Sully C5

I know you guys are probably sick of rollbar questions and yes I did "Search" for rollbar threads. I need a rollbar for the track. It must be welded & minimum 3-point. So, who makes the one that takes the least amount room away from the trunk area and the least amount of disruption/modification to the interior? And of course...my wife's requirement...looks good!

ICaughtVetteFever

Check local fabricators, sounds like you need a custom job.

Joe_G

Wolfe Racecraft makes them, you can check their website. I don't have any experience with them though, sorry. We have a local chassis shop here that builds them too, they told me they could do a custom job for $1,200 or so. It is a pretty big job to put them in.

Based on my research a year ago, I suspect you will get responses here that none of the bars you can buy or even make will pass SCCA rules, unless you are short, due to lack of physical room to make a bar that fits and gives the driver enough room. My club views any bar as better than nothing, but yours may or may not subscribe to that theory.

If I recall AU-ENGL knows quite a bit about it, if he doesn't chime it, might want to PM him.

AU N EGL

Im here.

to run a track event or HPDE, MOST clubs* require the roll bar to pass the SCCA Tech for Solo I AND the broom stick rule.

Roll bar is min of a 4 point ( one each behind the seats and two down under the tonal cover. Then 1 diagonal bar in the main hoop and 1 cross bar ( to attach the shoulder harness ) at shoulder level height. ( Shoulder harness attachment point should be +/-5* of shoulder level, Too low and it could cause a compression fracture. too high and they will not hold you in place. )

The water fall in the tonal cover most likey will need to be cut and removed.

NO SWING OUT DOOR bars. No down diagal into the passagner compartment unless there is no rear bulkhead or frame. Honda-De Sole for example.

a few high points:

Minimum tubing sizes for (all Showroom Stock, Touring
and Improved Touring Category auto-mobiles registered
after June 1, 1994) for all required roll cage elements (All
dimensions in inches):
Up to 1500 lbs. 1.375 x .095 DOM / Seamless / Alloy
1501-2200 lbs. 1.500 x .095 DOM / Seamless / Alloy
2201-3000 lbs. 1.500 x .120 DOM / Seamless / Alloy
1.625 x .120 DOM / Seamless / Alloy
1.750 x .095 DOM / Seamless / Alloy

The cage shall be welded to the car, and all mandatory tubes
shall use welded joint construction

Main Roll Hoop:
A. Main roll hoop (behind the driver) shall extend the full width
of the driver/passenger compartment and shall be as near
the roof as possible. It shall incorporate a diagonal lateral
brace to prevent lateral distortion of the hoop (See Figure 1).
Any number of additional tubes/braces are permitted within
the structure of the cage. It is required that the horizontal
brace behind the driver’s seat (described in Section 18.2.10)
continue from the diagonal to the passenger side main hoop
upright or that a second diagonal be installed in the main
hoop.

Bracing:
The main roll hoop shall have two braces extending to the rear
attaching to the frame or chassis. Braces shall be attached as
near as possible to the top of the main hoop but, not more than
six (6) inches below the top and at an included angle of at least
thirty (30) degrees.

D. The mounting plate may be multi-angled but must not exceed
these dimensions in a flat plane.
E. Any number of tubes may attach to the plate or each other.
8. The driver’s seat shall be firmly mounted to the structure of the
car. In cars where the seat is upright the back of the seat shall
be firmly attached to the main roll hoop, or it’s cross bracing, so
as to provide aft and lateral support. Seats homologated to and
mounted in accordance with FIA standard 8855-1999 or higher
need not have the seat back attached to the roll structure. The
homologation labels must be visible. Seat supports shall be of
the type listed on FIA technical list No.12 (lateral, bottom, etc).
A. Each mounting plate shall be at least .080 thick.
B. Each mounting plate shall not be greater than 100 square
inches and shall be no greater than twelve (12) inches or less
than two (2) inches on a side.
C. Whenever possible, mounting plates shall extend onto a
vertical section of the structure (such as a rocker box).



