why did you have a rollbar/rollcage put in?

[muthstryker]

just seeing why some of you had your rollbars and rollcages put in and for what reasons. would it be a good idea to have something for the track? i was thinking about having one built but wanted to see what some of you think. i plan on taking it to the track IF the car magically gets done one day.

[SicMonte]

i put mine in b/c i have always wanted a cage...and it made the car alot more solid. It is not a certified cage by any means...just one for the street...6 point cage.

[David Pozzi]

We put an Autopower roll bar in our 73 Camaro. We do Autocross and open track days. We needed the safety and the bar also provides a very desireable mount for the competition shoulder harness. Otherwise the harness would have to run down to the rear seat belt anchors on the floor and the angle and length would make the harness unsafe.

We didn't go to a full cage because we want to drive it on the street and without a helmet the bars above the side windows would be very close to our heads.
David

[muthstryker]

what did you guys do with your back seat? take it out? just leave it? i know if i do it the back seat wont be useable.

[muthstryker]

david what do you think about a removeable crossbar? so i could still use my back seats. i would have the roll bar tucked to the c pillars as close as possible. but would you run a removeable crossbar for a harness?

[David Pozzi]

We have a removable crossbar but the main hoop while wide the lower part kicks inward and bolts to the passenger footwell just outboard of where subframe connectors would run. We can't get into the rear seat even with the cross bar removed. The seat is in there but not usable. The rearward braces bolt to the rear wheelhouse so those tubes run through the interior side panels just above the arm rests.

The DSE or Alston Chassisworks bars would probably be better for rear entrance but the Alston bar has small braces to the main hoop that reach inward to the footwell and block the rear seat. I guess you could leave those out. The Alston website has a How-To article that shows a second gen install.
David

[RobM]

put mine in because...

chassis structural integrity,
with high HP and high loads on the car there’s no way 30+ year old sheet metal will hold up, keep its shape, not flex ect.

safety,
I wanted harness belts to hold me in the seat. running harnesses with no bar or cage is very dangerous... not just because of the belt anchoring issue, but allot harness belts do not allow your body to move what so ever. If the roof is able to crush in factory belts will allow your body to move out of the way instead of your neck crushing. Harnesses will hold you right in place. You can’t just start altering a vehicles safety features with out some thought

in terms of a back seat.... my opinion is there are street cars and race cars (some race cars go on the street) roll cages are for race cars, back seats are for street cars. Unless you have the room and engineering to keep the rear passengers safe. If you plan on driving the car with no helmet I would HIGHLY recommend designing the structure so it wont get in the way of your head or face in the event of an impact

the other reasons for a roll bar are, I do this stuff for a living so I like having a rolling business card. and they do look bitch'n!

[louie@g-machine]

A good custom cage can do wonders for a car. It makes the chassis more ridgid, greatly enhances safety, and if done right will not be in your way. many of our customers want cages in daily drivers, but are not willing to give up interior pannels, sun visors, and trivial things like that. its always a compromise, but if you do get a cage, please dont get an auto power one. spend the extra and you will be rewarded with a much better look, more room, and a safer product.

[syborg tt]

We put one in my truck (no back seat) to increase the rigidity of the truck. Also the door bars are very low so you can get in and out easily.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[jason@gmachine]

david what do you think about a removeable crossbar? so i could still use my back seats. i would have the roll bar tucked to the c pillars as close as possible. but would you run a removeable crossbar for a harness?

We had a customer that wanted a removable cross bar and the standard in this industry seem to be the pin style, which are unsafe and tend to rattle. Check out our answer to this problem!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

These are right out of the high end off-road racing industry. They are machined interlocking pieces that have two Allen screws in each side. They will never rattle and ate stronger than the tube in that section so that absolutely no strength is lost with the removable section. They are also sitting flush because we TIG welded them in for looks and optimal strength.

Jason

[syborg tt]

i've been looking for a set of these - how much are they

[jason@gmachine]

i've been looks for a set of these - how much are they

for the 1.75" by .120 wall they are about $90.

Jason

[syborg tt]

cool thank you - I am going to have to get a set from you for my next project.

I am quessing your e-mail is your bb name

[jason@gmachine]

cool thank you - I am going to have to get a set from you for my next project.

I am quessing your e-mail is your bb name


[email protected]

we also wholesale rod end recievers and heims, both american and QA1 series.

Jason