Interesting idea. I do not believe it would be feasable with the early
roadsters. There is just not enough room to have the main bar and the
cross support bars. As for a removeable one, what would the point be?
I had one in my Austin Healey in college, it had enough room behind the
seats to accomodate the roll-bar. The roll-bar saved my life. A drunk
in a 70s Cadillac cut accross the 50mph road I was on in Ohio and
through my oncoming lane to get to a Kentucky Fried Chicken. I hit him
doing an excessive speed right into his passenger side. Since he was
almost at a stop, having slid sideways to make his turn, it did not
rotate my car but flipped me overtop of his car, head over heels, since
the front of my frame rails caught his frame rails, his passenger side
door collapsed, and his car weighed so much something had to give and it
was me. I found myself spinning down the road upside down after having
flipped over his car. Needless to say, the Austin was totalled ,however
I was not thanks to the roll-bar.
As for hitting your head on the roll-bar, I did have some padding on it
so I only got some minor lumps. Weighing the options, I would have been
certainly dead otherwise so you guess which I would choose.
If anyone can figure out a way to get a rollbar in a roadster without
butchering the car, count me in!
In a message dated 98-07-14 13:59:40 EDT, Mark Hicks writes:
Interesting idea. I do not believe it would be feasable with the early
roadsters. There is just not enough room to have the main bar and the
cross support bars. As for a removeable one, what would the point be?
When I bought my '62 OTS in 1987 it had a chrome hoop roll bar that was
removable. My recollection is that the hoop slipped down into a mounting
plate on each side of the car and was held in place with either a bolt or a
clevis pin. The mounting plate was bolted to either the forward edge of the
wheel well or the rear floor board, I can’t remember. There were no cross
pieces, it was just a single hoop in the shape of an inverted U. Didn’t look
like it would do much good so it was disposed of in short order.
The interesting question is whether you are better off driving without
seatbelts if you don’t have a roll bar. W/o the belts, if you roll the car
you will be thrown free instead of being trapped upside down with your head on
the ground. I still opt for the belts but I also don’t drive so aggressively
as to increase the risk of an unassisted rollover.
In a message dated 98-07-14 13:59:40 EDT, Mark Hicks writes:
The interesting question is whether you are better off driving without
seatbelts if you don’t have a roll bar. W/o the belts, if you roll the car
you will be thrown free instead of being trapped upside down with your head
on
the ground. I still opt for the belts but I also don’t drive so
aggressively
as to increase the risk of an unassisted rollover.