[BossBill]

After looking at roll bar prices all seemed well, until you find how much it is to ship it truck freight.
You guys know how much I like truck freight (I drove to Blaine to get a fender rather than ship it via truck).
$150 to ship from Calif!

Soooo, anybody had a custom roll bar built in this area?
I was thinking Art Morrison.
I'd like to do one that does the normal hoop, sits on the rear torque boxes, has the rear down tubes mount at the top (ala Shelby), but still allows the use of the back seat. I think I'll have the rear down tubes curve down to meet the frame right at the fb's removeable fold-down section (the one hiding the shock holes). I'll be tight. I'm toying with adding an additional rear tube on each side that would go through the curved 'glass panels into the trunk. That would add strength lost by curving the down-tubes so much. Or maybe the whole downtube would just go into the trunk.
I haven't mocked it up yet.
A removable rear cross brace (actually two) and removeable door cross braces that tie into my sub-frame eliminator tubes (think of the convertible sill reinforcement, but made out of 2x4x.120).
I'd prefer DOM and it should be SCCA legal (maybe, you tell me).
Outlandish ideas (short of full cage) considered!

 

[65Topless]

The sports car racing crowd at Microsoft seem to be pretty high on the praise of Cascade Autosport . I have no personal experience with them, but I have seen one of their rollcages in a rally-prepped Porsche and it looked very nice.

 

[Stroked66]

Bill,

I've been looking at the Art Morrison set-ups also, but can't figure out how his seat saver bars work and where they attach to the rear of the car, or how much interiro panel trimming I would have to do.

I was figuring I'd have to make a trip with my FB out to his shop to have a face to face, to be sure what he was making would fit. That was until I was talking with my friend who is helping me with my body work. He told me of this guy Roger, who works for (Owns?) the Hitch Connection out in Monroe (May have moved). They/He does custom fabrication on everything from trailer hitches to full race cages. My friend told me he did a nice custom street bar set-up on a friends Uhhhhm...... Accura Integra for $350.00 and that I should give him a call.

Of course I haven't yet, but his number is 800-348-6558. Maybe you could give him a call.

Ken

P.S. let me know what you find out ::

 

[6T6mustang]

I would be curious to know what you decide to do. I am planning on putting a roll bar in my coupe, but like you, I am not interested in paying $150 to ship it.

 

[BossBill]

Keith -- Hope they're faster than their web-site!
I may have to truck up there.
Tks.

 

[BossBill]

Ken -- Art has roll bars in stock for GM A/B bodies only, according to his web site. I'll have to call to see if he does custom work.

I'd really like to have a DOM (.120?) bar and have it be legal. I don't think the avg shop can do that.
But I may have to call him anyway...thanks. My truck needs a hitch though!

Just in case you all are wondering what's up, the std Autopower bars for street duty are 'h' style in that the short leg of the 'h' goes behind the side fiberglass panels in the fb and hooks to the inner wheel house. Only the top part of the 'h' pokes out of the glass and forms the hoop.

The Shelby bars are the same in the front, but the rear bars, instead of hooking to wheel house connect straight to the frame. Because they are a straight shot from the hoop to the frame, no more rear seat.
Now if you were to follow the roof and rear window and then drop down just behind the seat it might just work. At least that's what I'm thinking.
However, by putting a big bow in the top bar (instead of straight) you may have weakened things up considerably. It's hard to bend a straight section of pipe. Bending one that's already bent is much easier.

 

[Stroked66]

Bill,

I have called Art Morrison and talked with a tech there. They have produced roll bars for early model Mustangs. The tech sent me drawings & measurements of the rear "Seat Saver" bars that are to be used with their main hoops and asked me to chose which one I needed because they didn't know off hand which would be correct in a FB. He also told me that if I needed something different to just draw something up. The lead time the tech gave me when I spoke to him back in June was only 3-5 days. And the cost was only around $180.00

Based on the measurements they sent me (I can fax them to you if you like), these bars are intended to extend into the trunk area and most likely attach to the frame, I'm just having a hard time figuring out where they're supposed to mount to the main loop, where they enter through the sheet metal into the trunk and how they attach to the frame (If in fact they do). I also don't know if the main hoop is designed to be concealed behind the interior panel or not (like on the Shelbys).

"Seat Saver" bar measurements are as follows (As if looking at bars from PS side)
Type A - 42-1/2" from hoop toward rear, then 32deg down angle, then 30" from bend toward trunk.

Type B - 42" from hoop toward rear, then 45% down angle, then 30-7/8" from bend toward trunk.

Now I've checked these measurements against my FB and am pretty sure the 32deg. Bars would work, but the length measurements don't appear to match, so I thought I might need to make trip down to Tacoma with the car and talk with them.

 

[BossBill]

Ken,

Good homework. If you'd like to fax it, send it on to
Bill V.
425-294-7864 (it's an Everett line).

Much appreciated. I can scan it and post it for the rest, if they are interested.

Bill

 

[BossBill]

Thanks for the Fax Ken.
I called Art as well.
You can order up anything you want. They can do Electric Seam weld tube (std stuff) or Drawn over Mandrel tube-- DOM (I think SCCA approved). There are two sizes, but I think the DOM is 1.75. Std is 1 5/8.
A standard 4 point is around 150 bucks. That's a really good price.
Considering what I want to do, I'm going full custom DOM.
This can easily double the price, but that's what an Autopower bar with options goes for without shipping.

Here are how Art wants you to measure

Here is the Rear Seat bar Ken was referring to

I love it when things work out and they work out cheaper.

 

[Stroked66]

Thanks Bill...... What a team we make

Guess I've got some measuring to do now ::

Ken

 

[copasspupil]

Bill,

When you decide on a roll bar let me know. I had a line on one from Branda that a gentleman was selling for 100 but he wouldn't drive 30 minutes and drop it off at my bro's house in San Ramon, CA.