Only found 1 post which does look promising.



Its the bar they put in cop cars.

Id say it should shorten up the top a bit so not right over head, but no cross bar so the backseat is still access-able.

Probably no fat chance anyone ever sold this design out side of a GM installed option for the 5O cars???

Looks like it would work great with my notchback though.

 

I was able to confirm that it is real, with the back seat still use-able.

Gonna get lots of pic's soon, maybe I can copy it then.

 

Back support bars look like there spread to far out to prevent the hoop from rear collapse. Theres no way that'll pass tech, but if it's all installed correctly would stiffen up the chassis some. I like the looks of the leather wrap. How much padding is in that?

Very cool pics keep them coming!

 

I won't need it to pass a race class.

I do like the fact thats its a real GM design to have it run like that, its there but out of the way. I get enough flack for the things I do to my car, least I can say " If it was good enough for police cars............."


Dunno on the padding, ill see if they guy still has his.
Its a dude on camaro5.com with a old cop car 3rd gen.

 

so there was a 2 pt hoop that was for the police casr? never seen that. I have seen the one in the pic you posted thats a 4 point. a 2 pt would be usless other than show, it would provide no support or protection whatsoever, since its not braced and will fold if the car rolls over badly enough.

the 4 pt would do a bit better, at least it would survive if the car rolled.

 

Why would you car if the backseat it accessable? Not a good idea (and in some states illegal), to put rear seat passengers back there with a roll bar installed.

 

i think thats if there is a crossbar on the bar. So long as there is no crossbar, there shouldnt be an issue for rear passenger safty.

not sure what the OP if shooting for though

 

Actually that bar is one of the few things I wouldn't give you flak about concerning your car. I think its a neat idea. It has some of the benefits of a full cage without being as intrusive.

 

An attractive bar that doesn't intrude on the space.

Which I think I have found.

I don't need to pass any race class.
Its better then stock, and was good enough for cops.
So Ill use it too. [Better then stock.]

I guess cause it feels like a gokart to me, Im really to big for the car.
I want to lose some of that tin can feeling.

SFC are the next step. [already on the way]
Then I want to tie in more metal but keep it clean n out of the way or hidden would be my first pic.

Don't wanted a gutted full race chassie.
-
Though I have fully welded the sheet metal inside including the sides to floor pan valley. Which made a big difference over stock. But time for more.

 

So I can still haul junk, since I lost hatch space.
Had a back seat full of cinder blocks the other day.

 

Edited, I guess I need to wipe the haze from my eyes but I couldn't see the down tubs in the pic I first posted.

 

It really appears to serve no real practical purpose. The rear stays appear to terminate on a non structural area (the wheel wells). Also the rear stays are bent which will buckle if the bottom plates actually where to hold up and not tear through the wheel wells.
So no safety, and no real stiffness in this design. Horray pointless ballast. 100% boi racer.
I find it hard to believe GM produced this as part of the B4C package, more than likely it was a locally added, department choice ordeal if anything.

 

You have a point.

 

They can be bolted into the wheel wells. 6X6 PLATES
(check out the NHRA rule book)
what books are you gents reading...lol or, is this from the guy across the street, whos dad has a son, who worked for a guy, who was a so and so.
for NASA.

HOPE the books are not from the Gloom and doom set

WHATS NEXED you cant run skinnys up front?? on hot summer days??
cus if you hit a dog it will Kill you??
and the GM Roll Bar will Blow up killing every one on earth!!!
(qt from the Gloom & Doom Box set)


from the Gloom & Doom Box set

 

Like I stated it will definitely stiffen up the chassis if it's done properly. If anything it'll connect the driverside and passengerside SFC more. Theres not much connecting those areas as is on these cars. Also I'm not a big fan of bolting two plates together unless there tack'd in place too. For a strip car I wouldn't have an issue with it, but street use of constant rattling... etc for miles upon miles I would think there might be a chance of bolt holes elongating just like how bolt on SFCs can. As for mine currently there just basically liquid nailed in place cause the welder wasn't comfortable with welding over the gas tank. I plan on getting around to getting that mig'd in the next time the fuel pump dies and I pull the tank.

I don't know if the bends are up to tech spec though. According to rules I've seen [searching around google] the rear brace bars can be bent now (I haven't kept up with the roll bar rules since I put mine in a few years ago.). From what I've seen they only allow up to a 30* angle on the bend. Which makes that bend questionable unless someone wants to measure it in person. Anyways like stated this install wasn't to put to specs (no crossbar... etc).

I can fully understand about concerns of using backseat for storage with not much room left in the hatch and I don't even having a notchback.

 

Everything should be bolted and welded.
Each ones handles some stresses better.

I welded over the tank with no problems but what helped was I didn't know it. I was just welding ever body pannel inside of it [dame cheesy spot welds]. Then discover later how close that tank was

 

Do you have more pics of this style bar? I would love to put something in my Camaro to help stiffen things up, but I need to keep my back seat accessible as well cause my 2 daughters love riding in the car with the tops off. I don't plan on taking the car to the strip so race specs are not a concern for me either. How much strength does it lose without the crossbar?

 

more pic's from a real police car

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86774

 

Those are perfect! Thanks!

 

Dumb. Might want to rethink this idea.

