I`ve been working on the car this last week with the time off I had...I`ve pulled the dash out to install the 10 point conversion bars I got from S&W race cars. I wanted the A pillar bars to to follow the cars lines and blend in with the interior. They are very close, my problem is that they do not come remotely close to where the door bars end at the floor..it`s a good 5 or 6 inch difference in the foot prints. Is it allowable to just add another floor plate for the A pillar bar and leave it unconnected? or should they be joined by a jumper pipe...? interpretation of the rule book is a black art I think

 

if it was me, i would make new doorbars.

 

sounds like you need to have custom down tubes made to follow the lines and still mate up with the floor plate that is there right now.

 

Considering door bars can be swingouts which won't make an A-pillar bar any stronger, I'd say fit another plate to the floor for the A-pillar bar.

There's no reason you couldn't run another tube or 2 from the door bar to the A-pillar bar. Triangulate the bars if possible. With A-pillar bars, the door bars only need to be 1-5/8" diameter. That's why when I put in the full cage, I ripped out the 1-3/4" tubes and installed a full cage with only 1-5/8" main tubes. A lot of the extra bars in a full cage only need to be 1-1/2". To add the extension to join the door bar to the A-pillar bar, I'd use 1-5/8" tube. It doesn't have to be anything fancy but if they're joined together, it would be a lot safer and stronger.

I'm assuming your A-pillar bar is forward of where you have the door bars mounted to the floor?

 

Putting in new door bars crossed my mind but If I can avoid it I will, I understand that you can not "dress" or body work any welds on the bars once they are welded..If I were to cut and smooth to apply new door bars wouldn`t that be illegal..or am I taking it wrong?

On the custom A pillar bars, that may have been a good choice had I not spent 125. for a set already, but it made me think, maybe since the pillar posts are long still, I could get a bend on them to swing back to the door bar pads (diagram 2)

Stephen, so you are saying that they should be attached and a tube to "jump them together would probably pass tech? and yes the A pillar bar is foward of the plate and door bar..I`ll sketch a diagram, I`d take a pic but the car isn`t here. (diagram 3)

first diagram is what I have as it stands....

second is what xpndbl3 has suggested...it may work if I have enough length to bend and still reach the pad without interfereing with the bottom of the dash.

third is the jumper pipe one I was thinking of doing because its the simplest solution as long as it safe? it would require a second floor pipe with this too...

any of them look like a no no?

 

#3 is what I had in mind

 

I don't think that the rules actually say that the door bar and the front bar have to actually connect... If you're planning on getting this thing certifed then why not call the local tech inspector and see what he says.

#1 has the big advantage that it would be the easiest to get in and out of, and if that wouldn't fly then I'd probalby strongly consider making new door bars, followed by bending the front bars back...