Installing a AutoPower Roll bar.
 

ATTENTION! AFTER PAGE TWO ALL TECHNICAL CONTENT GOES OUT THE WINDOW! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR TECH ON INSTALLING A ROLLBAR STOP AT PAGE TWO! IF YOU JUST FEEL SILLY THEN PLEASE PROCEED TO PAGE THREE!

Here we go. Come along for the ride. I am documenting the install of my roll bar for future generations. I purchased a AutoPower race roll bar at Tweeks swapmeet over the weekend. This bar bolts thru the floor and inner wheel wells and needs backing plates to sandwich the sheet metal. Mine didnt come with any backing plates so I will fab some. This will be a multi day thread so let's get started!

First I put the bar in to see that everything lined up. The passenger(or driver)seat needs to come out to get the bar in. i removed the sections that go back to the wheel wells to get it in.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1086716858.jpg


Next I traced the size of the mounting plates onto some 1/8" plate I had laying around (Titanium :D ) and then marked the thru holes by transferring thru the mounting holes.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1086717179.jpg


Next I drilled out the backing plates to accomodate the thru bolts.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1086717824.jpg

Tonight I will bend the backing plates to match the radius of the inner fender wells.

I have one of those, too. Very cool. One downside is it'll increase your weight 50 lbs. But the upside is - and you tell me if you believe this - the roll bar will increase the body's rigidity.

God I love the color scheme of your car! My favorite

You need to paint the bar light blue to match the car. Ya gotta.

Mike

Its either that or Orange roll bar foam!:D

Why not get rid of everything in the back seat? It will nearly half the offset of the wieght of the roll bar. May as well strip the bottom of your tub as well, if you haven't already.

Kids still go for rides. All the interior pieces in the rear are slated to go. The seats stay in until I can find the wife a '72T. Then the kids can ride around with her!:D

Take the backs out and do the rear carpet ($79 from appbiz for the rear kit), it looks almost RS and they can still sit back there with the seat bottoms in and the belts. You know they wont be able to get back with the bar in right :-))

The harness bar/ diaginal brace unbolts and comes out. I am making the RS style carpet set for the rear out of locally aquired perlon felt. Total cost is about $5. If you look close the rear shelf area is already done. I was concerned with safety issues if I remove the seat backs......

Looking good!

The kids will still be going for rides with a roll bar back there? That's a very scary idea. I understand you can take out the harness bar, but what about the pieces that bolt to the inner wheel wells?

This is awesome since I need to install mine (same type) and I'd been having a hard time. I'd like to see how yours fits.

Jason

FWIW, I have the same bar in my car and it fit fine with the exception of one of the forward mounting feet didn't seat firmly on the floor, so I made a spacer out of some aluminum plate.

Other than that, it turned out great. And I painted it orange. :>)

Mike

Next I bent the plates that go in the wheel wells. I used the brace pieces from the rollbar as a guide.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1086783100.jpg

And here we are. All the backing plates ready to go.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1086783167.jpg

Tonight I hope to remove the interior pieces and drill some holes in the car. I am replacing the pieces with perlon felt.

As far as the kids in the back. I am putting high density roll cage foam on all the tubing. People ride in the back of Jeeps all the time.;)

I dont mind the look of roll bar foam on race cars but I always thought it looked kinda junky on street/track cars. I was toying with the idea of having a fabric (leather?) - zip or velcro cover made that would fit over the padding and make it look really clean. Might be more work than it is worth though?? No one rides in the back of mine and there is no way to contact the bar so I may just leave the foam off permanently.

We should start our own club - the smurf club, you me and Chuck could be in it :-))

Shawn, you will have to go on a serious diet to lose the 50 lbs. you've added with this roll bar!

You callin' my car JUNKY??!! :p

To be in the Smurf club you have to pick a Smurf name for your car. Like Brainy or something. Send me pics of your car. My hard drive is full of pics of Chucks car....:D

Tom, I know, I know. I am already 135 pounds too heavy and now I throw another 50 pounds in there. I must be insane! Where did I put that hole saw.........

Although that would be a ton of work, putting in zippers, fitting etc. I think a nice black leather sheath going over the padding would look great. I'm imagining nice black leather with diagonal diamond pattern stitching. For fun, the quilting thread could match the car's exterior.

Shawn,
I don't know if that's inherent to all the Autopower bars, but I had one in a Honda and the "feet" began to rust. I was young and w/o a welder (still w/o one) so all I did was follow the instructions and bolt it through. Maybe salt/moisture penetrated through the holes, around the bolts etc. and reached the bar's "feet." I'm not sure, but I know it began to have surface rust that would flake off the black paint from the bar.

Even if you're welding the bar in, the bolt holes are still a place where moisture can penetrate. My suggestion is to maybe put a coat of Por15 on those parts...

Do you guys think a roll bar like the Autopower adds any rigidity to the car?

Something like this?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1086798069.jpg

Hammer, I'm surprise you didn't go for a full titanium cage ;)