jer4251

i was wondering who here has a roll bar/cage, I was thinking about buying a 4 point cage for my 97 SS. I would prefr the bolt in but with the cost difference im leaning toards the weld in insted. my question is, whats the big difference? do all the tubes need welded together on both and just one bolts to the car itself. and how easy is either to install? I want to maint mine red to match my car, should i get the bare steel? do i have to paint it before its welded together? my car is a t-top


close up pics would help, thanks,

Dave89IROC

Pm 1994transam on here, he has a 4 point in his

OBE1 95Z28

If you intend to drag race, a four point roll bar will not pass inspection. Needs to be a 5 point bar. See the NHRA rulebook for specifics.

zx1216

hmm, 5 point, i think you mean 6 pt, has the main hoop, bars runing to the rear and bars runing past the drivers/pass. arm to the floor in the front. I believe this is good into the 10's.

Injuneer

No.... he means EXACTLY what he said. NHRA requires only a 5-point roll bar for non-convertibles running from 11.50 to 10.00 seconds. Hoop is 2 points, rear braces are 2 points, and the only other piece required is a front brace on the driver's side (not required on the passenger side) with the side bar passing between the drivers shoulder and elbow. Straight out of the 2005 NHRA Rule Book.

breakmyfootoff

Do the swing out door bars qualify for the NHRA or do they have to be solid?

Injuneer

NHRA accepts swingout bars. What they will not accept is a removable cross-bar on the hoop behind the seats. That needs to be welded to the hoop.

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun.../DCP03794a.jpg

http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun.../DCP04246a.jpg

Dave89IROC

and I take that back, 1994transam has a 6 point

jer4251

i dont plan on owning a rocketship, just want one for the looks, and a little safety.

should i get the uncoated weld in ones? how hard are they to remove once their in?

or am i better of with the bolt in ones?

Injuneer

Once its welded in, its there until you torch it out. A bolt-in could be removed, just leaving a lot of holes in the floor pan. To bolt it "legally", you need to use 6"x6" plates, on both sides of the mounting surface. Bolt-ins are only acceptable in a unit body setup, where there is no frame.

Think carefully about the "safety" issues. While you are going to be better protected in a roll-over with the bar, you may be exposing yourself to increased risks of having a very hard object to smash your (no helmet) head into. At the track, you have a helmet and a beefy 5-point harness to keep you in place, and protect your head if you hit the bar with it. NHRA requires that you protect the bar with padding any place the helmet can make contact with it. If you look at the pic of my bar, there is a 3/4" SFI-rated pad on the top/front of the hoop, and on the inside edge of the swingout. I wouldn't want to hit that pad with my bare head on the street.... it is really hard as a rock. In fact, you don't even need the SFI-rated padding until you go deep into single digits. Just some foam wrap will be accepted, but that isn't good enough to protect a bare head on the street, IMHO. You also have to consider the same fate for your passenger, and for anyone who manages to wiggle their way into the back seat.

Just a thought.

Deckstripes

I notice you mentioned looks first. And the safety part is only a little. Then a bolt in is for you. And despite what some say, a bolt-in is more structure that nothing.

IMO, If you're not deep 12s or faster (and you might be with your combo, I don't know), it's pretty lame to have a roll bar. Cause they seriously hamper street useability, add weight, and attract cops like a donut shop. So just be aware. Unless you're fast, some of us will point and laugh at that shiny red roll bar. Don't blame us, it's instinct. Totally beyond our control.

Good luck with whatever route you choose

breakmyfootoff

All good points, and I noticed someone asking about getting a painted one, the area that is to be welded will have to be cleaned of paint anyway so I'd just get an unpainted one and paint it after installation.

jer4251

im not running quite as fast as i think my car should run, still in the 13's but havent been to the track this year yet after my latest mods. i figured with a 4 point cage i would be closer to getting a 5 point harness, and i never have people in my back seat, im 21 and dont yet have a family to drive around. i do plan on having my car a lot faster in the future, i do a little bit each year, heads and cam arn't too far away, and or a supercharger, id like to be in the 11's all day long.

how do the bolt in cages come? is it exactly how it sounds, everything bolts together? or do you have to weld some of it? im thinking bolt in is the way to go. with the non removable rear center bar.

can you ever upgrade to the 6 point is i buy the 4 point? without tearing it out?

thanks for the advice.

breakmyfootoff

It's no problem adding the door bars at a later time to go to a 6 point, however on the welding, I think even the bolt in bars have to be welded together inside the car, then the points where it attaches to the car can be bolted. I would rather just weld it in, if it's going to require welding anyway. If you ever need to remove it you can just grind the welds off, and it'll work better while it's in the car too.

cbmcharge

Sorry there isn't anyone answering your question.

A Weld in roll bar comes unpainted and yes you have to weld in all points. You will get the main hoop as one piece and the rear bars as one piece each. These must all be welded together in the car and then painted in the car.

A bolt in roll bar can be ordered power coated. The main hoop bolts into the floor using 4 bolts and the stated mounting plate under the bracket. The rea bars are the same way. The rear bars BOLT into the main hoop. For a 6-point, the front bars bolt into the main hoop the same way. So if you buy a BOLT in 4-point, you can't just bolt in the front bars to convert it to a 6-point. But you can buy the 6-point with removable, or swing out, front bars.

This comes from experiance with Wolfe Racecraft roll bars. Other brands may be different.

And roll bars are not just for drag racing restrictions. They will strengthen the chassis, reduce body flex, and inprove handeling (like subframe connectors). Great for t-top cars and convertibles.