Convertible styling bar?

red95gtconvert · Aug 20, 2007

Hello, I have my car running real good now and have decided my next bonus check is going to be used towards an appearance mod. I have been considering a styling bar for a while now but am not sure because I am very tall (6-2") and already have the drivers seat all the way back and was worried about bumping my head on it, any thoughts?

http://www.importprecision.com/mustang light bar/1995_ford_mustang_light_bar.htm

95opal · Aug 20, 2007

6'2" here and no problems at all.

Pokageek · Aug 20, 2007

Not flaming you, just FYI - Flip your car and those "styling bars" can become a permanent fixture on your dead head. I personally think they are unsafe and a bad idea. I would only go roll bar or nothing.

94-302-vert · Aug 20, 2007

Get the autopower 4 point roll bar. it also helps to stiffen the car quite a bit... and a little bit of steel voer your head is good.

I am 6' and have no issues with mine...

red95gtconvert · Aug 20, 2007

Pokageek said:
Not flaming you, just FYI - Flip your car and those "styling bars" can become a permanent fixture on your dead head. I personally think they are unsafe and a bad idea. I would only go roll bar or nothing.

Some how I think if I flip my car it wouldn't turn out very well

Pokageek , what brand of roll bar would you recommend and why do you think the styling bar would make the car more unsafe than it already is

zZsKyZz · Aug 20, 2007

94-302-vert said:
Get the autopower 4 point roll bar. it also helps to stiffen the car quite a bit... and a little bit of steel voer your head is good.

I am 6' and have no issues with mine...

NOT NHRA LEGAL...

Doesn't appear so sexy anymore
http://www.autopowerindustries.com/mustangdrag.asp

Bosko5.0 · Aug 20, 2007

the seat belt will rub the light bar.

If I flip my car and I had a light bar I would want to die! One for just flipping a Mustang GT 5.0 And Doing something that stupid deserves it.

nmcgrawj · Aug 21, 2007

Pokageek said:
Not flaming you, just FYI - Flip your car and those "styling bars" can become a permanent fixture on your dead head. I personally think they are unsafe and a bad idea. I would only go roll bar or nothing.

I can understand a roll bar....but if u run nothing and u flip the car and it crushes the light bar, then i'd say its a pretty safe bet that the next thing after the light bar(if its not there) is your head. So...you're dead anyway. Might as well look good prior to! lol

HISSIN50 · Aug 21, 2007

I guess that's why it's a styling bar. I think they look sharp (esp with the fiberglass tonneaus - if they make those for our years).

I seem to recall Mr Caldwell's car lookin nicer after he installed one (IIRC).

94-302-vert · Aug 21, 2007

zZsKyZz said:
NOT NHRA LEGAL...

Doesn't appear so sexy anymore
http://www.autopowerindustries.com/mustangdrag.asp

Never said it was NHRA legal... BUT even if it keeps the car 4" off the ground instead of the car resting on the doors it is well worth it.

I put it in for that little bit of extra safety for when my son is in the car (he is 2.5 yrs old now).

BlackVert · Aug 21, 2007

94-302-vert said:
Never said it was NHRA legal... BUT even if it keeps the car 4" off the ground instead of the car resting on the doors it is well worth it.

I put it in for that little bit of extra safety for when my son is in the car (he is 2.5 yrs old now).

got any pics of that installed? i am thinking that is what i'd like to go with when i get to that point

94-302-vert · Aug 21, 2007

I can email you some... shoot me a pm with your email addy... I don't have the time or inclination to try and post them online...

red95gtconvert · Aug 21, 2007

Thanks for the input everyone, I think I am going to go with the styling bar in the link I posted and do my best not to flip my car

94CobraPace · Aug 22, 2007

There is a mod to the seat belt holders, cut them off shorter and drill 2 new holes to make them shorter, tuck in next to the head rest. This makes it to where the seats cannot touch the bar.
The CDC light bar is the best constructed. I got mine from Haney motorsport.

Bosko5.0 · Aug 22, 2007

The bar isn't what makes it a rollover risk its the bolts and aluminum brackets.

Pokageek · Aug 23, 2007

94-302-vert said:
Never said it was NHRA legal... BUT even if it keeps the car 4" off the ground instead of the car resting on the doors it is well worth it.

I put it in for that little bit of extra safety for when my son is in the car (he is 2.5 yrs old now).

To answer the question, the reason I consider them unsafe is that in a roll-over, most of the ones are for looks only which means they can easily bend or break/snap..whatever upon rollover - but are not rated to hold the weight of your car.

So what happens is that they become a projectile and/or weapon when they bend or break toward the occupants. This is why would do roll bar personally. This is one of the reasons cars now have headrests BTW. "Stuff" is less likely to fly off the back seat or rear decklid and smack you in the back of the head when in a crash. But again, this is a forum and we all have differing opinions on safety, I understand that. And yes they look cool, no denying that,.

