Well before I get thrown off the track, get a slap on the wrist or crash, I decided to finally bite the bullet and put a bar in the car. Actually started putting one in little over a year ago but didn't like how it was turning out so I cut it out. This one could even use a couple of minor changes but I'll run it then cut it out again after it comes time to put in a full cage. (which will be a long ways away )

Started out by measuring for the main hoop and plugged the numbers into a program I have called Bend-Tech. Bought this program a while ago plus the tubing bender to do some parts for my 4x4.



Here it be all bent, one leg longer than the other just because that was a 10 foot stick and didn't feel like cutting it down any more.



Here it is in the car tacked in place. Here's where you can see the minor changes I'd like to make on the next one. I'd like to bring the top corner bends up and out a bit more so they're closer to the headliner. (I'd also like to finish painting the door jambs )



Next was the rear down bars.



Much to my amazement, the rear seat still can fold up just barely touching them. I hadn't planned on that at all so it was just one of those happy mistakes. No, no one is going to be riding back there, it's just for looks.



Next came the door bars. After figuring out what seats I was going to use, I punched in the numbers for those.



Didn't get pics of the crossbar or door bars going in but here's all the tube work done and welded in.

 

Humm new seats need new brackets!



This is the passenger seat bracket tacked together which has a bigger difference between the front and back mounting points. Added in a 1 inch spacer to match the angle of the driver's seat.



All welded up, ready for some paint.





Per the rules, the seats had to have an upper support of some kind. So I copied the design of a friends car who had all his stuff done by a chassis builder.



Just some solid bar bent with tabs welded on.



And finally, since the belts wont be going through the openings on the seat and they're a wrap around style... they need some sort of stop to keep them from sliding on the crossbar.




Almost done with everything, just need to alter the seat covers a little so they slip over the back support bracket. Also needs a little more paint, some trim pieces and the dash pad needs to go back in. Oh yeah, and mount the 5 point harnesses.

 

Looks good except I don't see the required 6x6 plates under the tubes where they mount to the sheet metal.

 

Don't worry, they're there. You can see the 2 rear ones at the end of the down bars.

 

Look good! You gonna be doing a lot of bending & selling tube stuff? No, I'm not asking for me, just a question.

As fo the main hoop & future mod...It looks like the side 2 verticals coulda gone up a few more inches, before angleing inwards, tucking the angle sections closer to the headliner.

 

Ahh. I see them now.

 

Looks good. But Ive got a question. What do you guys with 6+ points on a cage do about the arm rests? Just remove them?

 

Some kits are designed to go around them.

 

i took my whole door pannel off. im going to make new custom panels.

 

Yeah like I said, there's a couple things I'd like to change but I'm fairly happy with this one. Far as bending more stuff up, yep. I've bent up a set of rock sliders for my truck and a friend's truck plus I plan on putting a simple cage inside the truck. Another friend has been tossing the idea around of me bending up a new cage for his 64 Malibu.

I'm either going to notch my stockers or fab up some new ones, haven't decided yet.

 

looks good except the rear cargo subframes dont run that far towards the center of the car... they are more toward the outside right behind the rear shock upper mounts... i was gona do wat u did but i had to go under the car and mark it all out. u can follow the spot welds through the foor metal if u want. another thing is why did u put the bends on the rear cargo floor vs having up against the top of the hoop? the reason i ask is that ive seen them either way, seems to fit closer up top wiht the bends at the hoop vs the floor... is it structually stronger with the bends on the floor or at the bar... i ask also bc im about to install a 8pt competition enginering roll cage in my 87 formula 350 with the inside bars from the hoop to the tranny tunnel. i was goin to put the bends at the hoop and have the bars connect staight to the cargo floor.

can u post pics of where u mounted the hoop? the floor plates especially. cuz the plates i have a 1/8" thick and idk how im gona bend them to mount to the floor flush

 

I did the rear bar bends like that because it's just a whole lot easier to weld around and personally I think it looks better. I'm not sure if one way is stronger or not. A friend's firebird roll bar was built basicly the exact same way and he's been going to National events for about 5 or 6 years with no grief given by the techs. The first go around I didn't put a bend in those rear down bars and it was such a pain to get a nice weld because of the angle of the tube.

I really don't feel like ripping the interior apart again for pictures of the mounting plates for the hoop lol. Basicly they're on the same little hump the front of the rear seat cushions attach to but of course, further outboard near the outer sides. There's one bend that rolls over the edge towards the front of the car, another that goes up onto the sides a little. The part that is closest to the rear is bent to match the floor best I could. Worked the plate mostly with a 5 lb sledge and a vice.

 

still looks good! i was wondering how i would weld the rear bars to the top of the hoop ... noticed i didnt see any gussets? whys that? also wat diameter is the solid bar for the racing harnest on the hoop cross bar? i have the wrap around style 5 point harnest as well and i would have to do sumthing like that for it to work. oh one last ? wat type of welder u use? i dont have a welder strong enough to do my 1.75x.134" wall tubing... and i kno i need to use gas with it, no flux core. would like to get my tig on it but it seems like itd be a pain and i dont think itd be strong enough

 

Well, I tacked the rear bars in place on the main hoop with a couple added supports. Cut the tacks holding the hoop and rear bars to the floor plates and moved it forward to the t-top openings to get all around the tubes. Did basicly the same thing to the door bars, just slid it forward far as I could to get everything.

Far as I know, gussets are required if you can't get a full weld around the tube. Others put them in just for a little extra. The solid bar is 3/8ths, seems plenty stiff, I can rock the car pretty good without the bar hardly doing anything.

I used a Lincoln 135 MIG welder and a Miller Syncrowave 200 TIG welder. MIG was used for quick tacks, welding the 6x6 plates to the floor and welding the tube to the plates. Had that sucker cranked up and the welds came out nice. Everything else I TIG'd, and yeah it was a pain in the **** having to deal with a foot pedal. Used the left and right foot depending on what side the car I was on plus my knees when I couldn't use feet lol.

 

Nice Job.

 

Thank ya, was kinda fun but also a real pain lol. Can't wait to race a buddy of mine in little over a week, his car has been down for 2 years.