Autopower roll bar modifications

[dd74]

Can an Autopower rollbar be modified so that it might bolt to the sills instead of the sheet metal?

Has anyone tried such a modification?

Thanks.

[avendlerdp]

Interesting that you mention this. I just got an Auto pwer bar and wanted to do the same thing. I am sure a good fab shop could handle it but the issue would be cost. Is it just better to gar a bar that does what we want it to?? If you get anywhere on this let me know.

Alex

[dd74]

The bar's at my wrench. It'll check on it tomorrow, and get back to you.

As I see, the "mounts" probably could be cut off, and some sort of U-joints welded on that attach to the sills.

I don't really know -- that's just my guess.

[jluetjen]

Here's a couple of thoughts:
1) Have you welding shop weld some brackets onto the bottom of the bar which can bolted onto the vertical side of the frame rail. Note that you will still want a back-up plate on the vertical.

2) If the bar is going to be welded into the car, have your welder just gusset the bottoms of the bars to the rails.

3) Rather then waste your money buying a bolt-in bar that you're going to cut up, just have your welder make you a bar up from scratch that mounts onto the frame rails. It really shouldn't cost that much more then the purchase price + shipping for the bolt-in bar.

[jpnovak]

Check out OG Racing. Their bar bolts to welded in nutplates that sit on the sill. More support than a bar that bolts through the floor.

Jamie

[dd74]

Originally posted by jluetjen
Here's a couple of thoughts:
1) Have you welding shop weld some brackets onto the bottom of the bar which can bolted onto the vertical side of the frame rail. Note that you will still want a back-up plate on the vertical.

2) If the bar is going to be welded into the car, have your welder just gusset the bottoms of the bars to the rails.

3) Rather then waste your money buying a bolt-in bar that you're going to cut up, just have your welder make you a bar up from scratch that mounts onto the frame rails. It really shouldn't cost that much more then the purchase price + shipping for the bolt-in bar.

I appreciate the the suggestions. Problem is I already purchased the bar, so the third option is omitted for me.

Considering everything, I think the first two options are viable.

Thanks.

[Elombard]

I just looked at the pictures of the OG bar at their web site, completely different shape than the ones we have. Check it out. looks like an excellent solution but outta my budget for this sort of thing. It looks like you would have to ..... well completely remake your bar to make it work like that. If you bolted the auto power to the frame rail as suggested how would you get the nuts on the back side? bigger holes in the frame rail on the ou board box of the rail? I dont know If I like that idea. I dont want to weld mine in because the next owner might want to take it out - seems like the easiest solution though.

[dd74]

I agree about the welding and "next owner" circumstance, but I'm not concerned with that at the moment.

If welding isn't a possibility, the rollbar probably won't go in. I understand the safety advantages of the Autopower, yet for the weight penalty involved with the unit itself, and the fact that some on this board have said that the bar's mounting points may have a propensity to punch through the floorboard, and thus collide with the driver during a rollover, well, you can see the end results of an incident like that...

If welding isn't a possibility, I'll still put together, but use it as part of my daughter's jungle gym...

We'll see.

[jluetjen]

If bars are installed correctly to the floor, I wouldn't expect it to "punch through the floor". The important thing is that they have large mounting plates and are properly backed up. If you're not welding the bar to the chassis, I'm not sure how you could properly back up a bar that is installed on the rails without cutting open the rails to allow installation of the backing plates or else passing the bolts straight through the rails and putting the backing plate on the farside of the rail.