How to Install a Racing Seat and Harness in Your Mustang

As you improve your Mustang’s suspension, engine, and ability to grip the road, the factory seats become a weak point. That’s when you know it’s time to upgrade to a more serious racing seat. With a high-performance bucket, harness system, and five-point harness, you’ll be more prepared to go fast and (just as importantly) brake fast.

You can also expect to see huge weight savings. Factory seats can weigh over 100 pounds. The Corbeau FX1s weigh around 57 pounds, including the adjustable brackets. In our 2004 Saleen Mustang, we reduced our weight by 53 pounds by upgrading to the Corbeaus. A fixed mount bracket would improve the weight savings even more.

To install your race seat, you’ll need to purchase a bracket that’s designed for the seat and your vehicle.

Selecting a Racing Seat

There are a lot of great racing seats available. When selecting one, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Rules and Regulations

If you plan to participate in motorsports, make sure the racing seat you buy complies with the sport’s regulations. Some sports require the use of a roll bar or a seat back brace.

Fortunately, national organizations make their rules available online and are easy to research.

SCCA Rules

NHRA Rules

Fitment

To operate as intended, a racing seat needs to fit properly. Here’s how to measure yourself so that you get a great fit.

Seated Hip Width - Sit on a table or workbench with a rectangular object on either side of you. Then use a tape measure to get the distance between the two objects.

Shoulder Height - While seated, assume the posture you expect to have while driving. Then measure from your seat to the top of your shoulder.

Street, Strip, or Both?

If you want to take your Mustang to the strip but also want to drive it there instead of trailering, then there are a few things to keep in mind.

Seat Belts - In order to be DOT compliant, you’ll need to keep your regular seat belt intact. Fortunately, wanting to drive your track beast home isn’t uncommon, so most seats will have a way to install a harness and keep your seat belt. In our install instructions below, we keep the original belt in addition to the five-point harness.

Comfort - Even the very best racing seats aren’t always the most comfortable. Especially if you’re a little larger. Make sure to measure for fitment carefully. And be honest with yourself. If you prefer long group rides and road trips, maybe a super firm racing seat isn’t as good a fit for you as a performance seat with a few more comfort options. Check out our Mustang seat replacement guide for a more detailed list of available options and considerations.

Passengers - If you want to install a harness bar, you can’t really have backseat passengers. It should go without saying, but having a steel bar at face level isn’t a good idea in terms of safety.

Installing Your Racing Seats

Installing racing seats, a harness bar, and a five-point harness will take about 3 hours. If you’re only installing seats, then it won’t take quite as long. Many people opt to install these three items together because of their compatibility.

In our example 2004 Saleen Mustang, we went with Corbeau’s FX1 Pro seats, five-point harnesses, and harness bar system. Your parts may differ based on the seats you pick, but the basic installation process should be similar.

Tools Required:

Remove the Existing Seats

1. Remove the front bolts.

   

2. Remove the rear bolt covers.

   

3. Remove the rear bolts.

   

4. Tilt the seat forward.

   

5. Optional: If you're removing a power seat, then you'll need to remove the plug from the bottom of the seat where it connects.



6. Lift the seat out of the vehicle.

   

Remove the Seatbelts

1. Remove the upper bolt cover. To do this, slide your finger behind and pull out on the corner.

   

2. Remove the bolt.

   

3. Remove the plastic wasther.

   

4. Push the bolt out of the receiver.

   

Install the Harness Bar

1. Put the collar on the bolt.

   

2. Put the bolt and collar through the factory seat belt harness.

   

3. Wrap the seat harness over the top of the harness bar.

   

4. Insert the bolt through the harness bar opening.

   

5. Place the washer on the rear of the harness bar.

   

6. Screw the bolt into the factory location.

   

7. Remove the lower seat belt bolt from the rocker.

   

8. Remove the thick factory washer to create more space.

   

9. Remove the plastic sleeve from the lower seat belt.

   

10. Take the lap belt and overlay the openings.

    

11. Insert the bolt through both openings.

    

12. Add the bracket for the harness bar.

    

13. Secure the lap belt, factory harness, and harness bar bracket to the rocker panel with a bolt.

    

Install Support Bars

1. Secure the top of the support bar to the harness bar (only hand-tighten for now).

   

2. Secure the bottom of the support bar to the rocker panel (only hand-tighten for now).

   

3. Thread the locknuts at the top and bottom towards the center of the bar.

   

4. Once the process has been repeated on the other side, everything can be tightened down.

   

Prep the Racing Seats for Installation

1. Remove the receiver from the original seat.
   
   Pro Tip: If you’re removing the driver’s seat, you’ll notice a wiring harness for the fasten seatbelt sign. Simply unplug and remove the harness with the receiver.

   

2. Add the factory receiver to the Corbeau bracket.

   

3. To add a submarine belt (recommended for most motorsports) you’ll need to drill a hole in the new bracket. Use a ruler to find the middle of the center bar and mark it.

   

4. Drill through the marked location.

   

5. If you’re installing a 5-point harness and keeping the factory harness, you’ll need to drill a pilot hole.

   

6. Once the pilot hole has been drilled, use wider drill bits to open the hole up more.

   

7. Use bolts, nuts, and washers to secure the harness belts.

   

8. Remove the hardware under the seats to attach the track.

   

9. Slide the track either all the way forward or all the way back. This is necessary to access the bolt locations that line up with the seat.

   

10. Place the bracket on the bottom of the seat and line up the holes.

    

11. Secure the bracket and seat together with bolts.

    

12. Slide the track to the back (or the front).

    

13. Secure the lap belt, factory harness, and harness bar bracket to the rocker panel with a bolt.

    

Install the New Seats and Harnesses

1. If you’re using a harness bar, you’ll need to remove the included hardware on the shoulder straps of the harness.

   

2. Pull the harness through the buckle.

   

3. Wrap the shoulder strap through the loop.

   

4. Thread the loose end of the strap through the bottom of the buckle.

   

5. Repeat Step 4 for all three shoulder straps.

   

6. Screw the bolt into the factory location.

   

7. Thread the shoulder straps through the provided openings.

   

Enjoy Your New Racing Seats

Once installed, your new seats and harness should keep you securely planted no matter how curvy the road ahead of you.

If you’re working on a motorsport-specific Mustang build, check out our other resources for modification ideas.

Motorsport Mods

Fox Body Drift Builds

If you’re considering turning a Fox Body Mustang into a drift 'Stang then there are a few things to consider. While most of these are improvements you’d make to any performance build, there are a few drift-specific modifications. From how to stiffen your chassis to what your suspension should look like, we’ve collected some of our top tips for making a Fox go sideways.

SN95 Drift Builds

SN95 Mustangs are good candidates for drift builds. If you’re interested in modifying your 1994-2004 Mustang for drifting, these are some of the modifications that will help you. Whether you’re just getting started and want to try out drifting or are getting serious about this motorsport, there are upgrades you can do to improve your Mustang’s performance.

Mustang Drag Builds

Mustangs are fun to drive on the street, but even more fun on the track. Building a drag Mustang may seem daunting, but adding a few upgrades here and there can make a big difference on the track.

Mustang Mods for Autocross

The Mustang is known for going fast in a straight line. But it doesn’t just excel on the drag strip and track. Learn what mods you can install to increase your performance on the autocross course.