Hot Rods ROLL BARS?

Well, it looks like the HAMB consciences is in! Another perfectly clear determination.

Roll bar or no roll bar, cage or no cage, or racing harness, or no racing harness, or factory dot seat belts, or no factory dot seat belts, all your choice. Do whatever you want.
Whatever you choose, the inspector at the track may or may not let you run.
Judgement can be made after the crash if any of it was useful or not.
The local Police may like what you did, or they may not like what you did. You will find out after the ticket, or after the inspection, or after the crash.
Your auto insurance may like it, or may not like it, and they may cancel your insurance, or they may not, they may pay your claim, or they may not pay your claim. You will find that out after the crash, after the inspection, or after the ticket, as well.
Years from now you can tell us what always worked for you, or what did not work, if your still around.

Did I miss anything?

 

I've seen rules requiring between horizontal and 20° down from the shoulders, and I've seen rules requiring as close as possible to 45° down from the shoulders. The latter doesn't make sense unless the bar the shoulder straps mount to is very close to the seat. Otherwise the seat back would have to withstand a compressive force equal to your body's forward inertia in an collision, which I doubt a typical race seat could do.

 

In case anyone wants to see what the NHRA book shows.
Bottom left pic excluded!

 

When I fabricated my system (post #28) I used this as a guide when mounting the Crow belts.
http://crowsafetygear.com/Pages/Install.html
Being I did not have to meet the requirements of a sanctioning body, using the manufacturers recommendations made sense.

 

Those are the simple specs we’re using.
We’re setting the main hoop with the seat all the way back. That will keep the noggin away from the main hoop while cruising.
Cops, inspections, insurance…..
not an issue in my state

 

All the back and forth…I see it as a simple question. Use one if you want wether it’s for looks or because it makes you feel safer, of course if you race it then it has to fit the tracks rules.

Me? I don’t anticipate putting one in anything anytime soon because I only have slow junk and accept the risk involved in putting lots of miles on old unsafe (compared to new cars) stuff.

 

On the subject DOT seat belts, how many HAMB era, 1965 and older cars and trucks came with belts? So, if it didn’t come with any, why would it need any at all for the street, let alone DOT ? I don’t have any in my 65 F100, been driving it for 50 years.

 

And there is an exemption in place just for that . Because my dad wanted them, I installed a set in his '56, not that he was forced to

 

Lap belts were federally mandated from 1966 on, with the shoulder belts coming along in 1967, I believe, and the shoulder belts were definitely law by 1968. Some states, like Washington, required belts to be installed in new cars as early as 1964, and that may vary from state to state.