On Tue, 8 Oct 1996 brooked@bre.co.uk wrote:
>
> On Mon, 7 Oct 1996 20:03:23 -0700 (PDT) Ulix Goettsch wrote:-
>
> >I see a lot of MGs with rollbars around here and I always picture
> what
> >would happen if the car got rear-ended. In this situation, the
> driver's
> >head would move upwards and backwards at a very high speed. Just in
> this
> >direction, 3 inches away, I see a very rigid steel pipe.
>
> Ulix,
>
> Can you post a drawing or picture of how you sit in your MG, because
> I'm having trouble understanding how the driver could move as you
> describe.
I second that, but I'm only 5' 9".
I have a roll bar in my 73 B which I had added. I do Solo II autocross,
in DSP on road-race DOT (BF Goodrich R1) tires. When I went to the
sticky tires, I felt compelled to put a bar on... it quieted down the more
concerned friends/relatives as well.
FIT FIT FIT FIT. There is a very limited size envelope in which the bar
is both useful and safe. The gentleman who made the bar installed it for
me... it is EXACTLY the highest it can be and still get the top over it.
This puts it up high enough to clear my head in any situation where I'm
not actually bouncing UP out of the seat and back (and the seat back has
broken away).
If the bar is too low, it won't be any help in a rollover. It's supposed
to be above your head to keep you from supporting the car with your neck
while you're umop ap!sdn. If you have long legs and a long torso, you'll
need a higher bar, and you might be too big to fit the top back over it.
Properly installed and maintained (check the bolts for tightness at oil
change) a decent 4 mounting point roll bar adds rigidity and safety. A
"cosmetic" rollover bar, which the thread originator might very well have,
is just heavy and gets in the way.
Those who keep banging their head on the bar might consider padding... it
is required for SCCA racing, I'm pretty sure. I'm the least graceful
person I know and I have very seldom hit my head on mine (and only when
working on the battery).
Rollover bars do prevent the use of full tonneaus and (in my case) the
half-tonneau for stowing the folded top is very difficult to use. I do
like the appearence myself, though (matter of taste).
Plug the holes with those plastic or rubber body panel plugs. Great
stuff! Or you could put the bolts back in and cover with carpet, as the
other responder suggested. I'd use shorter bolts with stop nuts and RTV
though. The plugs would be better if you can get the right size.
John M. Trindle | jtrindle@tsquare.com | Tidewater Sports Car Club
'73 MGB DSP | '69 Spitfire E Stock | '88 RX-7 C Stock
"Why is 'abbreviation' such a long word?"
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