Roll bar / Roll cage install ?

[gczarny]

just wonder if anybody sells bolt on kit for either for our cars or is it alwayes custom made / fit /weld deal and if it's so anybody in north Illinois you could suggest ?, my new ride (have T tops )is not ment to do much racing but after bad roll over accident with my last ride I am looking for some safety and possible few 9 sec runs with no hassle from race track team , what are my options ? any info is grate help :wink:

 

[ChevMCarlo84]

If you're shooting for 9's, you're going to need a fully welded 10 point cage. That power/speed is not to be messed with.

 

[turbofabricator]

NHRA rules REQUIRE a welded cage to run faster than 10.00 or over 135mph. If you run between 10.00 and 11.49, then you are required to have a WELDED roll bar. 9.99 or faster also requires a certified chassis, and a competition license, a fire suit, neck collar, gloves, mater cut-off switch on back of car, window net (or "funny car" cage), SFI rated engine balancer, flexplate, trans shield, flex plate shield, SFI axles, harness (also required for 11.49), among other safety devises and most importantly........a DEEP pocket book!
Because the GN/T is a full frame car, NHRA does NOT allow a bolt in cage. You can have a swing-out bar for easy access, though. Pay the money to have it installed professionally. Go to the track and look at other cars, and ask who did thier chassis work. Ask them about time, cost and workmanship.

 

[gczarny]

thanks for the info ,so welded roll bar would work for me since I am not realy looking to race into 9's , it might happen ,car has potencial but it's mostly street driven car and I want to keep it that way , does anybody sell ready to install roll bar or it has to be custom made since I have "t" tops ?

 

[Otto J]

Whatever you do pay extra and makes sure its Chrome Moly.The tig welding is way nicer to look at and the pipes are way lighter.

 

[BIG HEAD CHRIS]

There is no kit that is Ready to weld in.There is always cutting and fitting and trimming involved.Also,If you want a cert,youll have to tie into the frame everywhere it hits the floor,So be prepared to strip the interior, and knock some acess holes in the floor.There are Generic kits that will fit ours and other cars(A,G bodies,etc..)and while these are O.K.,they'll never fit as nice as a bar custom bent for your car.Especially around the door pannels/armrest area.Most of the kits I've seen do not fit this area well, and are very intrusive for the driver/passenger.Just my .02 Chris

 

[gnxtc2]

Long time ago, Ernie McDaniel had a bolt in kit. Needed minor trimming and welding. Although it was not legal for racing (NHRA).

Ernie MacDaniel Race Cars
5976 SW 43rd St
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
954-791-9371

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[Otto J]

One thig I cant stress enough as i went thru it,Pay to haeva custom bar installed how you want.
Most of the pre done bars dont run it the best places and interfere
with arm rests and door panels and end up not making you happy.
Safe a bit more and have it done custom.

 

[turbodave231]

I would avoid a bolt in roll bar. Why spend that kind of money for something that isn't legal in NHRA or IHRA?

A custom 5 point chromoly roll bar will be legal to 10.00 AND strengthen up your car considerably. Even with a full frame, these cars in stock form are Flexi-Flyers (Those of you who grew up in the 60's in cold climates will know what I'm talking about).

A good custom installer can tuck the bar up tight to the headliner and B pillar posts. A swing out wil make it much easier to get in and out. A door bar on the passenger side is not required.

I've seen some bad crashes and good roll bar/roll cage/chassis work has saved many lives. Why would you want anything less?

Dave

 

[gczarny]

I would avoid a bolt in roll bar. Why spend that kind of money for something that isn't legal in NHRA or IHRA?

A custom 5 point chromoly roll bar will be legal to 10.00 AND strengthen up your car considerably. Even with a full frame, these cars in stock form are Flexi-Flyers (Those of you who grew up in the 60's in cold climates will know what I'm talking about).

A good custom installer can tuck the bar up tight to the headliner and B pillar posts. A swing out wil make it much easier to get in and out. A door bar on the passenger side is not required.

I've seen some bad crashes and good roll bar/roll cage/chassis work has saved many lives. Why would you want anything less?

Dave

thanks guys , so custom fit 5 point chromoly roll bar should be the choice ,anybody in north Illinois you could suggest to do the job right ? by the way Dave ,if my car would do that wheely /bouncing thing I would shiert my pants !....and that's a fact !

 

[jasjamz]

Kenny Hoger

Hoger Engineering
451 Pleasant Street
Joliet, IL 60436

phone: (815)727-3674

 

[turbodave231]

Dave ,if my car would do that wheely /bouncing thing I would shiert my pants !

Trust me, I DID!!!!!

 

[chris mccord]

How much does an average custom roll bar cost?

 

[BIG HEAD CHRIS]

I really think 5 point bars are a mistake.They dont stiffen up the chassis evenly.Imagine looking at our chassis from the side.The roll bar is to first serve as protection for the driver,But its also there to help stiffen up the car by triangulating the relatively flat plane of the chassis,and therefore needs to be simmetrical to do its job properly.IMO,Ibelieve A 6point is a better choice to keep the chassis more stable for an average street car that needs a bar.Plus,A swing out with a pin is a must, otherwise the door bars are just along for the ride not having a physical connection to tie the chassis together.New body bushings help too.When I do a bar for someone,I usuaully charge 115.00$ per point for mild steel(depending on the volitale price of materials)I think I'm cheap ,but I'm also doing this as a sideline out of my garage.I sometimes take longer,but I try to do each car as custom as possible.Swing out door bars are extra.The coolist ones are by Chris Alston Chassis works.They are really slick and are NHRA legal.Plus I think6 points are cooler looking!

 

[Red C5]

I have a 6 point with removable/swing out door bars. Really makes it great for the street.

 

[V6POWER]

Can anyone post pictures of their 6-point bar?

 

[turbodave231]

There is no doubt that a 6 point bar is stronger and better than a 5 point. But for a street car that will see an occasional 10 second pass, it might be a better alternative to keep the car more useable. Or you could do swingouts on both sides.

NHRA and IHRA don't care about the flex in the chassis.......they are only concerned about the safety aspect when it comes to roll bars and cages.

I'm not sure I'd agree that a swingout is as strong as a fully welded in door bar........too much lash in the structual member.

Chris, I'd encourage a 10-12 point cage over a bar for just the reasons you mentioned, but for a street car, a cage doesn't make alot of sense either.

 

[XXQUICK6XX]

Up in Antioch.

Alston Racing

Steve

 

[gczarny]

Up in Antioch.

Alston Racing

Steve

thanks , thats' just in my area .:smile:

 

[craggar]

If it wasn't for shipping I could make a custom one to fit your car. You would still need to trim the ends and weld it in of course. We just finished a 10 point cage in a 86 Monte and we were able to copy all the bars in my GN to fit it.
The only swing out I use is the Alston one, it's much nicer then any of the pin style and you don't have to worry about losing the pin. C/M is nice but the weight savings isn't that much on a 6 point roll bar. It's harder too find a good welder to weld it and costs more as well. We use a lot of DOM .120 wall which can still be mig welded.
We also put a bar in a 3rd gen Camaro last month where they supplied a Comp. Eng. kit. The only issue like mentioned earlier was the door bars. We added a couple bends to the door bars and they fit perfect.