Weld in those roll bars people

[Steve85]

http://forums.themustangsource.com/showt...?p=5753663

These are pretty scary, but they did walk away.



Note roll bar and pads sticking through the floor about 12-15" forward of the rear tire.

[Sijray21]

wow...

i wondered how well my kirk racing bar would handle the front bolts with the thin floor boards when the rear were bolted around the rear frame rails. I'm glad i didn't get to test it out...judging by this it probably would not have gone well.

[Goodspeed]

Shitty, but it strikes me as the result of the (I hope) rare occasion that a car is basically dropped upside down on its roof. Seems to me that if it more "traditionally" rolled forces would be distributed such that you wouldn't see such a catastrophic failure. Still welded > bolt in.

[kcook]

well... that roll bar was poorly designed, notice how it doesn't even have a diagnol cross bar.

[Steve85]

well... that roll bar was poorly designed, notice how it doesn't even have a diagnol cross bar.

And that is something that has bothered me with mine. Mine was done to NHRA standards for cars running in the low 11's and is definitely not what I see at road courses.

Goodspeed, definitely a valid point, where they bolted it was probably more to blame (in addition to what Kyle noted). It simply wasn't helping the natural strength of the B-pillar at all. Which, according to pic of the black car in the forum thread above, appears strong enough itself in a traditional roll-over.

[.RJ]

The main hoop feet punched through the floorboard on both sides, welding or a diagonal bar wouldnt have changed this.

What would have changed it is a bar with larger feet, tied into to the rocker panels and then welded in. That said they were better off here than without a rollbar and they walked away.

[Mike]

The main hoop feet punched through the floorboard on both sides, welding or a diagonal bar wouldnt have changed this.

What would have changed it is a bar with larger feet, tied into to the rocker panels and then welded in. That said they were better off here than without a rollbar and they walked away.

this, but yes, a diagonal bar is very nice.

[D_Eclipse9916]

The main hoop feet punched through the floorboard on both sides, welding or a diagonal bar wouldnt have changed this.

What would have changed it is a bar with larger feet, tied into to the rocker panels and then welded in. That said they were better off here than without a rollbar and they walked away.

They also noted that there were very thing backing plates and plates that mounted to the floor. As RJ says, wouldnt have mattered if it was welded in at all. God I hate shit like this, How about the 99% that were saved by bolt-in roll bars?

[Steve85]

I think when I said welded in I was implying properly welded in. Properly plated, boxed to the frame/rockers or whatever they do to ensure this won't happen.

[kcook]

The main hoop feet punched through the floorboard on both sides, welding or a diagonal bar wouldnt have changed this.

I know that wouldn't of helped the situation, but its just a poor design overall. Those B pillars didnt even do a damn thing.. I'm surprised those guys are unhurt.

[.RJ]

Its a poor design but it meets the letter of the rulebook for SCCA solo 1 other than the diagonal. Its fine for 99% of the time... this is certainly an outlier. I've track cars (3) with bolt in rollbars and I'd do it again for a street car.

Race cars are another story though.... my old integra was destroyed in a similar accident and the $3k piper cage held.

[Steve85]

Its a poor design but it meets the letter of the rulebook for SCCA solo 1 other than the diagonal. Its fine for 99% of the time... this is certainly an outlier. I've track cars (3) with bolt in rollbars and I'd do it again for a street car.

Race cars are another story though.... my old integra was destroyed in a similar accident and the $3k piper cage held.

I'll have to look up those rules. Belt manufacturers don't even want to the anti-sub belt mounted to the floorboard. It would be interesting that a race organization is fine expecting that same floorboard (which is fiberglass in my case, sandwiched balsa wood in a C5 and nothing more than minimal sheetmetal in most other cars) to support the weight of the vehicle. I mean, I guess with a big enough plate it could work, but the plate used in that Mustang appears quite small.

What did your roll bars bolt to?

[.RJ]

It would be interesting that a race organization is fine expecting that same floorboard (which is fiberglass in my case, sandwiched balsa wood in a C5 and nothing more than minimal sheetmetal in most other cars) to support the weight of the vehicle

The safety rules are very generic, and minimum recommendations at best. That said, for most cases for trackday/time trial/solo1 cars they are generally provide adequate protection.

What did your roll bars bolt to?

Saturn and 2 Integras.

[Steve85]

It would be interesting that a race organization is fine expecting that same floorboard (which is fiberglass in my case, sandwiched balsa wood in a C5 and nothing more than minimal sheetmetal in most other cars) to support the weight of the vehicle

The safety rules are very generic, and minimum recommendations at best. That said, for most cases for trackday/time trial/solo1 cars they are generally provide adequate protection.

What did your roll bars bolt to?

Saturn and 2 Integras.

What part of the car? And if floorboard, how big were the plates? I'm really just curious, not trying to start an argument...