94-302-vert · Aug 23, 2007

Pokageek said:
To answer the question, the reason I consider them unsafe is that in a roll-over, most of the ones are for looks only which means they can easily bend or break/snap..whatever upon rollover - but are not rated to hold the weight of your car.

So what happens is that they become a projectile and/or weapon when they bend or break toward the occupants. This is why would do roll bar personally. This is one of the reasons cars now have headrests BTW. "Stuff" is less likely to fly off the back seat or rear decklid and smack you in the back of the head when in a crash. But again, this is a forum and we all have differing opinions on safety, I understand that. And yes they look cool, no denying that,.

Pokageek, I was referring to my Autopower 4-point roll-bar not being NHRA approved, BUT being a little bit of extra safety. This thing is nice. Really stiffens the car, mounts with good sized plates and backing plates to the floor (same with the kickers)... Guy here that races said that likely they are not NHRA only due to the fact that the kickers are bolted not welded...

BlackVert · Aug 23, 2007

94-302-vert said:
Pokageek, I was referring to my Autopower 4-point roll-bar not being NHRA approved, BUT being a little bit of extra safety. This thing is nice. Really stiffens the car, mounts with good sized plates and backing plates to the floor (same with the kickers)... Guy here that races said that likely they are not NHRA only due to the fact that the kickers are bolted not welded...

i REALLY like that roll bar. bit i have a couple of questions ...

1. would it provide any protection in the (unlikely) case of a roll over? or asked a different way, would it support the weight of the car if the car rolled over?

2. it looks like it has a bar that goes across behind the front seats. is that removable? if not, it would probably be a pain for riders in the back seat to get in and out. i have kids and i often have at least one rider in the back seat, sometimes two

94-302-vert · Aug 23, 2007

Chris, I am working in pictures I promise.

OK, now the bar I have does not have the bar behind the back seat for the same reason. My Son sits back there. If I had to do it again I probably would do the 6PT one and then not put in the harness bar to help further stiffen the vert. Afterall the subframes helped HUGE...

The 4 (or 6) point with the harness bar, the harness bar bolts on and is therefore removable. Since the main hoop is one peice I would think you can do this in the car.

Safety: I think it would hold the car up in the event of a roll over. Like I said my buddy races at one of the local raceways here and he knows safety. he said that it was well made. It is definitely thick wall tubing and it is a one piece main hoop with good sized floor plates. I don't think it is going anywhere in the event of a rollover.

Originally I got mine because my wife wouldn't allow my son in the car without it (due to lack of a structure over him). I bought this because of her (& him). I have grown to like the style of it. It doesn't really intrude on the front seats at all and it kinda hleps the back seat by giving something to grab onto.

The only downside that I have seen with this is that the main hoop is like 2" (roughly) tubing and it sits an inch or so under the vert top so it is easy to bump my sons head putting him in and taking him out of the back seat. And where it is located even if he climbs in himself he sometimes hits his head.

On the other hand, as I have said already I wish I bought the 6-point one. Maybe one day I'll upgrade.

Pokageek · Aug 23, 2007

94-302-vert said:
Chris, I am working in pictures I promise.

OK, now the bar I have does not have the bar behind the back seat for the same reason. My Son sits back there. If I had to do it again I probably would do the 6PT one and then not put in the harness bar to help further stiffen the vert. Afterall the subframes helped HUGE...

The 4 (or 6) point with the harness bar, the harness bar bolts on and is therefore removable. Since the main hoop is one peice I would think you can do this in the car.

Safety: I think it would hold the car up in the event of a roll over. Like I said my buddy races at one of the local raceways here and he knows safety. he said that it was well made. It is definitely thick wall tubing and it is a one piece main hoop with good sized floor plates. I don't think it is going anywhere in the event of a rollover.

Originally I got mine because my wife wouldn't allow my son in the car without it (due to lack of a structure over him). I bought this because of her (& him). I have grown to like the style of it. It doesn't really intrude on the front seats at all and it kinda hleps the back seat by giving something to grab onto.

The only downside that I have seen with this is that the main hoop is like 2" (roughly) tubing and it sits an inch or so under the vert top so it is easy to bump my sons head putting him in and taking him out of the back seat. And where it is located even if he climbs in himself he sometimes hits his head.

On the other hand, as I have said already I wish I bought the 6-point one. Maybe one day I'll upgrade.

Sounds safe to me. Ok, here's what you can do for us. Go rent a HUGE jack and jack up the car on one side so high that it rolls. Then take pics and let us know! Ok...maybe not then.

Convertible styling bar?

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