[targa88]

Nice set up.
Curious about the angle on the harness - since the brace would come diagonally? Typically the 4-5 point harness should come straight back...

 

[wrigman]

Great photos and article on DeMello Offroad in the Jan 2011 issue of Off-Road magazine. :bigthumb:

Speaking of DeMello, here's Jason working on my next mod.

WOW! Congrats T!!!! I thought I was the ONLY one to ever get Jason to work on something AND post a pic of it!!!:rofl:

 

[TCao]

Nice set up.
Curious about the angle on the harness - since the brace would come diagonally? Typically the 4-5 point harness should come straight back...

Thanks Colin. Schroth designed the Rallye 3 harness to have the single tail strap mounted to the outboard rear seat belt mount on the C pillar (to be technically correct, this should be called a 3-point harness even though it has two shoulder belts). As with any safety harness, it's very important to adjust them properly which the Schroth instruction manual does go into great details: lap belt tight on the pelvis and even tension on the shoulder belts. This means you'll need to take up a little more slack on the outboard shoulder belt to keep the shoulder belts tension even since the tail strap does not go straight back (as you've noticed) like a racing harness. Since I cannot use the factory mounting points for the lap belt, this harness is not considered street legal (DOT-approved) (the outboard lap belt mounting point is on the suicide door). In conjunction with the Sparco seat, the Schroth harness keeps me from bouncing around and allow my arms to steer and shift and not to support myself as I was doing with the factory seat and seat belt.

WOW! Congrats T!!!! I thought I was the ONLY one to ever get Jason to work on something AND post a pic of it!!!:rofl:

:lol: You need to be extra stealthy and use a good zoom lens.

 

[TCao]

Sparco R505 Seats Installation Update

As mentioned in Part II of the Sparco seat installation thread, the DS seat position sensor was temporarily affixed to the seat base with zip ties until I can make some brackets for the permanent solution. Here's the update to show the final installation of the DS seat position sensor.

The bracket holding the sensor to the slider spacer is made out of 6061-T651 extruded aluminum angle (1 x 1 x .125). I used two nylon standoffs (.375" OD x 1.00" long) to position the bracket away from the Sparco slider locking mechanism. The Hall effect postion sensor is held by one M6 bolt as the sensor has a small plastic hook to keep it from rotating in the bracket. The bracket is secured by two M4 x 40mm CRES SHCS.

To replicate the factory shielding plate, I used a piece of CR 16-gauge (.060") steel sheet. Shown below is the shielding plate before the mounting holes were drilled.

In order to duplicate the relative position of the sensor and shielding plate, I used dimensions taken from the aft seat base mounting bolts and the seat back (lumbar area).

Shown below is a photo of the final fit check prior to painting the pieces. In order to clear the Sparco slider mechanism, the new shielding plate is positioned 1/2" further inboard.

The photo below shows the installation of the bracket, sensor, and shielding plate prior to reinstalling the DS seat.

For comparison, here's the photo of the factory DS seat.

 

[TCao]

I had originally mounted the emergency hammer/seat belt cutter just aft of the the center console as shown in the photo below.

With the addition of the Tuffy console insert, there's is not enough room for the emergency hammer in the original location. The new location is about 12" towards the driver's side. The emergency hammer/seat belt cutter is still accessible by both passenger and driver.

 

[mtnkraut]

It's even better in person. Thanks for helping me out today and adding to my to do list.

 

[TCao]

It's even better in person. Thanks for helping me out today and adding to my to do list.

Thanks for coming down yesterday. Your welder buddy has madz skills--the curve front bumper is awesome.

 

[SouthTexasCruiser]

Do you or anyone you know want to build and sell ready to install kits?

 

[TiFJ]

X2 I would be interested...

 

[TCao]

Do you or anyone you know want to build and sell ready to install kits?

X2 I would be interested...

I'm assuming all y'all are talking about the aftermarket seats. Would I want to put together ready-to-install kits? In most likelihood, I have to say: no. I'm terrible at following through; that, and my rather odd work schedule will make for horrible customer service ("a man has gotz to know his limitations" ). Having said that, I would recommend the following shops:

1. For Sparco and Recaro seats, I would contact Tony Pletcher at Speedware Motorsports in Redmond, WA (tonyp at speedwaremotorsports.com, replace @ for at). Speedware manufactures all the Sparco seat bases and harness bars and also offers custom fabrication. They distribute Schroth and other racing safety harnesses so it's about as close as a one-stop shop as you would get. There are a few photos of their seat installations on Landcruisers and Tacomas and FJ suspension in their project gallery. I have contacted Tony and he'll be more than happy to help getting you guys set up. (Speedware Motorsports)

2. For Corbeau seats and harnesses, I would contact Stan (NCFJ) at the TOY Outfitters in Chesnee, SC. Stan is a support vendor of this forum and I'm pretty sure can make the seat spacers if you do need to have them. (TOY Outfitters)

You can order the OC Sensors Bypass module directly from Scott. This is really Plug-and-Play. Unplug the gray connector from the factory harness and plugs in this module and mount the switch. (I'll update Part II of the seat installation thread to add description and photos on how to separate the PS sensor cable harness from the seat belt harness for a cleaner installation; this is not necessary to make all the SRS equipment work though).

