P

prkaye

Well Known Member
My seat belts from vans did not come with hardware for attaching to the structure. I'm guess AN-3 bolts?
 
But I believe that Vans calls for AN-4 hardware
Click to expand...

I believe all hte plans show is the hardware for attaching the brackets and the shoulder-harness cable to the structure. Since seat belts don't come standard with the kit, I don't think the plans actually show what to use to bolt the seat belts to the anchors. The seat belts themsleves don't come with any hardware or instructions for this.
 
Phil,
AN4-6 for shoulder and lap. Also need spacers to go in belt holes. 3/8 dia with 1/4 hole, 3/16 wide.

Steve
 
strange that Vans' doesn't provide these spacers! Any idea where spacers of those specs can be obtained??
 
see detail e on sheet 29.
Click to expand...

hmmm... looking at DWG 29, detail e shows the assembly, and the drawing shows the spacer F-7116 being made from AT6-058x5/16, and the spacer is marked as having 5/16 diameter. But Steve is right, 3/8 is a much better fit. The holes in the seat belt are slightly larger than 3/8. Is this an error in the plans?

Also, the drawing says "4 req'd per aircraft". Shouldn't the same spacers be used for the holes in the shoulder harnesses, which are the same size (just over 3/8") ??
 
You should have a small length of 3/8 OD x 1/4 ID al tubing to make six of the spacers
Click to expand...

Yes I do, but see my previous post above. The plans call for 5/16 OD which seems too small. I also have some of this tubing, but I'm wondering if the plans are mistaken here. I've emailed Vans.
 
answer from vans

For anyone interested, this is the answer I got from Vans regarding that discrepancy in the plans:

"It depends which seat belts you chose. The Tuff Tow type have a 3/8 hole.
The AmSafe have a 5/16 hole and 1/4" for the shoulder straps, and that is
what the drawing reflects. If you have the tuff tow you'll need to use bigger
bushings."
 
Another question... should spacers like these also be used where the shoulder harness cables are anchored back in the aft fuselage? DWG 26 doesn't indicate any spacers, but they would be needed if the assembly is supposed to have the freedom to swivel, like the lap belts do.
 
No spacer needed. Just follow the directions. The nut will bottom out before compressing the clevis to allow for free movement. Also note that Dwg. 29 Detail E (zone 7-G) shows proper bolt hardware and Spacer info in zone 10-D for lap belt.
There is considerable information on the drawings so it pays to look thoroughly when you have a question. In most cases the information is there, but not always obvious at first glance, so keep looking.
 
The nut will bottom out before compressing the clevis to allow for free movement.
Click to expand...

Are you sure that's the intent? That doesn't seem like sound design practice to me... having a nut bottom-out on the shank of the bolt?

**edit** - just got an answer from Vans on this. The clevis is NOT supposed to have freedom of movement... it's supposed to be clamped tight so that the cable lines up with the pass-through holes in the baggage bulkhead.

There is considerable information on the drawings so it pays to look thoroughly when you have a question.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, but there have been places where the plans have errors in the callouts, sometimes because hardware and components change. One example is the lap-belt space in DWG 29 that you mentioned. If you see my post above, that callout is not correct if you use the Aero-Tuff belts (which Vans sells). The correct hole size for these is not indicated in the plans.
When I suspect there might be an error or ambiguity in the plans, I ask for thoughts on the forums.
 
Last edited:
Made me look

I was curious what all this was about so I went back to look at the plans. I plan to order my harness from Crow and will ask them to fit for 1/4 bolts when the harness is made. Guess it depends on who you get the belts from. Being an experienced builder when at this stage I would think when you get the belts it would be apparent if a spacer is needed or not.

I am really envious of you guys ahead of me.
 
Just made ours today for our 7A. The plans call out some small 5/16 od hard AL tubing that you drill the ID to 0.25. I believe teh whole idea behind this bushing is to protect the AN4 bolt from being scored by the belt. Sounds like a good thing to add to the condition inspection.

Kevin Phelps:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.