Jeep Engines - Oljeep

T -7-7OFF-ROADING AND RACING 4732. Head RestraintA head restraint is required in vehicles that haveinstalled a roll cage. The head restraint should be wellpadded and located not more than 4“ behind thedriver’s helmet. A padded roll bar or cage by itself isnot acceptable as a padded head restraint by most racesanctioning bodies.3. Six Point HarnessIf the roll cage performs its task, then it becomesmandatory to keep the driver securely located withinthe roll cage. This requires both a high quality seat beltand shoulder harness, and they should be securelyattached to the roll cage, not to the seat or floor.Interesting to note, seat belts and shoulder harnessesonly offer so much deceleration time before they giveway and break. They have to or even more seriousinjury could occur to the driver (crushed ribs, etc.). Butby the time they do break, they have absorbed so muchof the impact that the driver can usually walk awayuninjured. Most people don’t realize that seat belts,shoulder harnesses, etc., are designed to break.Therefore, they must be replaced periodically. Checkwith your local track for safety regulations.4. Seat MountingWith padded bars, head restraints, seat belts andshoulder harnesses all located in the area of the driver’sseat, it is absolutely mandatory that the driver’s seatstay in its position. It should be bolted to the frame,preferably passing below the seat. High quality boltsshould be used, and the bottom bolts should be vertical.Warning! Quick pins should NEVER be used toattach the seat to the frame.The seat should be attached in three places: one on thefloor and two on the back. The floor attachment shouldbe to the main frame rails or roll cage structure, not tothe sheet metal floor. (Attaching the seat to the floorwill allow the seat to easily tear out in case of a crash.)The back support should be a vertical bar running fromthe main hoop to the frame rail with the seat attachedto it in two places: as high as possible and midwaybetween the floor and the upper attaching point.The seat should be set into the tube frame and attachedto the previously mentioned three locations. If anaftermarket fiberglass seat is used, the attaching boltsshould run through the seat with metal reinforcementplates on the inside so that the bolt does not pullthrough the fiberglass. Use carriage-type bolts(rounded heads), or weld a stud to the reinforcementplate so that the head of the bolt doesn’t stick into thedriver when he straps himself into the seat.5. Window NetA window net is highly recommended and is requiredby most sanctioning bodies. Its primary function is tokeep the driver’s arms contained within the roll cage incase of an accident. It also keeps flying debris fromentering the driver’s compartment.Attach the net to the inside of the roll cage above thedoor opening. One method is to run a steel rod throughthe net and attach the steel rod through brackets weldedto the roll cage or with hose clamps. The bottom of thesafety net can be held in place with a steel rod that fitsinto a bracket in the rear behind the driver’s left armand has a seat belt end on the front. The net should beas far inboard as possible.6. ParachuteIn drag racing classes that allow the use of a parachute,it should be anchored securely to the roll cage. It is notrecommended that the parachute be attached to the rearaxle or rear suspension members since the rearsuspension attachments may fail and pull out. It shouldnot be attached ahead of the axle. The best choice foran anchor spot is a section of the roll cage at the rearshock crossmember. The rear crossmember, which isused primarily to support the batteries, ballast, etc., if itis very strong, can also be used as an anchor point. Ona stock-bodied vehicle, it may be best to pass theparachute lines through the rear panel to the anchor. Ifthis is done, the hole in the panel should have no sharpedges which might cut the lines anywhere from theanchor to the chute itself.The height of the chute anchor relative to the axlecenterline is extremely important. If the anchor is toohigh, the front wheels will be picked up. If it is too low,the oil pan will scrape. For the correct size and type ofparachute, contact the manufacturer.7. BallastAny material that is added to the vehicle for thepurpose of ballast must be permanently attached to thevehicle’s structure or roll cage. Consult your rulebook’s safety regulations for how much ballast isallowed, its location, and other details.Steering LockFor any race vehicle, be sure to remove all productionsteering locks. This is extremely important because in case ofengine failure or other reason for engine shut down, if youhave not removed the steering lock, you will literally belocked into the steering angle you are in, and more than likelywill go off the track into a wall (or worse, another vehicle).