JerryW wrote:


Do you mean Hanksville???
www.hanksvillehotrods.com/

I'd like to see that system.

Yup - That was what i meant. A search on here should bring up a thread about it - I think in the Build forum.

Has anyone ever seen a failure of the stock mounting points? I have not and I've seen some heavily damaged cars, including my own.

I went straight into a wall at around 80 to 90 MPH. The front of the car was crushed to the strut towers. Both motor mounts and the trans mount were broken. Not a wrinkle in the chassis from the strut towers back.

I would think in a collision or a rollover, the belts and seat back brace would take the brunt of the forces. In a side impact, the cage itself should protect the car from crushing. I guess the only time I could see the floorboard at risk is in a rollover where you take an impact directly to the floorpan. I'd be interested in other input though.

I'm not saying that extra bracing is a bad idea. My concern would be that the engineering and welding on an aftermarket piece is as good as Porsche's original design.

Sorry for the long post, home with sick kids today

Just saw this thread, hopefully I can help a little.
The brace installed in the car is actually Hank's seat bracing kit, graciously installed by Hank himself. We decided to install it after seeing pictures of a heavy 944 spec accident where the floor did in fact buckle and the seat moved. Luckily, in that case, the seat moved away from the roll cage and other objects, but it was enough to convince me that the thin, factory, floor sheet metal was insufficient for race seat mounting.

The metal in the bracing kit is much thicker than the floorboard and Hank made sure to attach it in the best way he could.
Here is a picture of the bracing pre-paint and pre-drilled. (sorry for the huge pic's)



Same kit installed in a late car with the e-brake still installed. Late cars are slightly different.


Early car again, w/ holes drilled, while being painted


My legs are long enough that I was able to angle the seat and move it far enough back that head clearance was not a concern, unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be your situation. Would a steering wheel extension possibly allow you to angle the seat back? I noticed that reclining the seat back just "1 step" also had the benefit of increasing head clearance, by lowering the seat, without gaining much leg distance, only problem was the steering wheel was further away.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Chris, Thanks for weighing in.

So, that was installed by the guy who engineered it? I presume then that it is meant to sit on top of the stock points. It would be nice if I could have the stock ribs removed, and have the strong one welded down in place of them.

Sounds like I might make a couple of tweaks then. I did tilt the seat forward a couple notches, and that did result in the headroom issue. I'll probably focus on other adjustments I can make that will allow me to tilt the seat back farther again. I like sitting more upright, but the headroom is more important.

A Steering wheel extension is probably my best bet. I figure I'll want 2"-3" (I like my hands close). Maybe just buying a quick release will push it back sufficiently, but it seems like an extension would do what I really want, for cheaper.

I can work the pedals fine, but it would be more comfortable if my feet were just a bit closer. I can bolt the seat a bit further forward then.


Okay, looks like I've got a bit more work to do, but all should be well.