History Roll Bars...when were they installed?

I was having a discussion the other day with some pals and this topic came up. When did roll bars become a standard (not a requirement) in drag racing? I know roll bars have been used for a long time but when were they really considered necessary where you saw them in a majority of serious cars?
I raced back in the late '60's at some smaller tracks and it was rare to see a bar in anything!
Now I just went through this site -

http://www.mts.net/~57ford/reunion11.html

and don't really see many there either although these fellas are laying it down. Not suggesting going without now days but can't help wondering how so many of us made it through without them..or seatbelts..or discs..or extinguishers... So when were they adopted?

Terry

 

Roll bar requirements are now related to ET.

Might have been a similar deal then.

 

Yeah but not talking about the rules, unless only a few installed them until they were required to and if that's the case when did they become required..in any class?
I mean even the 'verts were running without.

Terry

 

I built my Race Car to NHRA Specifications which called for a Roll bar <br> the Year 1968 it was a 64 Chevelle SS/427 engine I think that all Modifies were to have Roll-bars

 

I owned a company that manufactured bolt in roll bars for SCCA competition and solo events. I think Unkl Ian is correct that Detroit Iron roll bar requirements for AHRA and NHRA were based on ET's. We did some Mustang, Corvette, Camero and Corvair bars almost on a custom basis. Big money was in MG's, Sprites, Triumphs, etc. We also did roll bars for Jap trucks running in the Baja.

 

I don't believe early NHRA rules were based on ET's. I believe they were based on what CLASS you ran in but I've been wrong before and might be yet again and I'm used to it.
So irregardless of whether roll bars became a requirement in DRAG racing cars because of CLASS rules or ET rules, when were these requirements first introduced to NHRA DRAG racing?

 

From a HRM preview of 1961 rule changes.

 

OK, 1962 NHRA rule book states Roll bars are required in Street Roadster Class, Modified Sports Car Class and only in Gas Class if your running a convertible, customized car ( chopped/sectioned etc) or running a Supercharger . So as of 1962 most of the cars at the track had no roll bar requirement. I don't have access to later rule books to find out when the entire Gas, Modified Production, and Superstocker class began to have to install them but it looks like it took that requirement to get them in the cars. The drivers don't look like it was a priority to them...
Any thoughts or info?

Terry

 

I'm thinking everybody is right, one way or another. All open cars, ie. dragsters & roadsters, any car that was channeled or had a chopped top, all supercharged cars regardless of class needed roll bars from the late 50's on. I ran an F/Gas '56 Chevy in '62 & '63 and spent a lot of time checking out the other gassers...can't remember any roll bars in un blown cars. The short wheelbase, blown cars did all the cool wheel stands which often had the cars heading for the fence. NHRA felt the possibility of lots of wrecks required the addition of roll bars. Most were simple u-shaped hoops with only one brace often bolted to the floor.