Projects T Roadster Roll Bar

Want to install a roll bar just behind the seat in my T. Have about 4 or 5 inches between the gas tank and the backrest. Pretty simple. Strait up from the frame just above my head and then 90 across to the other frame rail and down. Not sure what to make it out of and if 90s can be bought. Any help will be appreciated. Maybe if a hamber with experience in Northern Ca. wants to take on the task I might be open to farming it out.
Thanks Gary

 

A little help from the daytime people?

 

When you install a roll bar in a T, they look ridiculously high if they are the correct height to actually protect you. But don&#8217;t let that stop you. <o></o>
If is going to be functional, you must install braces down to the floor at a reasonable angle.<o></o>
It would be best if you check the rules for land speed racing in order to be safe.<o></o>
<o></o>
That being said, I installed roll bars in my car that are only for looks and I hope that I never roll it over.

 

thick wall Alum conduit can work and be polished up,it stong enough for this type of set up it's mostly looks and some added saftey. Any good electric shop could bend it to size ya need with a cardboard pat take to them
If ya look in my albums ya can see mine from late 1950's,but i padded it.

 

When you install a roll bar in a T, they look ridiculously high if they are the correct height to actually protect you. But don’t let that stop you. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
If is going to be functional, you must install braces down to the floor at a reasonable angle.<o></o>
It would be best if you check the rules for land speed racing in order to be safe.<o></o>
<o></o>
That being said, I installed roll bars in my car that are only for looks and I hope that I never roll it over.

 

Howdy steel rebel,
Most if the time roll bars are made of one continuose stick of 1 3/4 .120 wall tubing. 90 degree bends welded into straight sections sure wouldn't do too much to protect you in a crash. Find someone with a standard bender and it should be pretty inexpensive to bend.

 

I hope you meant to put a smiley joke icon with this comment. If not it is the stupidest and most unsafe thing I have ever seen.

 

I think that you can't get a functional roll bar in a t that will keep the look of the car trad or historic, whatever. Probably a foot higher than the back body edge is all that will look good.

That's really not functional.

Look at Cobras, I saw one the other day with two hoops, one on each side, up over the drivers head it looked terrible. Saw another one with just a small loop behind the driver, with a verticle center bar towards the rear, that looked much better.

Really, if you think that you need a functional roll bar, you shouldn't be riding in the t. If you are racing the T, that's different and you need to follow the rules of the club you will race with. Any bar you put in for looks will not be acceptable for any racing. Any single loop bar will not be much of a protection, maybe none.

Nice T, BTW. But what is that portable parking lot about?

 

Gas pumper hit it right on the head...........any rollbar you put in won't give you any real protection, unless it is done the way someone like NHRA says to do it. A single hoop alone is almost zero protection.

As for the bending, the only real way to do it is with a mandrel bender. I know some people do the sand pack route, but that has pretty much gone by the wayside since mandrel benders have appeared. You have to measure VERY carefully to hit the exact dimensions you were shooting for, and the preferred tubing size is generally 1.5 or 1.75. I think 1.5 looks more proportional on a small car, like a T, and that is what I made mine out of. Obviously, mine gives no protection and is simply cosmetic, but I wanted that old timey look and did it this way.

And I agree, you have a nice little bucket there.

Don

Here is the one on mine.

 

I went through this and my biggest issue was the radius... most period cars had bars filled with dry sand, capped, heated and bent around a rim... I ended up ordering a larger radius die for the guy doing the work... I have an ol' skool one in my 33 and the radius was almost the same... 120 wall dom 2" is what we used

 

Gary,
Joe Carr Racing in Petaluma should be able to help you. I'm not sure who else is close you, I know a few guys down here in Oakland that could also bend a roll bar (1 3/4 OD steel tube) for you.
Bruce

 

^^^ Whoa! Is there a thread about this car somewhere?? ^^^

 

Don and Exstreamliner, now there's two good examples. Both different but both have the right look to me. Pictures are worth a thousand words.


Like the sprint and midget drivers of years ago, more for looks than protection, and when TSHTF, duck.

 

Thanks guys. You gave me a lot of info to chew on. Wouldn't want to put one on that wasn't useful or looked ugly and detracted from the overall look of the car. Guess a bucket isn't too safe whatever you do to it.

 

Something to consider is placement from your head. Should you ever get hit, or hit something, you need PLENTY of room so as not to hit the bar with a un-protected melon.
I used to think it was cool to drive fully caged race cars on the street. After racing a few years and seeing actual crashes and the results I can say that it is not in your interest to do so.
SCTA current rules are very restrictive as to the drivers area. They are counting on your wearing a GOOD helmet and all proper restraints (up to 9 point and H&N).

