Things are not looking so...
Things are not looking so good at this point. Are you going to be able to handle the impact? Your seat is the most important piece of safety equipment. Follow our steps to ensure that your seat is up to par. Photo Courtesy of Erica Smetters
Fifteen years ago, real safety innovations were just beginning in the racing world. Unfortunately, it took the losses of four drivers (Tony Roper, Kenny Irwin Jr., Adam Petty, and Dale Earnhardt) before we really started paying attention to how safe our cars really were. The most important piece of safety equipment in your car is your seat. It's supposed to be designed to protect you from any type of impact. However, simple mistakes during the building or installation of the seat will prevent that from happening.
Hopefully, you never have to test out the strength of your seat, but you have to be prepared for the worst. Having the mindset of Well I've been in a few accidents and nothing bad has happened yet, is setting yourself up for a major problem. It's your obligation not only to yourself but to your fellow competitors that your seat be as safe as possible.
The seat needs to be snug...
The seat needs to be snug around the driver's mid section. Personally, I've always liked mine a little tighter than most drivers. I just don't want any slop between the seat and my body.
Innovative Safety Products (ISP) located in Harrisburg, NC, has recently come out with its new Car of Tomorrow seat. This groundbreaking aluminum seat recently passed NASCAR's tough safety tests, during which they hit the seat with unbelievable amounts of force from all directions. It passed with flying colors.
ISP's Kris VanGilder builds these custom seats for a wide range of racers, from NASCAR to NHRA to boat racers. The C.O.T. seat is fabricated in three sections; the main body, the headrest, and then the bolt-on shoulder struts. These three sections are then assembled once the main body has been properly mounted in the car. The goal is to not only keep the driver comfort-able but also keep him protected in the right way.
The headrest is getting its...
The headrest is getting its final touches. It will be directly connected to the seat and its placement is crucial to how safe the seat is. You must have your helmet on when mounting the headrest to the seat. You want to make certain that right-side pad isn't obstructing your view out the right side.
The guys at ISP custom build the main body conforming to the driver's body, they measure and cut the pieces to fit each individual person. I came in to its shop, was measured and within a week was able to pick up my seat.
Installation is the main key when it comes to how safe your seat is. We've all heard those war stories about how someone had bolted their seat to the floorpan. It's amazing to me that this still happens. Always bolt the seat to the frame. We mounted the seat at Leavitt Racing Components' shop in Mooresville NC. Many of the mounting brackets seen in the pictures can be fabricated, but if you're not accustomed to fabricating steel, I'd suggest purchasing them, preferably from ISP, since it built the seat.
With the season fast approaching, if your seat is a few years old, take a look at it. You may not necessarily need a new one, but double-check all of your mounting points. And check the seat for any type of cracks or broken welds. Remember, this piece of equipment is designed to protect your life. Don't rush putting the seat in. Take your time and install it correctly.
 Here the seat is connected...  Here the seat is connected to the headrest. Notice the four grade eight bolts on the back of the seat. |  The padding in the headrest...  The padding in the headrest is soft to the touch, but what separates ISP is its staged padding. This ensures that during a wreck your head can compress into the headrest but the rebound won't throw your head back to the other side. The blue is the softest of the three pads with the yellow being the stiffest. |  Here is where we need to install...  Here is where we need to install the seat. Notice the floorpan; we will not be bolting the seat to this. Instead, the seat will be bolted to the crossmember and the chassis. |
 Andy Maylish of Leavitt Racing...  Andy Maylish of Leavitt Racing Components is drilling into the crossmember to attach our seat post. It's vital that the seat be mounted in three mounting points. Some teams will only do two mounting points. But the problem is the seat will bow during an accident. And after every accident the seat will weaken. |  Steve Leavitt has now placed...  Steve Leavitt has now placed the seat in the car and it's time to get it where I would like it. |  OK. Now we have the seat where...  OK. Now we have the seat where I feel it's comfortable. The important thing here is not only height, and side to side, but a lot of teams forget about the angle. I want my seat with the back tilted down just a few inches so that the seat props my legs up. This way during the course of a race, I don't have to hold my legs up, the seat is doing it for me. Also, don't forget about the angle of the seat from side to side. We put a small amount of angle in the seat, where the right side is higher than the left so that I would be pushed down into the seat while cornering and not feel like I was being thrown out of the seat. |
 Andy has fabricated our mounting...  Andy has fabricated our mounting points, you can buy these parts from Steve or from ISP. Any fabricator can make these pieces. |  Here is our front mounting...  Here is our front mounting point, underneath the seat. Notice that there's no gap or bend between the bar and the seat. |  This is the rear mounting...  This is the rear mounting point. We'll be replacing those nuts with locking nuts. But notice again how flush the seat sits with the bracket, there's no room for the seat to get tweaked or to bend. |
 And finally this is our top...  And finally this is our top mounting point. Notice how the seat and the headrest are both connected to this mount. |  Like I said before, these...  Like I said before, these mounts weren't that difficult to make. But you can save some time by purchasing them from Leavitt Racing Components or from ISP. |  Like I said before, these...  Like I said before, these mounts weren't that difficult to make. But you can save some time by purchasing them from Leavitt Racing Components or from ISP. |
 There is our 'cage for the...  There is our 'cage for the bottom of the seat. We put some plywood down so we wouldn't damage the floorpan while we were installing the seat. |  Next we took a piece of aluminum...  Next we took a piece of aluminum and connected the shoulder harness and the headrest. |  And there you have it, the...  And there you have it, the final product. An extremely safe seat that has been installed correctly. |