TEAMTECH HARNESS ISSUES

[Michael Martin]

I've been on a mission for several months (sidetracked numerous times) trying get my TeamTech harnesses installed! Using Janni and Henry Cone's excellent instructions, I have managed to do minimal damage in the cutting and mounting process (nothing that couldn't be camouflaged!?!). However, the later Vipers with the security system override mounted in the console between the seats has created a challenge for the factory folks! I damaged the switch plug which in turn fried the control module; we had to clip the plug from the wiring harness to eliminate the electrical short; and now they are trying to locate new plug/harness to reconnect the switch!?! (explanation is meant as a heads-up for others to consider!!!)

However, my greatest concern has been trying to install the eyebolts at the stock seat belt locations and maintain functionality. Mounting the sleeve over the eyebolt threads has been very troublesome especially in light of safety concerns! For others that have completed their installation in this regard and those who are about to undertake that challenge, I have this info to share!

I have been in contact with Curt Tucker, owner of TeamTech. He said that he had the opportunity to visit with the Viper community at the Viper Days Mid-Ohio event and has come back with a new prospective on help us out with our harness installations!

First, the sleeve issue has been solved... he is expecting an order of sleeves machined to specification that will be available for future Viper installations. If you are not satisfied with your present engineering efforts, he will have them available for those that want to change theirs out! In regard to MY concerns of fabricating a sleeve that offsets the eyebolt, Curt has performed stress analysis on his sleeve fabrication to insure that it meets safety code... I believe that shear was above 5000 psi in respect to the 3000 psi standard (please verify with Curt).


A few other things that he realized while at Mid-Ohio:

SHOULDER HARNESS & STOCK SEAT BACK OPENING. He said that seat back covers restrict the harnesses from properly sliding down for a comfortable fit around the neck. He has a couple of possible solutions... One is to do some minor trimming to the seat back material which would allow the harnesses to more easily slide down into the seat back frame... Or he has developed a strap that allows the harnesses to be routed around the seat back.

LAP BELTS. He noticed that the lack of space in the Viper seating compartments greatly limits to ability to tighten the harness system around the occupants. This is primarily an issue for those with the Pull-Down lap system. He suggested that the Pull-Up lap belts would greatly inhance the ability to secure you into the seat!

SUB BELT(S). Many have probably noticed that the sub setups in Vipers has minimal effect due to forward positioning of the floor mount. By first snugging the shoulder and lap belts, the attempt to snug the sub belt pulls lap and shoulder harnesses away from the occupant. As most of us have opted for the 5-point systems, he suggests revamping to a 6-point / 2-sub set up. By running the belts along either side of the seat and clipping them into the lap belt eyebolts behind the seating position, one is able to tighten the harnesses to secure themselves back against the seat.

I've sent my lap and sub harnesses back for modification... will post an opinion when I have them installed! For more information, you can contact Curt at TeamTech . You can go to his website for phone numbers or e-mail him direct.

 

[Jerry Scott[CO]]

Regarding the sleeves for the eye-bolts, I found that if you made a slip-on sleeve that the wall thickness was too thin and it would crush when tightened. The fix would be to drill out the hole larger in the seat belt or as I did make a sleeve that threads on instead of slides on. I used stainless nuts and ground them down until they fit through the stock size belt hole. This was much stronger than the sleeve. The sleeve would work if it were a hardened material, but normal cold roll steel is too soft and too thin, in my opinion.

There is also some question in my mind as to the safety of having the eye of the bolt so extended from the surface of the anchor point. Now instead of a shear load on the bolt, it is more a bending load. How much load will it take to bend the eye bolt and break or bend the nutsert and pull it out of the fiberglass? Food for thought.

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[Henry Cone]

Michael, good post on the harness install. The alarm cut-off in the center console is something that we didn't have to deal with. If you (or someone else with a console switch equipped car) could take some pictures we could add them to the install instructions....

As to concerns about loading on the eyebolt, remember that the sleeve is only replacing the shoulder on the stock seatbelt bolt. So the loading from the stock belts is exactly the same as from the factory. There is an increase in the loading on the eyebolt with the harnesses - it is due to the fact that the harnesses clip onto the eye of the eyebolt. I examined this on our installs and based upon the robustness of the stock mounting bolt locations I did not feel that it would be a problem.

To fully examine the stock seat belt mounting locations you need to pull off the side sills. You can then see where the stock outer threaded inserts are located. They are in a piece of sheet steel that is surrounded by tubing members of the frame. The inner threaded inserts can be seen toward the rear of the center transmission tunnel of the car. This areas also seems to be very strong...

At Curt's suggestion we have replaced the single center anti-sub straps on both of our cars with dual straps, thus converting our cars to 6 point installations. I believe that these are better for stock seat users for all except very tall and/or large drivers. We haven't tried the 6 points on the track yet but they do seem to hold you against the seat back much better. The 5 points would be fine if you have replaced your stock seat with a race one.

Jon B is right that the 6 point install makes the anti-sub strap and buckle more awkward to deal with inside of the car. This is because the anti-sub strap and buckle can no longer be put under the seat easily - it won't reach. We solved this by unclipping the outer strap of the snti-sub strap from the eyebolt (relatively easy to do) which leaves the anti-sub belt long enougn to be shoved under the inside side of the seat. It is a little more difficult to deal with it so the 6 points, while better for the track, may be more suitable for track rats. In any case it is great to have this option...

We took some pictures of the rewebbed anti-sub straps prior to installing them in our cars. Unfortunately we don't have a way to post them right now. As soon as we can I'll post them here.....

It is great to have a supplier like Team Tech who is interested enough in providing the best safety equipment for Vipers that they are providing support for users at the track. We first met Curt at last year's Viper Days Finals. We met with him at Mid-Ohio where he discussed our use of the belts and suggested that we change from the 5 point setup to the 6 point one. They are also a sponsor of Viper Days now. This interest and their willingness to continue improving and customizing their harnesses for Vipers is GREAT for us Viper owners.

As always, please contact us with any questions....