Roll bar padding that meets FIA standerds within 6" of where a helmet both driver and passangers head may hit.

Broom Stick rule:

if you lay a broom stick across the windshield and the roll bar, there must be at least 2" between the top of your helmet and the roll bar.
(after market seats help here to lower tall guys) I am 6-2 and in stock seats my helmet is above the broom stick.

Tops must be run down, unless it is raining. Fiberglass tops may be used as long as they are securly attached. Like the Spec Mazda Miata tops.

*Reason I say MOST clubs is that some clubs are less strick however, they are less strick with ON TRACK RULES too which may not be a good thing.

However, most tracks require SCCA Solo I min and K and K Insurance, insurance provided for HPDEs and most race tracks also has this requirenment as a MINIMUM.

Saftey is not an issue to play with. WHen you start changing your cars stock safty items, then your tech gets more strick too.

Harness on both seats, with in 3 years old meeting FIA ratings.
5 or 6 points no 4 points. NEVER BUY USED HARNESS.

The Wolf Roll bar by itself may not pass tech. But you can get extra tubing to cut and weld into the proper places.

I know a few guys who have put roll bars into their verts. When all said and done each of them spent between $2,000 and $2,500. Non of them was a metal fabricator or welder.

Two other guys I know decided to buy an old FRC and take the mods off their vert and put them on the FRC for the track.

One guy said F it and bought a Spec Miata Race car. Dont laugh, if is frickn fast in that little buzz bomb.

Sully C5

Thanks for the info guys!

I have been thinking of doing exactly that and having a dedicated track car. When I suggested that I take the C5R-427 out of my wife's car...she thought the idea sucked!

Panoz Racing (for Track Events at Road Atlanta) does not have as stringent a requirement. They allow convertibles with factory roll hoops, such as Vipers, Porsches, S2000, etc.

Since the car is our Sunday cruiser as well. I guess I need to re-think what I am going to do. I love running RA, but also want to run HPDE too.

Thanks Again!

AU N EGL

Sully I understand.

It is NOT easy to have a weekend cruzer AND try to use the same car for HPDEs.


Wife wont let you take the 427 out of HER car. She is a keeper thats for sure

Sully C5

I beginning to see that. Racing sure is addictive! I will figure something out...maybe an interim set-up for RA until I get a track car.

She loves the 427 and isn't afraid to use it. Because of health reasons, she does not have the stamina to race, but she is my co-pilot at every Road Atlanta event. She loves that her car runs laps faster than Vipers, Porches, Ferraris. She gets a kick out other drivers coming over to us in pit row and commenting how they couldn't hang with us in the corners or that we blew by them in a straight-away. She smiles and says, "That's my car."

Thanks Again for your help.

varkwso

Hey now - don't go driving up the costs of FRCs! But they are hard to beat for track cars...

AU N EGL

Older Coupes work too.

Phoenix has used T1 cars too.

Buy a FRC for 25-30 or a used T1 car for 30-35

davidfarmer

it is not possible to put a bar/cage in a vert that will pass any tech, unless you are willing to leave your roof down. I made a main hoop for my old 98' convertible that just brushed the roof, and it was barely even with the top of my head, let alone above it with a helmet on.

I've been thinking of building a converible F-body race car, but would just gut the roof forever.

Sully C5

By that, I take it you mean permanently? This is not looking good. I think I can get in to compliance with Panoz requirements, but not anything else. Looks like a track car is about the only way to go.

AU N EGL

GT race cars for sale
http://www.racingjunk.com/category/83?page=1
or
http://www.sccasportscar.com/showroo...&Submit=Search

Touring
http://www.sccasportscar.com/showroo...&Submit=Search

Improved Touring cars
http://www.racingjunk.com/category/84?page=1
or
http://www.sccasportscar.com/showroo...&Submit=Search

Some others
http://www.theraceforum.com/index.cf...form_cat_id=10