philooo

I have done a lot of reading on the tequipment roll bar install but I can't see anybody talking about the rear seatbelt issue

see the attached picture, the OEM screw (black) have a little spacer allowing for the rear seatbelt to attach to them, but the new screw (silver), which come with the tequipment roll bar, don't have this spacer...

I have to attach my rear seat belt to something, can I put them on the new screw ?

Additional question does anybody knows of a part number to buy new screws ? mine are a bit damaged, I'm gonna try to re-thread them but I don't know how good it will be, I'd rather buy new ones. I assume those are made out of 'special' metal, I can't just buy some similar looking one at home depot, right ?

LC MotorSports

You can use any Grade 8 bolt... that is of the proper thread/pitch. It should be 7/16-14 as it is controlled by the SAE (society of Automotive Engineers) standards and all cars in the US will be the same.

Sneaky Pete

But wouldn't it be metric? Local fastenal store is a source.

fpb111

US Standards drive many aspects of a car built for use in US. Just like CARB standards drive other state standards.

LC MotorSports

All cars imported into the US must meet the SAE specifications... Thus, it will be 7/16-14...

And yes the local Fastenal or even a TrueValue, Ace Hardware would have the correct size...

Hardback

Phil, if your installing the tequip bar you should remove the rear seats and belts. You cannot have a passenger in the back with the bar in place. You will drop 40lbs by doing this also... If your installing the bar yourself there is a decent utube video that will help.

LC MotorSports

Unless you are going to completely remove the rear seatbelts (by pulling the side panels off and removing them from the car)... just bolt them back at the normal location at the base of the Roll bar (we do this all the time of clients whom are not ready to start removing items). You can remove the seat backs or leave them in (again we do this depending on clients wishes).

philooo

yes I did remove the rear seats cushion and seat back (the one which go up and down). But yes I am left with the belts that are inside the rear pillars. I don't want to remove the rear pillar and remove the belt completely as I will certainly have to take the bar out if I sell the car.

Thanks Chris, I wanted to check if it was ok indeed to attach them back on those screws as they are evidently not designed for that, and I can understand it. Porsche certainly assume that if you put the rollbar in you will remove all the rear seats and belts 'properly'.

Last question, how can I tell if a bolt is 'grade8' ? do they have a stamp on them or something ? I never paid attention to this at my hardware store but I don't remember seeing any grade on the bolt price tags.

LC MotorSports

On the Head of the Bolt it will be marked like this:
6 Radial Lines

Sneaky Pete

Learn something new everyday.....

The grade 8 has 6 lines on the head. What Chris said ^^^^

philooo

I always thought those little bar were decorative Lolll

Thanks guys !

philooo

one more question because I am not an expert in nuts and bolts ...

I found something here:
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...0115161&ucst=t

but what to they mean by "Thread: Coarse"

Is that the "Coarse" thread, the right one for this application ?

LC MotorSports

Coarse is a general term for the type of Pitch (# of threads per inch) in this case it is 7/16-14. The other thread callout would be fine (in the case for 7/16 it would be 7/16-20 or 20 threads per inch).

Each size has a common Coarse & Fine thread callout... While this is not to say that they are the only Thread pitch sizes...Just the most commonly used.

philooo

I just received my bolts but they are in 'coarse thread' (yellowish on the right) unfortunately and the thread I needed is 'fine' (aluminum look oem bolt on the left)


So to recap the proper size bolt is : 7/16/ diameter and 20N thread (fine)

Thundertub

I have installed a couple Tequipment roll bars into my cars over the years. Not only is the bolt Grade and thread critical, but also the length. After running new bolts through the seat belt holes, longer bolts often rub on something somewhere. And if it is rubbing a rotating part (such as a tire or wheel) you are going to have an ugly problem very quickly. Clearance problems aren't always visible during installation.

And just installing the old bolts isn't a given either if you removed something (seat belt mounting flange), because now that bolt has to go further into the hole to seat.

And it wouldn't be a bad idea to put a good sealant in the thread since it is going through the body. You want to keep the water out of the car and carpets.