Nuther roll bar question, Wife thinks I'm a nut Options

[Joe Ricard]

So yesterday I went and bought bathroom scale.. WHY? so I can weigh my car parts of course.

The black parts car I picked up had a roll bar in it. fairly standard piece I guess hoop from top of long to top of long and a diagonal brace pass corner to upper driver corner. with a charlie bar going to the passenger floor board.

whole thing is 41 pounds. Pretty heavy tubing and half ass decent welds.

Since I am not wheel to wheel racing I guess it will be just fine.

also ran through a few set of wheels and tires just for kicks.

15 x 7 diamonds (knarly) with hard ass Yoko Advans 43lbs
15 x 8 Diamond Pro R3S04 Hoosiers 39 lbs
15 x 8.5 Centerlines with Hoosier slicks 30.5 pounds (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif)

[Joe Ricard]

So OK there isn't much room for a response
What about something else to think about... I ordered a Engman Stiffening kit last year.

Which would be better for the Red Neck Racer? just a siffening kit? or just a roll bar as described above.

stiffening kit is 18 pounds but doesn't provide any roll over protection.

Roll bar I don't know how much it will aid to stiffening but 40+ pounds is a lot

Is it over kill to put both pieces in?

Don't intend on tracking the car all the time but I will Autocross it monthly at a minimum

[Aaron Cox]

i would think that the stiff kit will do more...

as it stiffens not just L to R but front to rear...

where your roll bar primarily is left to right stiffness... and some front to rear with use of the petty bar.....

trekkor runs both.....

smart thing to do would be to triangulate the roll bar to the front of the long.

[Joe Ricard]

I thought of that too. SCCA rules for roll bars require top of the diagonal bar originate from the upper 1/3 of the roll bar up right.
and tend 30 degrees either aft of forward.

I would think this makes it hard to get in or out, having to climb over the bar to get in the seat.

Guess I need to mock it up with some PVC to both longs as you say and see what it looks like.

[jhadler]

Yeah, check the rules.

Reinforcing the chassis by some means other than a roll cage (stiffening kit), may not be legal depending on what class or classes you wish to run in. A cage on the other hand is legal in nearly every class. Depending on how it's installed of course...

I like the idea of a cage over welding in plates here and there. For no other reason than for the added protection in the event something happens on the track.

Make the cage a bolt-in, and you can take it out for autoxing...

-Josh2

[Joe Ricard]

I should be working right now.....
But I am working the idea of how to bolt in a cage to the top of the longs.


Hmmmmm.
any suggestions? Pictures and sketches welcome (except from Miles)

[jhadler]

Check the rules. I'm pretty sure that the GCR's require that the cage be mounted to the -floor-. A rediculous requirement for the 914 I know. But there are ways to do it. Most commonly is that the cage meets the mounting plate on the long, but the mounting plate itself wraps down to the floor and is attached to both the long, and the floor together.

I'm thinking of doing a bolt in 6 point cage. Kindof a modified autopower cage. 4 points behind the driver (floor/long and B pillar), and then some forward extensions that tie into the front of the long as well. Then run a bar across the back as a harness giude.

-Josh2

[Aaron Cox]

for a bolt in cagem ive seen these cool plates you weld onto the top of the long.
each has 4 weld nuts. these plates are welded to the long (you would have to drill 4 holes where these plates mont, to have the nuts counter sunk)

and you have 4 of these plates.... 4 bolts each. makes it pretty easy to take a cage in and out.

[Joe Ricard]

got pics of it fitted in the car. very nice fit. I will have to make new braces to tie to the B pillar.

[Joe Ricard]

So just came back from the race shop in town. Yes it is a roundy round place. But he does build cages. and was willing to do a roll bar NOT the way I wanted it. and cost me 700 bills.

Pretty much confirmed what I thoughtabout the bar I have. Ain't as safe as it should be. So I am probably not going to put itin the car. If at all it will be bolt in for track days.