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Thread: another roll bar question
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03-09-2006 #1Starting The Transformation
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- Sep 2004
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another roll bar question
well i just finished reading steevos sticky thread on safety and im a little confused as to what im going to do with my el camino. i do not want bars sticking through my rear window. ive consulted my trusty NHRA rulebook, and according to the rulebook i can install a cage that will pass tech without going through my rear window. now the question is should i? to do it, i will be exploiting the bare minimums for triangulation, bar placement etc. this car is going to have a killer small block (for the street) and will see minimal drag strip time (presumably mid 11's) . but mostly a street vehicle. my main concern is, by meeting NHRA's minimum standards for safety, am i endangering myself on the street? i am going to be installing corbeau cr1 seats, but if i have no roll bar i wont be installing a harness. would these seats be ok with a stock 3 point belt? im asking you guys for advice because this is a new avenue for me, all the other cars ive done have been strip only and strip safety is what they were built for. i wouldnt dare drive my drag car on the street. and i dont want to drive an overpowered street car at the track insafely. i know everything is a compromise when doing this type of build but im not willing to put my life on the line because of convenience.
Tough guys may wear pink, but Bad Asses still wear black.
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03-09-2006 #2here's another option . if you want to add more support i did this in an elky once. i bent the seat back brace so it was more of a hoop going toward the back of the cab . then droped the upper main hoop supports(rear legs) onto it at the 30 degree angle nhra recomends. then continued down to the frame off the bottom side . then off the backside i added rear legs welded thru the cab going into the bed just below the rear window. .it's some added support without being vissable from the outside once the tonneau cover was on.
03-09-2006 #3Registered User- Join Date
- Apr 2005
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- Colorado Springs
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While you may be sacrificing some triangulation and as a result, some rigidity, I don't see where building to NHRA specs would be endangering at all. While not as strong as a properly triangulated cage, you are still going to be adding, not subtracting to the integrity of the vehicle. The only compromise I would think this situation may present is that you you may be adding a disproportionate amount of weight for the marginal increase in rigidity over the stock set up.
Check some of the big parts houses for harnesses. With the rise in popularity of the buzz bomb import cars, there are some new harness offerings out there that can bolt into stock locations while providing race like body retention.
03-18-2006 #4New to Pro-Touring- Join Date
- Aug 2004
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- St. Louis, MO
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It's been a while since I've sat in, or even looked at an Elky, but you shouldn't have too big of an issue fitting a cage in one. They've been installed in smaller cabs than an Elky (Toyota MR2, Honda Del Sol etc).
IMO, you shouldn't run a harness w/o a rollbar. In the event of a rollover, the harness will keep you upright. Without a rollbar, that's a bad thing ;)
You can run a 3 point with some of the corbeaus. You may have to fab a new mount for the release though to get it in the right position.
03-18-2006 #5Registered User- Join Date
- Mar 2005
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- East Kern County, California
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