 

How is it dumb? Its better then stock, anything is better then stock.

Neither of us want it for racing, just added strength and it will do that.

 

I think that blyth18md's point is that it probably won't add much if any strength. In an accident the design could actually prove to be a safety hazard if anything. This is especially true if you ditch the cross bar. The cross bar would keep the car from getting flattened from the side. At least theoretically. It may help in a roll but that's debatable. We need more pictures of how its physically installed but from the looks of it the thing doesn't connect to the major structural points in the car. From the looks of it sub-frame connectors will do your car more good for chassis strengthening than this ever could.

 

in my case I have a vert I just want it too look better when tops down lol

I dont care about nhra and I want to bea ble to use rear seat

 

Well that's a different issue entirely. As far as roll bars go, this one looks pretty good.

 

That's a load of crap, they would of never used it in HW patrol and police cars if so.

GM would of been sued blind and lost even more in bad press like Ford when their cop cars were blowing up from being rear ended.

 

Care to elaborate on this?? Instead of just bashing the idea?? I really hate when people do that.


As for the original idea, I would like to get some added protection from it, but if it just stiffens the chassis up that will be fine with me. My main concerns are that the kids can still get in and out and that it doesn't interfere with the operation of the T-tops.

 

Yeah, an automobile manufacturer would never manufacturer anything that could endanger peoples lives. Yeah, right. For all you or I know, no B4C Camaro equipped with this roll bar was ever rolled over. They made up a very small percentage of third gens and in general, I don't think many third gens got rolled over. And even if they did that bar might work well enough most of the time unless something very specific happens in a way that was never tested before. Traditional roll cages on the other hand have a much more proven track record with a larger install base. We don't even know for sure that GM even designed that bar much less installed them. Its very likely that they subcontracted that out the way the convertibles were subcontracted out to ASC.

Like I said, we need to see more of how that bar is connected, and to what before calling it a truly good or bad solution. As it looks now I'd say its much less effective than traditional roll cages. That's just my on the matter.

 

If you believe that then you should stop driving GM cars and go buy a furd where logic like that prevails.

All your doing is speculating out your azz with not one iota of proof.

I trust GM till the end.

Good enough for cops, more thne good enough for me.

 

Oh please, I love my GM vehicles and I trust them well enough but even GM makes mistakes when they design stuff. Given all the design flaws of these cars you have to see that. Not to mention the recalls they've had over the years. No manufacturer is immune to that given the recent rash of recalls from Toyota who many held in a position of near perfection.

I admitted as much. That's why I said I'd like to see how that's really installed before calling that a good design or not. I hope it is. I'd love to have something like that instead of an intrusive full cage in my car.

Whatever floats your boat. Again you assume that GM really designed that bar. There is a good chance they didn't.

The police departments often buy what they can afford, not whats always best or even good enough. Sometimes they make mistakes when purchasing a product. By the same token we don't even know if that design was truly put to the test. We only assume that it probably happened at some point. That's pure speculation on our parts.

 

Argument is beginning to overshadow information that might prove useful to members.

JamesC

 

Bingo, to many nay sayers on this site with nothing to add to a topic but how they don't think it will work or a willing ness to figure out a way to make it work, they just wanna bash everything. Only thing wrong with this forum.
No sense of unity, to get the job done, just how they can talk it down.


Would be nice if one of vendors around here could step up and reproduce them, the main hoop looks to be standard ehy?, the rest would just need re-fabbed.





.

 

I disagree. I think "naysayers" are often healthy and necessary to the exploration of a topic. Comments that are positive without much substance don't help anyone. On the other hand negative comments that cast doubt on a product and get people thinking about that product and alternatives can definitely be useful. If someone is considering this as an option vs. a cage they need to know the pros and cons of the solution. Some members brought up concerns about the design and I think that's valid. If you want the bar for looks then it doesn't matter. If you want to stiffen up the chassis slightly, then OK. If you are thinking about this instead of a cage, then you need to understand that this won't work for certain racing classes and it may not be nearly as safe as a real cage would be.

 

Rear seat passengers (your daughters)
+
roll bar
+
an impact (or even a really sharp turn to avoid a dog)
=
can your daughters heads SMACKING into the roll bar

Hence..... A bad idea.

My daughter just recently got tall enough (technically too young, but the law here is also based on height, not just age) to sit in the front seat so now my GTA will get the 4-pt bar I've been wanting.

 

How many times in the thread have I and other said that they DON"T NEED IT TO PASS FOR ANY RACE CLASS OR HAVE ROOM OR A NEED FOR A FULL RACE CAGE...

James C, Go ahead and lock it since no one has anything good to add but to repeat stuff already said like a parrot.

 

I realize this. That's for you, there is nothing wrong with discussing the hardware in question BEYOND your needs.

Wow, so the thread has no value because not everyone agrees with you?

 

Yes its my thread, and anything beyond my needs, should be a full race cage and there are plenty of those threads, go post in them.

This thread is only about the police roll bar and nothing else and you have filled it with useless crap that has already been said for your own enjoyment to hear yourself speak.

It’s why I own the #1 Virago forum on the net, negative nancy like you get shown to the door. As we don't allow your type just to satisfy sponsors with traffic.