Confused about NHRA seat requirements...

[frnkeore]

Are there head rest rules? The head rest is a very important aspect in safety.

SCCA has specific rules in that regard.

[thatdarncat]

Are there head rest rules? The head rest is a very important aspect in safety.

SCCA has specific rules in that regard.

Yes, if you have low back seats you need a head support added.

[Falcon67]

IMHO, the "SFI Spec" is not for seats, it would be in the appropriate SFI chassis spec for the type of chassis and ET.  SFI 39.2 only applies to "racing seats".  In any even, you are going to want a back brace not only to support the seat back, but to home the shoulder harness.  And where those hit your shoulders is important, not only because of what it says in the rule book.  When you put in the bar, make sure your seat is all the way back, then place the main hoop/bar a little past that - unless it moves your helmet way out of the specified location area.  That said, nobody has ever measured my helmet location in relation to the bar.  They HAVE looked at the seat and belts.  If I take the door car to the Motorplex, I expect to get the once over. 

Super Pro/Sportsman requirements don't list an OEM seat as an option, but may well be.  Stock and Super Stock would be the only classes that would require an OEM seat.

I use Summit racing fiberglass seats.  They have been fine for driving, but then I don't take trips lasting an hour any more either.  But I'd expect they could be upholstered easily by a decent trim shop.  Back Brace/cross bar setup - seat uses slides and is adjustable.

[AlanCasida]

Alan, I remember seeing yours when I asked you about them before. Our seats are pretty different though, and I don't think those ideas would work for me unless I went with the short backs, like Earls car.

I know some things would be considered overkill, but if it weren't for that overkill, I don't think Randy would have walked away from his incident at the Reunion. That was a bad rollover. Safety should always come first, IMO. I don't like the idea of a modified stock seat, especially where the belts wrap around your neck, and the seat back latches on factory seats aren't the greatest anyway. I think I may go ahead with the race seats (they're Sparco Evo seats), and I've been looking at butt pads that can be used to make them more comfortable while on the street. There are lots of options and ideas going that route.

I am not completely happy with how my setup turned out and I may put a regular racing seat in it. I like the original look but I like being safe better.

[cammerfe]

When I had my cage constructed, I handed the fabricator the rule book with the proper sections marked. ECTA uses SCTA rules almost verbatim, and the rules get more stringent as expected speeds go up. I have continued to use the factory seats---A Lincoln doesn't gain much with a pair of race seats. To take care of the 'attachment to the roll cage' aspect, I have used a piece of steel cable that goes from the shoulder-height bar around the steel support-posts for the headrest and then back to the shoulder bar on the other side.

In my driving position, the seat back makes light contact with the bar, so there's no room for the seat to 'get a run' before being stopped. And it can't go forward because of the cable around the headrest supports, which are tied into the seat back frame.

The safety part of tech is quite stringent in the ECTA. There were several things I had to add, such as a window-net even though I have arm restraints built into the elbows of my suit, and I run with the windows up. The restraints are locked into the six-point belt in such a way that I can only use my fore-arms when belted-up. But I was told to install a window-net anyway.

But the cable to hold the seatback has been unquestioned.

KS

[cjshaker]

I appreciate all the replies.
When I was binge reading about seat regulations, it was pretty clear that SCCA and some of the other racing organizations had much stricter requirements than NHRA had, at least at the lower levels of drag racing. For instance, they (road racing organizations) have age requirements, much like seat belts and helmets. I could find no such rules for NHRA.

I'm aware of the shoulder belt placement issues, and had planned on basing the placement of the main hoop and crossbar on where the seat ends up. That's why I needed to figure this out before I started. I'll figure out seat placement, then base the main hoop and the crossbar on where my shoulders end up. Belts should be level coming off of my shoulders, never down or up, although there isn't a rule about that that I could find, it's just from a safety aspect. I hadn't made a decision about wrapped or anchored, but I think I'll lean towards anchored. There are however, a couple rules aimed at the lap belts and how they are anchored (bolt/anchor size and whether they are bolt in or clip in).

Being that it's a fiberglass seat, I don't think I want it butted up against the crossbar, because that would eventually end up damaging the seat back due to rubbing, vibration etc. Unless I used some sort of pad or leather wrap on the crossbar? More things to think about. I overthink things way to much sometimes, but the last thing I want to deal with is some tech inspector saying I can't run because of some miniscule issue he has

---A Lincoln doesn't gain much with a pair of race seats.KS

Ken, that statement surprises me. I've seen and picked up Lincoln seats enough times to know that they are always HEAVY, as in extremely heavy! Mostly due to electric slides, heavy padding and springs, being extra wide etc. I'd think a Lincoln would benefit more than any other car, except for maybe a Cadillac? There has to be at least a 30+ lbs savings there?

[BattlestarGalactic]

Seat belts are only good for 2 years.   You can buy ones that are "recertifiable", but it isn't a big savings in the end.  I get the lower line belts, not the spendy cam lok models!  If you buy them at the right time(not the end of the year), you can squeeze a 3rd year of them if they run out late summer.  Most places will let you run them out for the season.  Well, maybe not Columbus, but many little places don't care.  If you buy them late spring, they might be dated July or August, which gets you that 3rd season.

Helmets are 10 yrs(pretty sure).  Mine went out again a couple years ago, went to Norwalk for the Fun Ford event and they caught it.  That was one of the first times anyone has looked at my helmet.  They let me run the event, but had to plunk down $300+ for another helmet from my winnings that weekend.

