Rollbars look alright to a tech guy ???

A few weeks ago S****e and i installed an S and W 8 point kit in my Dart.It was a rush job as always (about 8 or 9 hrs) and most of that was me trying to cut the bottoms of the tubes at the correct angles for the floor without an angle finder,but i think we measured it out alright.The leading edge of the main hoop is less than 6 inches from the back of my helment .The door bars p*** by me between my shoulder an elbow ,and the door bars are about 2 inches above the seat bar behind me ,which is about 2 inches below my shoulders.The only rust in the floor was right where the door bar plates met the front floor pans .I cut the rusty **** out about 8 x 10 and **** welded new sheet metal in its place ,then welded the plates for the door bars on top of that.Its solid and Troy did a great job with the pretty welds on the tubing .Will it p*** tech you think ?If it wont i have a few months to fix what ever is not right.I didnt have a rule book handy when we did the install ,but i managed to get the main specs off the net prior .I have never done a rollbar install ,much less on a Unibody car.Thanks for help with it again Troy...

 

no prob, daniel.... i had a good time... even though we almost got choked to death by the mysterious cloud of (potpourri?) smoke....

 

Do you have the sub frame connectors in that car yet?

 

Yes, if you look at the last pic you can see them between the main hoop and the lateral bars sticking through the rear floor.I made them out of 2 x 2 tubing and installed them last summer.I would preferd to weld the lateral bars to the connectors ,but the kit showed them to be attached near the trans tunnel ,and the connectors were no where near the tunnel.The precut fishmouth cuts on the other end of the lateral bars made them fit in this area also...

 

http://www.nhraonline.com/contacts/tech_faq.html

here is a diagram

 

Thanks Glen for the link.According to the daigram im good ...

 

That stinking *** smoke deal was pretty funny ,but it sure didnt seem funny at the time .I still dont know what it was burning that put off that lethal potpouri smoke ...

 

sure it wasnt one of your nasty farts????

 

May not be required, but I like to see a diagonal between the rear down tubes. Everything else looks great. Looks like mild steel, yes? How did you tie the floor plates to the floor?

 

They are 6 x 6 1/8 inch plates ,and they are welded to the top of the floor completely.I think you are allowed to bolt them ,but you have to bolt another plate undernieth and sandwich the floorpan between the 2 plates.I thought it easier and better just to weld them .It is mild steel and it weighed in at 100lbs ,but that okay because i already removed almost 60 lbs of it here and there and im about to pull the door gl*** and regulators and just replace it with plexi.Then im gunna cut most of the bracing loose from the bottom of the hood .The hood on this thing weighs more than a 75 Eldorado i think .Its held down with pins and i have no hood springs now ,so i dont think it will be a problem .It may end up being lighter now than it was with no rollbars and a whole lot more rigid ...

 

Don't think it'll keep you from p***ing tech but, the lateral bars should be welded to the subframe connectors. Ties it together alot better.

 

Agreed ,but i think this kit was designed to have the laterals near the driveshaft tunnel .I might attach another small bar that ties the main hoop to the connectors.If i attached the laterals to the connectors ,the laterals would only be a few inches from the main hoop ,and that kinda defeats the purpose of a lateral support ...

 

Looks like it will p*** tech most anywhere.........

and yes, we also like to see the bars connected to the sub frame connectors...but it is NOT required.......

Mark

 

been a while since i looked at new cage install...looks OK! i remember your posts when you got this one. if you put a cage in it your still having a blast!

 

The cage looks great ! S****e does not get enough credit around here. Good job guys and if Mark gives it a thumbs up all is good !

 

Agreed Dennis ,if there is one thing that old timer Mark knows ,its drag racing .I try to brag on S****e when ever i can ,not many guys around nowdays that would waste a Sunday doing dirty work like this for someone else except maybe me .Troy is a good freind to have and the pair of us have always worked well together on time limited projects like this.Thanks for the compliment on are work ...

