seat bench. They don't prevent the rear seat base from correctly clipping back down into position.

Step 3 - all welded up and painted and bolted back in. I also cut one set of ISOFIX child mounts off for weight saving as I don't intend ever having two babies in the back (even one is unlikely!). Certainly looks a lot neater under there now.


Step 4 - showing the shoulder strap routing. I benchmarked a couple of OEM hatchback front lower seatbelt mount bars and they were all 10mm steel bar. So we made the new guide rail 16mm diameter steel to be extra safe. A bit of added weight, but certainly nowhere near a full harness bar install.


I'll never use the harnesses when I have rear passengers. When not in use the shoulder straps can be pulled back through the front seats and either placed on the rear parcel shelf or move likely just sat on, and tucked away under the front seats.



Step 6 - onto the front. Seats out!


Step 7 - seat mounts. It is important for me to make sure all of these mods are easily reversible and the car can be returned to standard with the minimum of fuss. I'm am keeping all the OE parts that are in mint condition in storage. Therefore any seatmounting that involved drilling any new holes in the floorpan was a no-no for me. Fortunately I've found that the OEM recaro seat runners lend themselves very well to mounting side-mounts on. A welcome surprise having had seat mounting in other trackcars I've owned present something of a headache. The other advantage of using the OEM runners is again safety. You can mount both the seat and anti-sub and lap belts above the seat runners safe in the knowledge that you are not putting any more load into anything above that which GM already designed for. The moment you drill a hole and use a spreader washer or use an aftermarket sliding runner you don't really know what it might do in an impact. Also in my experience aftermarket sliding runners never feel as good as OEM ones.

As you can see, correct nut, bolt and washer selection and plenty of coffee are essential here!!

Step 8 - just a couple of shots of about where I'm upto now. Seat mounts trial fitted.




Step 9 - some spare Cobra Suzukas being used for mocking up purposes. These aren't the seats I'll be using. I have 99% settled on a similar Sparco seat. The Cobra does look good though

[JUSTIFIED]

Super sweet! I really wish I could track mine once and a while, but at 6'5" I can't fit with a helmet. I know I could swap seats and fit, but I drive it nearly on a daily basis so can't do that.

Also, not sure how, but I overlooked your April pics. Absolutely beautiful pics (scenery and car...)!

[pat_t]

So I finally got the seat and harness install completely finished. I went for the Sparco Grid II in the end, not quite as snug as the Cobra Suzuka, but more accommodating of a wider range of passenger sizes :-)

Sparco Grid II

only 8kg, and has the nice feature of all the cushions being adjustable/removable via the use of Velcro pads. FIA approved until 2022.

It's always a good sign when your car parts start invading your house as well as the garage. I built the seats up into the subframes in my lounge as it was more comfortable!!



I tried to solve the airbag warning lights via the information in this thread:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=434170

As you can see above I mounted the passenger seat on the OEM sliding subframe, so when slid all the way forward it is still possible to access and use the rear seats.

I mounted the driver's seat in a fixed location to suit me, I managed to get it around 40mm lower by omitting the sliding runners. Once all was said and done with the mounting arrangements, wiring looms for airbags etc, I weighed everything I had taken out, and everything I put back in. The total weight saving from these mods were 18.8 kg (41.3lbs). The running total on my car now is -31 kg (-68 lbs).

Here's some pictures of the completed seats and 6-point harnesses:






Here's what the back seats look like, when I want to use them I can just thread the shoulder straps back through the front seats and fold them up and tuck them on the floor or the rear parcel shelf


One further interior mod I have also made is to fit a Brodit Proclip to the dash for securely holding smartphone:

The proclip is designed for "lesser" variants of the Gen5 Camaro that obviously have a speaker pod in the top of the dash, the proclip is designed to clip into the edge of this and the trim above the front middle vents. As the Z/28 doesn't have the dash-top speaker, I just had to use a bit of extra 3M adhesive, and due to the clip fitting the contours of the dash perfectly it's ended up very well stuck down and should hold my phone secure.

Next track outing is Donington on 2nd July - can't wait to try out the seats and see if I can notice the weight reduction!!

[pat_t]

Here's a video of my best lap from Donington on Sunday. As you can see I can probably be braver on the throttle in areas, but this lap is about 5 seconds quicker than I've ever driven any other car round there, so two 20 minute sessions weren't really long enough to recalibrate all my braking, turn-in and acceleration points! I think with some laps I could get sub-1:20, and with brand new Trofeos maybe even quicker.


Video is compiled using 2x Go-Pros, Racechrono App, 5Hz Bluetooth GPS receiver, and 10Hz OBDII wireless dongle.

Reminder of current spec - 578rwhp, Nitto NT05s (very past their best now!), about 70lbs weight reduction.







Proof that the £2 million Aston was being driven hard (as it should be )

[Mgizzle]

Oh man...... a Vulcan.... I am a father of two and that is MY wall poster... right next to a z/28 though lol.. looked like a blast man!

[JUSTIFIED]

Nice, Pat! I don't track mine, but always great to see them in their natural habitat.

Car sounds great and def has more in it. Am sure you will bring that time down as you get more familiar with it's handling characteristics.

The Vulcan recovered nicely!

[Gbland60]

Car sounds real AWESOME and @7k sounds like it wants even more . Sounds like you got the tune on the money. Great driving in that BEAST man

[pat_t]

Instagram video (hope the link works)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWqWmNgg1tI/

[pat_t]

A few updates since I last posted.

1. Working on the new steering wheel, waiting on deliveries of spray paint and hardware before I can finish it and try fitting it though. Updates to come soon.

2. Fitted Trofeo Rs at last, actually went 325/30 R19 SQUARE! Not seen anyone put a 325 trofeo on the front rim yet, it does fit but I'm going to need a 4-5mm thin spacer to gain clearance to the front strut. I run max negative camber, if you don't you may not need this.

3. Was Best Man at my friend's wedding at the weekend. It was a pleasure to take him to the church in the Z/28! We certainly got some attention! Pic below...

[JTRATX]

If you are going to be tracking the car a lot a 2nd set of wheels is a good idea!!! Check my FS thread if interested, not sure on shipping costs though..

[pat_t]

Originally Posted by JTRATX

If you are going to be tracking the car a lot a 2nd set of wheels is a good idea!!! Check my FS thread if interested, not sure on shipping costs though..

Yep a 2nd set is definitely on my radar.. unfortunately I think shipping a wheel set from the US to the UK will be prohibitively expensive though.

There are quite a lot of decent UK and European wheel manufacturers so in the long term I aim to get something aftermarket (and lighter) for Track use, and save the OEM rims for Road use.

[aris]

How well does the 325 fit the front rim? I was considering doing it but ultimately didn't because I thought the wheel wasn't wide enough.

Any pics?