Roll Bar

Has anybody installed a roll bar on a vintage and if you have where did you make the connections.Thanks Scott Morvan

I'm interested in a roll bar. I really liked the double hoop set in the members section. I'm not sure who had them but they look sort of like the Audi TT. I need to find someone who can create one of those for me.

I made a double hoop roll bar out of schedule 40 1 1/2" stainless. I welded and gusseted it to the cross brace under the rear seat, the tranny and the upright that is welded to the cross brace. I copied the design of Max Zimmer in the files. First, I removed the carpet, cut away the glass rear seat as needed to expose the square tubing, had the stainless bent, welded the hoops together, then welded the roll bar to the car, then patched the glass, had an upholsterer refit the carpet, then smiled at the result. It was a long, tedious, and expensive job. I have over $1,500 in materials if memory serves me. It could be done much cheaper by using chromemoly tubing, which is also much easier to have bent. In retrspect, I would use tubing instead of pipe, and have it powder coated or HPC coated. Less weight, less cost, less hassle. Let's see, maybe next time, I'll . . .

Some time ago there was a member of this group that was looking into having a few roll bars fabricated for owners that were interested in purchasing them. What ever became of that project?

I don't want to spoil anybodies ideas, I just thought I'd mention that the TT style double hoop bar looks and most likely is reallllllyyy dangerous. If someone hits you from the rear Jim your head will hit these bars. Maybe some padding would help. It's just a scary thing, a roll bar should protect you. The thing with rear impacts is you can't control how or if you do get hit. Bassically those bars let some dumb ass driver with a cell phone on their ear decide your fate. I'm sorry I don't mean to bash those cool looking bars just understand what they may do to your noggen in a rear impact.


J-p

I did a bunch or research, taking off on Jim's design and photos. I just got sidetracked on another project. Well, two actually. I still have all the drawings and vendor history. You can go look at the drawings under -Files, -Member, -Rollbars. We wouls have wound up with about $200 $250 in the steel tubing and bending. Plus $60 in shipping to each of you. You would have to have someone install it, so add about $150 to $200. You could have them powder coated at a local powder coater that does fence panels and stuff for about $50. I could have them powder coated here, but then you would have to touch it up upon installation with a glossy black. I'm still very open to this is you guys want to pursue it. You could even take off on it yourself. The only tuff part is getting a bender that will not deform the tubing in the "U"s. Also, the set up for the Us is about $150-200 bucks. I was going to spread that cost over four or so sets. That more than offsets the additional shipping.

Single hoop, four-point, removeable chrome-plated roll bar (.090" wall thickness by 1 1/2" OD) as an option on a new IM is $700. Because the roll bar attaches to IM tubular frame supports it will probably be stronger than one connected to a pan. And it is easily removed from the cockpit in a few minutes.

Wonder if it would work in my SB with the tubular frame?

Jerome

Jerome, your frame is entirely different so my guess is not without a lot of adaptation, so you might as well start from scratch.

To Jack Moore:
The design that you did is that the "2 hump" design like Max's?
Or is it flat top like the CMC/FF type?

(Message Edited 2/19/2003 2:38:28 PM)

It's the double hump. Go look under files, Members, Rollbar. It is the exact dimensions/design of Jim Kelly's, actually based on his design and drawings/measurements... Only it can be prefabbed to allow you to adjust it when you install it. Like the tubes that hold the two hoops don't necessarily need to be joined with the center tube so that you can adjust it an inch or fraction. I was planning to weld them into a standard width also. I have measured a Vintage, CMC and Metal craft and all are within micros of each other.

(Message Edited 2/19/2003 4:53:00 PM)