 

Yeah ,this ****er isnt excactly where i want it to be yet ,but its getting there a little at a time.Stay tuned ,because im starting in on the upgrades to the drivetrain after i get the safety items up to snuff ...

 

Really looks good to me too ! All the welds are good and no skimping any place that I can see . Main loop is solid and the floor plates look solid too . I don't see any problems . Glad to see the extras that was given to the rear tubs too !
Great job guys !

RetroJim

 

Thanks ...

 

What about the seat brace? Don't all aftermarket seats need to be braced from behind right off the roll cage? Also, don't forget the 5 point seat belt mounts on the rear cross bar.

Before cutting up the hood, I would shop for another one just to have a back up!

Joe

 

Daniel, and s****e the roll bar looks really good, and should p*** tech at any track. Eventhough fully welding the 6x6x1/2 plates to the floor for the main hoop is good enough to p*** tech. Eventhough it's not nessesay I like to weld a 1/8" plate matching the square inch area that the 6x6 plate gives you to the rocker panels, then run a piece of 2x2x1/8 tubing welded to the rocker panel plates, subframe connectors, and the floor board (underneath the main hoop) all the way across with a loop for the driveshaft. Some people say that it's overkill, and adds extra wieght, but that's what I do when I put a roll bar in a car, it's not alot of extra wieght, and makes a lot safer car IMHO.

You car keeps getting better, and better. Nice work! Two thumbs up!

 

OLD TIMER?.............lol...that is the first time I have been called that...I suppose it's correct though.....lol

and coming from some upstart, young whippersnapper with a frickin little Dart............

.........Good luck with the car..hope to see you at the Thaw and TRAILER YOUR SORRY ***...............ye haaaaaaaaaa

Mark

..hey Dennis.......ya gotta come by and see that 52 headlite rim...made one fine clock.

 

We generally put the roll bar and front bars on "outriggers" from the frame or subframe connectors......and connect them to the door sills.

Mark

 

Your right , i forgot about the seat brace thing.Im not sure how to make one ,but if someone had a pic of one,im sure i could copy it .Is it just a U shaped bracket from the seat bar and a bolt through the seat back to it ? I need to order the 5 point seat belt as well and make the brackets /mounts for it.I also need to make another "Bulkead" to cover the backseat and package tray area as well.Anyone have any pics of these items for me to look at and copy ???

 

Depending on the seat, we usually stand a tube out from the cross bar to the center of the seat back with a flat plate to cap it off having a hole on either side of the tube to thru-bolt the seat back. Think pedestal. You can make it as simple as two tabs if you like. The one pictured resembles a leaf spring perch for an axle tube, sized to the roll bar tube.

 

looks good.i agree that the bars could have been welded to some frame extencions but teck guys dont care.all they want to see is the 6x6 plates.how fast do you plan on running?im not sure if you can see the small bracket i welded on the bar to attach the seat to or not in these pics.just make sure the upper seatbelt mounts are no more than 1'' above your shoulders or 4'' below.this is a real safety issue if they are.also it is a good idea{must in my eyes}to mount your submarine belt to a bar or box attached to the frame on both sides.i guess you can just put a plate under and over the floor but i like it to be more solid than that.

 

One note on the seat back plate, make it fairly wide to spread out the contact area. You don't want a small piece of pipe or plate in your back if some should happen.

 

I do that also on cars that have door bars, and or full cages. You can't build a car too safe.

 

Last time out i ran in the 11.40's ,but i would eventually like to dip into the high 10's with this heap.Thanks for the pics ,and i think i have an idea on how to make one now.I have the materials laying around here to make a seat brace easily.Im just gunna weld a piece of tubing from the seat bar to the back of the seat followed by a piece of thin plate against the seat back with 2 two bolts attaching it through the seat .Thanks again...

 

I meant that as a compliment Mark.That day i visited your shop a few years back ,and saw your handy work on the customer cars as well as your 63 ,i knew you were know poser .I wish i had half of your racing expierence .When you speak about drag racing or drag cars,i listen up .BTW thanks for inviting me to your shop to look around ,i had a great time ...