The only truly diificult part of the seat swap is soldering the two resistors to replace the seat side airbags for those who are not familiar with working on electronics. AFAIK, all the airbag kits come with just the resistors and some heat shrink tubing. The factory airbag harness has female connectors so you could just plug the resistor leads into the two receptacles and heat shrink the whole connectors. Since we typically take our vehicles off road and will expose them to lots of impacts and vibration, I chose to solder the resistors for a more reliable electrical connection. For those in So Cal who need to have a shop do all the installation, I would recommend without reservation to talk to Jason at DeMello Offroad or Larry at Dirty Parts. As always, you're more than welcome to contact me with questions.

I just looked at the Speedware website and they're running a special deal on Sparco R505 seats/bases/sliders right now. That's a great price. According to Sparco, these seats are for Medium built (read: Italian Medium). If you're generous in girth, these will be very snug.

 

[TiFJ]

Thanks for the info TCao, great build!

 

[TCao]

Thanks for the info TCao, great build!

Anytime and Thank You! I have the urge lately to revisit the Great White North. If I find myself heading up towards Calgary, I'll definitely PM you.

 

[TCao]

Another Extended Stay at DeMello Off Road

I've been collecting parts in my living room to update the front suspension and finally got Jason to work me into his very busy shop schedule. J even moved his beloved Continental so my FJ can be next to Graham's (gsgmac).

Some of the front suspension components to be installed include TC stock-length lower A arms, King air bumps relocation (if needed to work with the TC A arms), and extended King coilovers with race-series reservoirs. Since almost all of the front suspension will be removed, TC coil bucket gussets and new TC spindle gussets will also be welded on. J will also be adding fillet welds/gussets to reinforce the lower A arm cam plates. This will be a less invasive modification than grinding off the factory cam plates and welding on the TC version.

When I got to the shop earlier this morning, J was taking a call on his potential contribution to a historic sculpture to be installed in a San Bernardino park. :clap:

 

[TCao]

Jason picked up the gussets from Total Chaos today. The top two pieces are the gussets (PN 59651) for the coilover shock tower (aka coil bucket). The bottom pieces are the new spindle gussets (PN 59698-SB) that are not added to the TC website yet. These allow the use of the front sway bar and were purportedly developed for military application (Tacoma).

Jordan welding the coil bucket gussets.

PS coilover shock tower with the TC gussets is shown below. The gussets not only stiffen the tower but also provide double-shear mounting for the UCA pivot bolt.

Jordan prepping and tack-weld the spindle gussets.

The newly reinforced spindle. AFAIK, these are the first ones of the new design installed on an FJC. The endlink is used to jig the gusset in place during welding (endlink is normally installed from the other side of the spindle).

 

[DOfj]

Nice build.
Demello does great work

 

[TCao]

Nice build.
Demello does great work

Thanks. J is da man. :cheers:

 

[TCao]

PS front suspension back on for suspension cycling to set maximum up travel. Unfortunately, the original position of the King air bump needs to be lowered to work with the Total Chaos stock-length lower A arm due to the particular design of the King hydraulic bump stop can. Unlike other cans which use pinch bolts to allow the bump stops to be moved up and down slightly, the King design is top-mounted and does not allow for any vertical adjustment.

Old air bump can had to be torch-cut and frame prepped for welding on new can.

A few photos of the DS shock tower gussets. Jordan's showing off his talent with the MIG gun.

Reinforced adjustment cam tabs. If these ever get damaged, then the TC cam gussets can be welded on.

Sneak peek of the DeMello Offroad 3-hoop bumper for the 4Runner.

 

[mtnkraut]

I installed and hooked up the airbag sensors today. Left the battery unhooked for about 30 minutes and all he lights turned off. I am good to go, thanks for the help.

 

[TCao]

Awesome! I'm glad to hear you have all the seats' wiring sorted out. Have fun in Anza-Borrego this weekend.

I installed and hooked up the airbag sensors today. Left the battery unhooked for about 30 minutes and all he lights turned off. I am good to go, thanks for the help.

 

[TiFJ]

Anytime and Thank You! I have the urge lately to revisit the Great White North. If I find myself heading up towards Calgary, I'll definitely PM you.

Please do! I'd love to check out that fancy new suspension and maybe hit a local trail or two... Plus, we're on the way to Alaska if that's your final destination...