Custom roll bar being fabbed!

[ulev1st]

I found a local fabricator to do me a one off custom roll bar for my Roush Stage 2. Basic 6 point but the rear cross bar and door bars are going to be totally removable. The whole unit will be very user friendly...bolt the bars in for track time...take em out and have full access to both front and rear seating areas! The bolts will be countersunk grade 8 with a "jig saw" pattern mating surface so that when they are bolted in place it looks totally smooth...no protruding bolts. I'm stoked!! The best part is I dropped it off tonight at 6:30 and he says he will have it ready for me to pickup probably on Monday! I am going to try to get some progress pictures but I have to work 12 hr days thru Sunday so he will probably have most of it done before I can get there to check it out again. I will definately post pics of the final product!

 

[94tbird]

cool deal. i think with removable rear bar however it will not be NHRA legal. You can pick up the auto power cage for $450 that is completely bolt in as well and would only require small modification to make the door bars removable as well

 

[retfr8flyr]

+1, the rear bar must be welded and not removable to pass NHRA inspection. If the guy doing your bar doesn't already know this I would also check tubing size and wall thickness.

Earl

 

[94tbird]

i know the autopower one tubing and wall thickness is NHRA legal but the rollbar is bolt in. It would not take much other than to weld the bars in instead of the bolts to make it NHRA legal as the floorpan bolts and plates are legal. so for a rollbar for about $500, you cant beat that

 

[stkjock]

As a total noob to the roll bar thing... couldn't one cover the bolting areas to hide them with padding so it was not noticeable unless the tech inspector really started pulling things open? In the very limited times I've been to the track I've never seen an inspector pull back padding on the roll cage....

thoughts?

 

[94tbird]

As a total noob to the roll bar thing... couldn't one cover the bolting areas to hide them with padding so it was not noticeable unless the tech inspector really started pulling things open? In the very limited times I've been to the track I've never seen an inspector pull back padding on the roll cage....

thoughts?

youve only been to the track on TNT nights and a private rental where they are pretty lax. Try going to a FFW or any special event and theyll tear the heads off your motor and check your bolt threads haha

 

[stkjock]

ahhh... thanks Ron...didnt know that's why I asked...

 

[cekim]

youve only been to the track on TNT nights and a private rental where they are pretty lax. Try going to a FFW or any special event and theyll tear the heads off your motor and check your bolt threads haha

They definitely kick it up a notch for FFW - which is a good thing. Cuts down on the left turns and oil-downs.

There is also the matter of if you do win, you can be challenged on a violation and lose the win...

Ron, are you sure the mount plates are the only problem with the Autopower bar? I would be surprised if it could be made compliant with 4 bolts and a mount plate on each point that they would not mention that on their site rather than "NOT NHRA LEGAL"? Doesn't matter to me, but it would suck to pay $500 only to find out it was useless even with legal mounts.

 

[94tbird]

They definitely kick it up a notch for FFW - which is a good thing. Cuts down on the left turns and oil-downs.

There is also the matter of if you do win, you can be challenged on a violation and lose the win...

Ron, are you sure the mount plates are the only problem with the Autopower bar? I would be surprised if it could be made compliant with 4 bolts and a mount plate on each point that they would not mention that on their site rather than "NOT NHRA LEGAL"? Doesn't matter to me, but it would suck to pay $500 only to find out it was useless even with legal mounts.

Its not NHRA Legal because it is a bolt in kjit with a bolt in rear bar. If the rear bar is welded in, the tube diameter and wall thickness are NHRA legal. So says the autopower guy. Talk to Kevin at PMP he met and spoke to the guy at SEMA for a long time.

 

[ulev1st]

I went back and talked with my fabricator..we broke out the reg book and looked it up. Actually it is not fully addressed however it would be up to the discression of the inspector. My guy has seen em pass and fail this way. Apparently the overall construction and weld quality has a lot to do with it but since I will be travalling to a couple of out of town events I told him to weld the rear bar solid just to make sure no DH inspector flags me just cause he can..so the rear bar will be welded permanently...I really doesn't matter I guess..I've had the car 8 months now and nobody has ever been in the back seat! Thanks for the heads up guys!

 

[racevert]

I had mine all welded not removable doors either.
It really helped the rigidity for the vert,

 

[94tbird]

must be nice with no top. makes it easy to climb over the bar to get in LOL

 

[Kevin@PMP]

The tube wall thickness and bolt-in chassis mounts are legal for NHRA. You can have all of the chassis attachment points bolted in as long as you have at least a 6"x6" plate on the top and bottom of the floor pan with 4x 1/2" bolts per mounting point.

The reason an Autopower roll bar isn't legal is because the rear legs going to the trunk bolt to stubouts that are welded to the main hoop. Weld those legs to the stubouts and you now have a legal rollbar.

 

[94tbird]

The tube wall thickness and bolt-in chassis mounts are legal for NHRA. You can have all of the chassis attachment points bolted in as long as you have at least a 6"x6" plate on the top and bottom of the floor pan with 4x 1/2" bolts per mounting point.

The reason an Autopower roll bar isn't legal is because the rear legs going to the trunk bolt to stubouts that are welded to the main hoop. Weld those legs to the stubouts and you now have a legal rollbar.

and thats exactly what we are doing to my car and the autopower cage baby! YEA

 

[stkjock]

would it be possible to fab up (I guess anything is with enough $$) a set up that could be taken in and out of the car for when one goes to the track? and when removed would not be visible?

or have removable door bars and rear seat braces/bars?

just thinking out loud...if I'm being stupid its ok to tell me so...

 

[94tbird]

mine is gonig to have removable door bars. i refuse to climb over anything

 

[Kevin@PMP]

Rear seat bars must be permanently attached to the main hoop, the door bars can be removable. Also the cross bar on the main hoop must be permanently attached.

 

[US-1]

If climbing over a door bar is too much trouble then maybe you want to keep the car slower than 11.50 or get creative with the door bars. Some things you just have to live with in order to go faster.

 

[ulev1st]

My last car had a full on 7.50 cage with funny car bar around the driver..It looked cool as hell but my lazy out of shape senior citizten azz had a little trouble getting out...add to that a fire suit and helmet and I'm sure I was funny as hell to watch on egress! I have made up my mind THIS car is staying on the street....This one will have removable door bars..and stay SLOWER than 9.99!

 

[stkjock]

If climbing over a door bar is too much trouble then maybe you want to keep the car slower than 11.50 or get creative with the door bars. Some things you just have to live with in order to go faster.

but I need it for 13.49!