Roll bar

samthedog · Post by **samthedog** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:35 am

I was looking at some inages of 124's and saw one with a roll bar.
Takes away from the vert look a bit, but if this car ever did roll, would think
it would not have good results on those in the car.
Is this more of a race car thing, or are there a lot of street driven 124's that have them?

This car is totally new to me,and I can't remember the last time I saw a Fiat Spider
on the road. That is one of the things i like about this car. You don't see many on the road.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:48 am

you'll find a roll bar really stiffens the chassis, a plus even in a street car.

mikebacc · Post by **mikebacc** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:07 pm

Hi samthedog...
Race-legal rollbars are of sufficient height, design & strength that they will, along with other safety equipment (helmet, suit, fire systems, etc.), afford substantial protection in a rollover. The "street" rollbars, such as my Autopower bar, do offer a bit of chassis stiffening, as well as some "theoretical" rollover protection. Yes, a spider would not be absolutely flat on the ground if upside down, but the dynamics involved in a vehicle accident are mind-boggling. In the case of my spider, I wanted it mostly for the racer look and the occasional autocross that required them in open cars. I also used an aftermarket seat (Corbeau Clubman) and 5-point harness, as well as the original 3-point seat belt for everyday driving. When belted in, the seating position is lower than stock seats allow, so there is some vertical protection from the bar. However, if I was in an accident while fully belted in as shown, I would not likely be ejected or hit my head on the pavement, but I could easily lose an arm ouside the car, or my legs below the dash, or..... Race cars are engineered from the ground up around a "cage" for the driver. Most sports cars with or without rollbars, can't really compete in that area of safety. As a former firefighter/EMT I've seen plenty of vehicle accidents, and the best protection is still... avoidance. Lets all have fun with our cars, but drive responsibly and defensively.
...Mike

jbills · Post by **jbills** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:02 am

I've got a roll bar I'll be installing soon and I was thinking of powder coating it a dark brown to match my interior rather than the standard black. Problem is, I'm having trouble visualizing this and wondering if I should just fall in line and go with tried & trusted black. On the one hand, I'll probably keep this car forever and so the only person I need to please is myself (not worried about resale later) but on the other hand, I just don't want to make a mistake.

I plan on photoshopping up a few mockups before I take the thing in to be painted, but wanted to ask - does anyone out there have a roll bar that's not black? can you post a pic?

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:24 pm

I had one plated with extreme chrome

samthedog · Post by **samthedog** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:19 pm

If you want it black, but not just black, look at Black Chrome. It is available in powder coat also.
Be sure to use a TGIC Polyester in powder, or it will fade in the sunlight.
Epoxy powders are good anywhere under the hood. They do not offer any long term UV exposure protection,
but are good for chemical, ( gasoline ), resistance.

If possible, always strip the substrate, clean it chemically, and have it phosphated prior to powder coating.
As with anything , the Prep determines the outcome.
It is possible to powder over paint, but only if it can hold up to 400F and not lift.
You can always have the part, Pre-Baked to see if it will or now.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:51 pm

I wrinkle-painted mine a charcoal color. looks pretty sharp. IMHO.

azygoustoyou · Post by **azygoustoyou** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 7:42 pm

I think it would look cool to match the color of your wheels.
Does anyone know what color would match the silver Rotas?

engineerted · Post by **engineerted** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:07 pm

Mike, Nice looking car, but one correction, Autocross does not require a roll bar but if you do time trials or track days a roll bar is required. The bar must be higher than your head or what is called the broom stick rule. broom stick layed over your head resting on the front windscree and roll bar must clear your helment.

Ted

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:17 pm

Ted:
that's a good rule to know.
I'm curious then what a sanctioning body like SCCA would require for competition-use? Can I fabricate my own cage? or must it meet some certification? and f yes, what are the requirements as far as front hoop, etc? are swing-out door braces acceptable? is there a publication on these requirements?

kbee00 · Post by **kbee00** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:31 pm

Yes, SCCA does publish rules about roll bars. I do not know what is req'd for autocrossing, but wheel to wheel racing has very strict guidelines on roll bars - material, thickness, weld locations, etc.

I would go to the SCCA website and download the General Comp. rules related to autocrossing if that is what you will be doing.

Good luck!

mikebacc · Post by **mikebacc** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:35 pm

Thanks Ted, I stand corrected... SCCA rules are as you say. Back when I was autocrossing this car, it was sanctioned by Northern California Sports Car Council (NCSCC), a more grass roots organization. Black just happened to work ok for me with a black interior and black wheels. I've seen some chrome roll bars and they look pretty sharp too.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:14 am

kbee00 wrote:Yes, SCCA does publish rules about roll bars. I do not know what is req'd for autocrossing, but wheel to wheel racing has very strict guidelines on roll bars - material, thickness, weld locations, etc.

I would go to the SCCA website and download the General Comp. rules related to autocrossing if that is what you will be doing.

Good luck!

if anyone else is interested, heres\'s a link:
http://cms.scca.com/documents/2011%20Te ... ersion.pdf
appropriate section begins on page 104.

and nah, no autocrossing here. i know I'll piss-off some people with this statement, but to me, there is nothing that seems more like "pretending" than autocross.

Sure, it's great, 'til you've done the real thing. then it's like going back to holding-hands after getting to 3rd base.

the problem is that all of my roadrace experience is on motorcycles.... NO ROLLBARS!!

And while I have lots of track-day experience in cars, none have been open-top, and none of it has been wheel-to-wheel. And I'm gonna try to keep it that way!

car-racing is just too damned expensive! Everything I had to do on a 2-wheeled vehicle, now I have to do TWICE!

dantye · Post by **dantye** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 9:42 am

So Cal Mark wrote:you'll find a roll bar really stiffens the chassis, a plus even in a street car.

I am intrigued by this possibility, but the roll bar sold by IAP is not indicated as fitting my 1981 Spider.
Is there a source for a one that will fit the 1981 and help stiffen the chassis, and co-exist with a working convertible top? Or would this be a custom fab job?

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:32 am

check Autopower

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