CMC roll bar, now I'm intrigued..

Finding out my car has mounts for the roll bar... Has anybody even seen a factory roll bar? I might like to have one if I get bored of the look it has now... Thanks!!!

Done right, they look good. Done wrong, they look pretty stupid.

Unless the roll bar is integrated and welded in, they're pretty much worthless. Lots has been written about putting roll bars in street cars, and the consensus in metal cars is to not use them on the street at all.

For our purposes, since they're cosmetic, it's up to you. Throw some padding on 'em, Zip-Tie the padding to the bar, and they look pretty good-to-go.

The Hoopty's roll bars are part of the frame. I can't remove them. Several great examples come to mind, both with- and without padding. Gordon, Wild Bill, Syl, Alan and East Coast Bruce all drive cars with what -- to my eye -- look like well-done roll bars.

Cory, is your car low, are you tall? Your hoops are pretty high up... Its one of those things, you don't know if you like it unless you see it installed... Non the less, I'm using those drilled brackets to bolt some more tub to pan.

Keith: Roll bars are not head rests unless they have a humongous pad to keep from cracking your skull like an egg. Too many guys install them too low for that "cool look" instead of to protect them in case of roll overs, the purpose being to keep your head off the pavement. Cory's will be functional if ever needed. Don't forget your head is higher than the windshield (no protection at all) and your roll bars should be higher than your head.

Nolan just nailed it.
Here's the car with me inside:

I sit lower than the windshield, I understand the roll bar and how it works. I think I'll go to my buddy's place who builds race cars and let him mock up the bar and struts and see where it works out to be and if I like it. I might hate it. Cory, that's a Snell 2005 helmet I hope! DOT is a no go for multi hit track crashes... I'm in the industry, sadly I've seen bike DOT helmet aftermath... Ugghh

I think I have a factory CMC roll bar. Ill check it out and post it if you want.

Bryan

Factory CMC Roll Bar

And...

Keith, this is a little better illustration of exactly how tied-in mine are. If you look, you can see they also tie into a motor plate and the transaxle braces. My engine has no side-to-side movement while it's running, and there's no transaxle flex when I come off the line. It's all very solid.

The more apart he takes it, the more impressive it looks.

Nice Corey...

ya - i gotta say Cory - that is a wicked picture:

Hoopty = Transformer

Hear is my version, nothing for the passenger

Cabanaboy

Desi.
What size wheels and tire do you have on your car? Are they replicas? Where did you get them?
Troy

Troy, wheels are polished Fuchs, all around nice feel to the set up

Size - F 205 / 50 15 (23 lb)
R 225 / 50 15 (26.6)

Rim sizes?

Transformers = Megan Fox!

Nothing personal John, but I would not want to be in your car in a roll over. That roll bar is just going to lay down. It is just dead wieght, as the rear bars are not supported propperly and they will allow the front bar to fold down.

CMC advertised their "roll bars" as simply show bars. As much as they exaggerated in other area (like 40 hour build time) - surprised at their rare truthfulness. Love the look of the stainless (chrome?) Mazda Miata one that DrClock has used in past.

Nothing personal Kevin, but I do not want to be in my car either in the case of a roll-over...or your's either for that matter. Have you ever heard of a one of our replicas rolling over? I've not seen it on this forum. As was mentioned, the bar was advertised as a "show" bar. I also very much like Alan's chrome Mazda show bar...I have one in my own Miata, but it too is just a "show" bar. I believe this thread started with Keith asking to see a CMC factory roll bar. I was merely showing him a couple of shots of the CMC factory roll bar that I installed as described by CMC in their build manual as he had requested. I'm reasonably sure that most roll bars purchased from CMC back in the 80's (I started mine in '88 and finally licensed it this past July) and installed by owner-builders in their CMC Speedsters were installed exactly like mine is. I added to the dead-"weight" you mentioned by welding an additional bar on the factory bar to attach the shoulder belts to...I do not use them or the anti-submarine belts either, just the lap belts. Show belts on my show bar. If you drive a turn-key, you probably have not looked at the CMC build manual which is also available in the Library. Frankly, I do not believe that our Speedster replicas are safe, crash-worthy cars in any sense. They will come out second best in ANY two car collision...and just forget it if the second car is actually a truck. A functional roll bar is the least of my safety concerns.

OK I'll do it....

John read this painfull tribute,

https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=19597

Having not known him personally,
But a Greatly missed member... Mr. Bill

Enjoy life !

John,

I hope I did not offend you. I've been around racing and comepeted. I was also a tech inspector for some races, and there are a lot of show bars out installed in cars by guys who dod not know the difference. My whole reason for posting is that it sounded like Keith might be planning on taking his car on the track and i know for a fact it is possible to get these cars up on two wheels, thus making a roll over very possible. My intention was to only inform people on here what is right abd what is not. If you going to add a roll bar, why not make it function like one?

It would not be hard to add a roll bar with the propper support to hold our very light little cars up and maybe save someones life!

Thats it just trying to help.....

Most types of accidents contain ways to escape the worst damage of a collision. Spped up, slow down, manuver out of the way, don't get close enough for another vehicle to getcha. Bill's accident appears to have involved a roll over---from sidescraping a fence, I believe.

I am uber careful every minute I drive my Speedster and do all the exact things I do when drivibng a motorcycle such as stay far away from other vehicles, don't get distracted, watch where I'm going and
not depending on mirrors to check for traffic when changing lanes and always do a head check for traffic. These things allow me to feel safe driving my Speedster.

BUT--if I EVER rolled my car and skidded upside down I am pretty sure I will quickly assume room temprature because without a real roll bar that will keep the car off my head I likely won't survive. Even a helmet won't help in a rollover.

If I were building a car I'd have a real roll bar welded in but I'm not going to add a real one now.

Just be very damned careful out there-I never want to read about someone else we care about---that's all you knuclkeheads--getting hurt.

Jack, in my professional opinion as a rescue guy ... you would be DRT-AST, not DRT-ART.
Dead Right There, Assuming Seasonal Temperature -- not Assuming Room Temperature. That's what happens indoors.

(And, although I've driven with you and know you to be a very safe driver, I'll still knock on wood for all of us. I like you guys.)

Cory forgot to mention you'd be FUBAR as well!