Roll bars in a Cab

[fastbydrmike]

I understand I have to have a roll bar in my 86 Cabriolet for DE events! Can anyone tell me the cost of roll bar, if you can remove them easily when not doing DE events and a good website to look at roll bars.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mike Feinstein]

www.das-sport.com

Best there is for "non-invasive" installation. Bar bolts to seatbelt mounting points (although, I believe there may be two holes required beneath carpeting in front of back seat for the cab bar). Last time I checked, the cost was around $800.

[Huey581]

Mike!

The Das bar is the greatest, and one of the most expensive. I purchased one 3 years ago for my 86' to do driving events. There
are NO holes to drill. The front of the bar mounts to the seat belt
anchors by your seat. The rear seat back must be removed and the back of the bar mounts there. Easy in, easy out!

The bar came UPS with the hardware. It also comes NOT Painted. I spray bombed mine black, but I am now considering getting it powder coated.

Good luck in what you choose!

[fastbydrmike]

Hey Huey, where do I get the Das Bar?

Thanks,

Mike

[North Coast Cab]

How do they change the functionality of the car? Are the rear seats still in and operationl?

JG

[expat]

Any pictures guys?

[GSpreeman]

Are the rear seats still in and operationl?

Unless you have two <10 yr. old kids are the rear seats ever functional?

[Huey581]

The back seats are not functional at all when the bar is installed. However, when you get good at it, you can install/remove the bar in less than an hour!

[BlkBird]

Guys,

Is there a roll bar that can be installed in a cabriolet that doesn't affect the use of the rear seats? I have two small kids that like to drive with me but I don't want to be putting a roll bar in and out all the time because the kids are coming with me (or not).

I would prefer an "open" street bar without the cross braces, one which can be added permanently and doesn't impact the rear seats. Don't see the point in having a roll bar if you can't leave it in the car.

Is there such a thing?

[Huey581]

I tried to find a bar that I could still use the back seats and was unable. It was suggested that I have a custom one built. The
"Custom" word sounded expensive and I did not want to have
any holes drilled or brackets welded to the frame.

I wonder if the people at Das-Sport.com ever had this question posed to them????

[carnut169]

Hey Chris- Steve (Stromcrow) is the master of fixing/ making things work for very little $$. We have talked about the possibility of making our own roll bar out of stainless steel tubing (he has the equipment to do this).... perhaps a good winter project? In terms of economy of scale it keeps looking better.

[BlkBird]

Sean,

I am up for it. I took Huey581's advice and sent an e-mail to the folks at DAS. Not sure why this is such an unreasonable request to be honest.

I don't want a track car so I need to be able to carry passengers in the back. Little passengers, but still passengers. A street bar would allow me to do the occassional DE or Autocross but still let me enjoy the car with the family.

And even a non-track street bar would stiffen up the body of the cabriolet. So why the heck has nobody come up with something? Would Stormcrow be interested in a limited production run?

[83911sc]

The numbers for the limited edition roll bar just went up by another (me). Keep posting the detail

Adam

[Green 912]

If you have a roll bar and you have someone in the back seat what is to keep them from hitting their heads on the bar in an accident? A stock seat belt will not. Stainless is not the best choice for bar material. SS looks good but doesn’t have the correct strength to weight and flex characteristics for roll bars.

The bolt in bar might be OKed for DE events but is not for racing events such as PCA club race which requires more than the one side loaded bolt on each bar end. With that said It is much better than no bar!

The stiffening you get from a roll bar or cage is not from the main hoop but from all the angle bars that tie into the main bar. There is little frame stiffening from just a bar but you would feel a difference if you installed the unneeded or wanted full cage.

[masraum]

The only reason that I can think of is safety. Don't want rear passengers banging into steel bars if things get ugly.

[North Coast Cab]

A month or so ago there were a set of rear seats for sale which had been modified to fit around a roll bar. I can't find the old post but they had a "post-hole" cut out, reinforced and covered. They looked strange out of the car but my guess is they would stay in the upright position. I'm not sure where the window goes when the tops down though. However, I do think the cab with the roll bars looks grreat. I'd definitely be interested in a solution if one exists. My 5 year old loves to sit in the back with the top down.

JG

[expat]

I'm in the market for a roll bar for my cab at the moment too. I use the car on weekends for family drives and on-my-own spirited runs. My kids are 6 and 10. I think I will always remove the bar if the kids are in the back as there is too much risk of injury from them hitting the bar in an unforseen event.

The seat belts in the rear are only lap belts. With nothing else to stop the upper torso from moving sideways and forwards I think the bar might be too dangerous for rear seat passengers.

[Lewis Ledyard]

Can the cab top still be raised when using a Das bar?

[Huey581]

Yes! The top can be on with the roll bar. In fact, I can't drive
the car in drivers ed without the top on. (Bummer)

[Green 912]

Some regions let you run top down. Potomac will allow you to run top down if the driver and instructor have arm restraints and eye protection. Most cabs have better aerodynamics with the top up, so you just might be faster as is.