Why this roll bar setup?
 

On my 83sc cabriolet, the PO installed a roll bar that extends to the front of the cabin alongside the seats. He also covered it with a solid piece of metal. The car is very sturdy but it makes it very dificult to get in and out while also adding weight. I peeled the carpet back and cut a slit into the metal to see where the rollbar is exactly.
Question: Is this necessary to have? Can't I cut this out and bend the roll bar to stop near the seat to allow easier access? I only do the occasional autocross and a couple DE's. No serious tracking.
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The PO did it that way to make it easier to get in and out

a proper roll bar will have the bars being much more of an issue
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1303775062.jpg

and can be even worse
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I understand the rollbar is there to serve a purpose, but will it hurt anything for me to cut that part off since I don't do any serious track time?

No, cut it out and you just have a roll bar like a lot of the DE cars out there.

A cage is only required by some racing organizations, as long as you aren't tracking the car it's superfluous and can be dangerous if there is a bar along the top of the door frame too

Mack,
I would recommend to just leave it unless this is your daily driver/date car. It does not appear to be as intrusive as it could be and looks decent.
I raced and won a championship in an open 911 20 years ago. Before the roll cage, while doing DE, I could literally see the gap between the A pillar and the vent window change while cornering. After cage....no movement.
When things start twisting, fatugue and eventual cracking will result, most times in areas not readily visible or accessable. Just my oppinion.

He did it to add rigidity to a cab body which flexes. You'll likely see increased windshield and cowl shake, and the ride will be worse, as the chassis will become an undamped spring, if you remove it.

Drive a similar vintage (and sprung/damped) cab over the same roads to see the difference. if you can't tell, then cut it out.

Chassis stiffness is a big deal to a lot of people.

Roll bars and cages.....so much for saving weight, lol.... ;) If I were you, mack6820, I'd get rid of it all and just enjoy the car and your occasional (fairly safe) romps.

Thanks for the inputs guys. I think I will get rid of it. The car is mostly a daily driver with very little track time. I dont need it there.

Maybe the PO owned a C4 Corvette, door sills look about the same

Before you remove it completely, review your club's DE requirements for cab's. PCA doesn't normally allow cabs w/o a roll bar (not full cage) to go on the track. The exception would be Boxsters with their factory roll hoops plus the B-K extension.

I think it also depends on what sort of speeds you are seeing at DE (Autocross not being an issue) There is a reason that I sold the cabriolet and bought a coupe. #1 Sebring, my home track is very fast. #2 cabriolets (and targas) tend to fold up when they go either nose or tail first. That modification (and a similar roll bar extension that TRE has) would greatly reduce the propensity to do that.

http://www.wreckedexotics.com/911/911_20080812_001.jpg

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Luckily, the sills & roof remained intact on this coupe ;)

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reminds me of this:

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I actually find it easier to get into my car with the door bar in (I can unbolt it and take it out) since I can brace myself with a hand on the bar while I swing my legs over, down, and onto the floorboard and carefully sit down while moving the harnesses out of the way. When I take it out for work in the pedal area I always find it feeling strange getting in, not to mention a littl vulnerable with only some fiberglass between me and the outside- more like a motorcycle.

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911S Snake afternoon Fahren 022 by Max_911_fahrer, on Flickr
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911S Snake afternoon Fahren 023 by Max_911_fahrer, on Flickr

I like the bolt idea. I already started cutting it out but maybe I can bolt a piece up for track events and unbolt it for everyday driving.

My cage is a Safety Devices bolt in cage. There are plates welded to the underside of the chassis where the bar bolts to, and the bars have flanges welded to them for the bolt-in/unbolt-out process. You would need to do some custom fabrication or get a new cage.

What kind of seats are those?

They are replicas of real RSR buckets (a mold was taken from the real ones) that a friend had made. The guy that did the fiberglass must have been a civil engineer, not mechanical since they are built like a blast shelter= heavy. They are basically like the GTS classics ones from TRE. I sort of wish I still had my ratty old Corbeaus in there- when I took them out I remarked how light they were. The buckets feel much better though since it is not tubes and canvas like a lawn chair- it is a form-fitting fiberglass shell with nice dense foam padding all around. They really grip me nicely and hold me in place through turns.

If I had to do it again, I might go with the GTS classics ones since they have a bit more of a race layup on the fiberglass = lighter.

Or a kart seat. :)