Just another opinion, J

BTW, I think the "T" needs something like a bar to look correct, but placed well back from the seat.

 

To answer your question, yes 90 deg. sections can be bought. Often refered to as welding elbows or 'els' : http://handrail-fittings.sharpeprod...-with-two-tangents?&pagenum=2&measuresortid=0

 

If you had it made from even wood doweling it would still be there just not functional and perhaps like some of the other suggestions even more dangerous than nothing at all. If you are going to have a roll bar and like that look (I do) make it and install it so it will protect you and your p***enger. The suggestion to check with the LSR crowd I think is an excellent idea.

Do not take chances with your safety even for the sake off appearance.

 

More angles... mine is above my head... I sit low in the car and I'm 6'

 

You hit the nail on the had here with the "duck" comment.

In the period that most of us shoot at the roll bar was there and all you had was a lap belt. You bent over if you turtled it and the roll bar held of off of you.

Some old salt cars like the Carillo car didn't actually have a roll bar. it had a hoop under the cowl and if it started rolling the idea was to duck under the cowl.

It becomes a real problem when some of us build a quick car and want to make a p***. A modern roll bar/cage deatroys the total look of something that we are going to drive most of the time and want to make an occaisional p***.

 

Steel rebel,
The thing that worries me the most about a single hoop (even a low decorative type) on a T-bucket is that with the lack of fore to aft bracing, if that car gets upside down, the roll bar breaks it's mounts and is now more loose junk to kill the occupant. Might not happen in a forward roll over, but get that thing a bit out of shape and go over backwards... Oh boy... A multi point bar would be the only safe way to deal with the situation, but on a T-bucket the astetics are going to suffer. And I remember you and I pretty much closed down the old T-bucket thread talking about astetics!

 

Steel rebel,
The thing that worries me the most about a single hoop (even a low decorative type) on a T-bucket is that with the lack of fore to aft bracing, if that car gets upside down, the roll bar breaks it's mounts and is now more loose junk to kill the occupant. Might not happen in a forward roll over, but get that thing a bit out of shape and go over backwards... Oh boy... A multi point bar would be the only safe way to deal with the situation, but on a T-bucket the astetics are going to suffer. And I remember you and I pretty much closed down the old T-bucket thread talking about astetics!

 

Yeah Louvers I've probably closed more than one thread talking about astetics. (spelling?) Some people don't "get it" or don't want to get it. However the **** one above is right on. Also the prime 27.
Well I thought it might be a good idea. Maybe not.

 

Ya, I think there is an "H" in there somewhere... No time to look it up.

 

It is still a good idea, would help with side impact protection, which BTW, I would be more worried about than rolling the car.

 

It's been posted before but here is my friends little T roadster with a just for appearance rollbar:

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by dana barlow
thick wall Alum conduit can work and be polished up,it stong enough for this type of set up it's mostly looks and some added saftey. Any good electric shop could bend it to size ya need with a cardboard pat take to them

+ 1 Aluminum conduit ?? What a fool statement. Remind me not to get any car building advice from this guy !

 

i told my mom i was planing on building a t-bucket come winter ***uming nothing comes up.. and she brought up the roll bar. to me seemd useless unless it encloses you like the digger type dragster and you have a helmet always.. id be better off with out one i think.. unfortunately..a guy down the road from me had a t and died dunno 6 years back i think did not know him just rememebr him driving by doing burn out and what not in his many hot rods.. i do not know the details realy other than rumors and what paper said.. he was thrown out over a overp*** and I dunno if the impact killed him or getting hit by a car down below.. but she sure remember tbucket and his early death.. so i told her no on the roll bar, but a lap belt id do. so you gamble whats safer getting thrown out or strapped in... iv already been in a bad motorcycle accident which i died and stuff. was clinically dead foe 2 mins.. unfortunately mom remembers o to well ( i try to forget about it over reliving the accident in my nightmares etc..).. i just try to ease her mother way of thinking i could die in the shower tonight moms.. be happy.
thanks for the topic.. def some things to think about.

chris.

 

Safety in a Bucket T is dependent on the driver being alert to all the traffic mess around him/her and having at least a lap belt for driver and p***enger. If you aren't held in position at the controls rollbars or anything else are useless. A p***enger loose in the ****pit is a dangerous thing too!
Drive defensively, keep your eyes open for trouble and hopefully you'll be able to drive out of harm's way or at least be able to get positioned to lessen the effect of a bad customer who isn't aware!

 

If we are talking safety in a T roadster I wonder how these seats would work ?

http://www.wiseguys-seats.com/catalog_featured.html

http://www.wiseguys-seats.com/catalog_dim_frame_bucket.html


In answer to my own question, at 28" tall they would be too tall for most T's. Better for a closed car.