I would fit the hoop where it is the least intrusive and make access to the back seat area if possible.  Then deal with the seat support, if you have to make a little stand off plate.  It may not make much difference in the end, but that's just my .02.

Tech, oh they will find something if they want to.  As long as you have the basics it shouldn't be bad.  Story I always tell is from Columbus one year.   One tech guy told me I needed to plug my body mounts so nothing(fuel/fire) can get inside the car.  Um, those mounts are not accessible to the interior.  One guy told me I needed bigger washers on the bolts to my battery box because he didn't want it to rip loose and come chase me down in the car in an accident.  Huh?  Four 3/8" bolts/washers isn't enough?  They only specify 2 bolts.

[Falcon67]

There's always 'that inspector" I think.  I've had one tell me online about the mandatory real bulkhead when the batter is in the trunk that if he didn't think he could stand the car up on it's nose, pour water into the trunk and have it not leak into the driver's compartment he wouldn't pass it.  Mine is not water tight and no one has said anything about it LOL.  Our primary problem with inspectors has been at the bracket finals when the inspectors happened to work for the home team track.  It was bad enough one year that several of the visiting track ops told the division director that is that shit went on again they'd not come back.  Last couple of times it's just been looking at belt expiration and for Pro Footbrake that there's no buttons on the steering wheel.  And listening for trans brake type staging in footbrake because trans brakes are not allowed in that class. 

If your belts are out, most places - if they check - will give you a warning until the next visit.  Same with chassis certs if you get to that level.  My chassis is up, but COVID has put the kabosh on all chassis inspections so we should get a pass this year. 

Yes, place you seat, get comfy, then put the bar components in around that.  Personally, after using a cam lock belt set in the dragster I'm not going back to the old style.  Well worth the extra $ IMHO.  Reminds me, I need to send in for re-cert. 

[thatdarncat]

...Our primary problem with inspectors has been at the bracket finals when the inspectors happened to work for the home team track...

I’ve seen that issue at our Division ET Finals too years back,  although quite a while ago they switched to having your car tech’d ahead of time at your home track now and that seemed to mostly eliminate that issue, and saved them a bunch of time too.

When you run most of the time at a particular track or two they do usually help you get a small tech issue solved and probably give you some leeway to the next event, and in a short time you get to know their peculiarities. I understand where Doug is coming from though, you travel a long way to an unfamiliar track, and you want everything to go smooth. On Drag Week since the first track usually provides the tech people to do the NHRA safety part of the inspection, you might get the tech guy with the unique interpretation of a rule. The Hot Rod people do the Drag Week specific parts of the tech inspection, like vehicle classification and lights, horn, VIN, insurance paperwork, etc.

[cjshaker]

When it comes to Mustangs, there's very little wiggle room for the main bar, so despite what I said, that may not even be much of a consideration. Access to the rear will pretty much be nil, except for between the front seats. I'm eliminating the fold down rear seat anyway. That sucker is heavy!

I've heard lots of stories about inspectors, and I still love hearing them. I'm sure that won't always be the case though..lol

[cammerfe]

---A Lincoln doesn't gain much with a pair of race seats.KS

Ken, that statement surprises me. I've seen and picked up Lincoln seats enough times to know that they are always HEAVY, as in extremely heavy! Mostly due to electric slides, heavy padding and springs, being extra wide etc. I'd think a Lincoln would benefit more than any other car, except for maybe a Cadillac? There has to be at least a 30+ lbs savings there?
[/quote]

In land speed racing, the vehicle weight doesn't have very much to do with things. A sixty-foot-time is meaningless. We are only considering terminal speed.

The only thing I took out of the car was the full-size spare tire in the trunk. And I did that because that's where I mounted the fuel cell for the methanol. I don't believe it's uncommon for a streamliner to weigh three tons. The starter got a big kick out of the fact that I'd sit in staging for an hour or more and just let the car idle with the air conditioning on. The second time I went to North Carolina, I brought along a 'Cool-Shirt' that recirculates ice-water over your chest and back. I was also wearing a three-layer fire suit and Carbon-X long underwear, a head sock and a few other things. And it was 106 in the shade and we were out in full sunlight. (Belting in properly was enough of a job that I'd have my crew chief pull the belts tight before I left the pits. But I was quite comfortable sitting there. When it was my turn to go, I'd reach over to the disk player and start Booker T and the MGs playing 'Green Onions', foot-brake it to about 1500 and step off the brake. When I hit 3rd gear I'd flip the switch to give me 150 HP of methanol 'spray' and ride it through the lights. Great Fun!!

KS

[JERICOGTX]

Doug, the Kirkey seats might not have tons of padding, but they are extremely comfortable. Joel has them in his Hot Rod, and I easily fell asleep in them driving through Tennessee. Was never a issue on Drag Week. You couldn't give me a set of the plastic Baja seats. In fact I gave mine away, and bought Kirkeys.

[cjshaker]

Doug, the Kirkey seats might not have tons of padding, but they are extremely comfortable. Joel has them in his Hot Rod, and I easily fell asleep in them driving through Tennessee. Was never a issue on Drag Week. You couldn't give me a set of the plastic Baja seats. In fact I gave mine away, and bought Kirkeys.

I've heard/seen quite a few people say that the Kirkeys were comfortable. They certainly don't look like it though. Last year at the FE R&R I should have asked a few people to try out their seats, but time gets away quick and I got busy with all the racing. Like I mentioned, you can buy all sorts of padded cushions for seats, so it really isn't that big of an issue, but I've already bought the Sparco seats, so I'll have to deal with them for now.

[JERICOGTX]

You’ll be just fine with the Sparco’s. Another nice seat choice.