Factory Five Roadster Build, Part 19 - Tech

This photo shows the special camlock with the push-button release. The red push-button not only allows easy belt removal, but is also easy to spot in case of an emergency (on the track or on the street). The words "PRESS" are embossed into the button just like late-model seatbelts, so anyone can understand how to get you out of the vehicle. The camlock does accept a single or double anti-sub strap if your seat and racing organization require it. Basically, you can drive on the street in a four-point configuration and then have a five- or six-point for track days.

While we completed much of the interior in our last installment, we didn't install our passenger restraints. The kit-supplied restraints are a standard latch-link five-point restraint that works fine when used in the proper application/seating scenario. With the retro low-back buckets, this style of restraint really isn't the best option (if we had high-back racing seats with belt slots, we'd be fine). Instead, we opted to upgrade our restraints to Schroth's Profi-II FE camlocks (PNs vary by color, $255 per side) from HMS Motorsport. These belts are a four-point setup that are DOT approved for street use and don't require an anti-sub belt, which wouldn't work with our style of seat anyway. The Schroth ASM (anti-submarining) mechanism is a specially stitched fold of the inboard shoulder harness. In the event of a collision, this harness stretches at a different rate than the outboard shoulder by releasing the stitched area, which in turn allows a small amount of upper-body rotation. This upper-body rotation prevents you from sliding under your lap belt.

The labels sewn into the belts spell it right out with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard code. The belts are also SFI 16.1 and FIA approved and are date coded for quick and easy inspection by your track's safety officials.

The mounting points in the Roadster work well with Schroth's mounting hardware, though you will have to cough up your own retaining nuts, which are 7/16-20. We picked up eight zinc-plated nylon locking nuts through an online hardware supply house.

The shoulder belts in the Profi-II line are the wrap-around style usually used for rollbar mounting. To properly mount the shoulder harnesses in the Roadster, Schroth's bolt-in mounting brackets (PN SRB23C, $6) were required. Here, we test the length and position of the mounting tab in the shoulder harness before installing it in the Roadster.

The finished installation in our Roadster (using the silver versions of the Profi) makes for a strong visual statement while allowing safe and easy use of the belts.The camlock is much easier to understand and use, while the Profi's 2-inch lap belts are much more comfortable and safer than a 3-inch lap belt.

In the rear of the trunk, where the shoulder straps are bolted in, the initial adjustment for the shoulder belts is handled. Final tightening is done at the shoulder strap in the passenger compartment. Always tighten your lap belt before your shoulder belt. The only downside to the excess belt material you see here is that it can clutter up the trunk, but we have an idea of how to fix that.

We lifted this idea from ffcobra.com forum member "Nice Guy Eddie." Essentially, it's a false trunk wall made from a section of pegboard, two large spring clips (like the ones used to retain garden tools), and a section of matching black carpet. We cut the pegboard to shape, mounted the clips in the proper position to snap onto the rollbar tubes, then cut and glued carpet to the front side.

Now you see it, now you don't. With about fifteen minutes of work, we now have a nice, clean trunk once again and we can easily pull the trunk wall down to access the belt adjusters if we need to make any further corrections to the shoulder belt length.