ROLL BARS

[chris_overlord]

Hey

I'm looking at buying a soft top sierra but i wasn't certain about the safety. Not only is it a security thing but I don't want the worst if it happened to roll. Is it possible to custom design roll bars and get someone to manufacture and install them for me? Also can I change it to a hard top if I wished to? And if it were a hard top would it still need roll bars for support?

Thanks

[ofr57]

you can get removable hardtops for zooks usally white an made out of fibreglass an yes i would still put a roll bar / cage in

[ScrawnC]

There are plenty of companies around North Brisbane that can build a cage for you, they start at about $600 and go up from there. Otherwise look out for a second hand one, plenty around. 4 or 6 point. If you stick a fibreglass canopy (hardtop) on it still won't give you much protection. The cage has to be certified though.
There is a guy in Cashmere that can build you one, let me know if you want his number.

[chris_overlord]

Thanks for the help guys. I still got to save a bit to get the car. Can't wait though. I gotta get more hours too due to these new learner laws. It sucks Im meant to get my license in a few weeks but I won't. Ill get to you as soon as I have it about the roll cage. I was also wondering, for car audio would standard audio be ok or am i safer installing marine quality speakers?

[Gwagensteve]

Please don't think I'm being negative or patronising, but this comes up a bit here, and you do need to think carefully about what you want to achieve with a cage in a sierra.

Do you want something that look like it will do the job or will actually do the job? Sierra's are very difficult to put a meaningful cage in as they are small and the mounting positions badly interfere with cabin room.

Heres some stuff to mull over. Do you want the bar to protect you in an on road rollover, or an off road fop?

We roll cars lots in the club and they very rarely have any sort of roll bar in them. The factory structure is adequate to do what it has to - it absorbs the impact and will generally provide enough protection to prevent the cabin collapsing in on you. However, these are low speed flops in off road conditions.

The factory structure won't protect you in a fast, high speed rollover, but then neither will the stock seatbelts or seat.

Most people in rollovers are NOT injured by the roof coming in on them, they are mostly injured by striking their head on the inside of the car, or falling out of their seat/seatbelt. A 6 point rollcage will actually make this problem worse.

It is my opinion that 6 point rollcages must be accompanied by full harnesses, race seats and helmets or the chance of injury will actually increase.

If it makes you feel more secure to have a light rollbar behind the seats, go ahead. Just be aware that while it might keep the cab standing a little more upright after a roll, the car will likely still be totalled in a roll and I would suggest it would have a negligible effect on your personal safety.

An actual roll cage (6 point) will cost upwards of $2k, most likely render the car illegal due to space intrusions, and generally be a PITA.

You really need to have a look at places that build functional cages for race cars. They will give you advice on what can be built and what will be functional. Be prepared for the cost though - even a simple 4 point bar behind the seats will run $6-800.

There are lots of bars that are cosmetic only.

Here's a cage I did for a car a few years ago. there's 21 metres of DOM in it, @ 27.00/m. It felt great on silly angles to have that much steel around you, but headroom and general usability was compromised. This cage was chassis mounted. It wasn't complete in this photo.



Like I said, don't take it the wrong way, these are just some thoughts.

Steve.

[skez]

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/vi ... vel+rolled

mine it had a roll bar and was rolled at speed

[skez]

an alloy one...

[alien]

i watched a zuk do 40km/hr up a blackboy and get 1/2 a metre of air and land flat on its side... no roll bar, just fibreglass top - damage was a bent leaf spring from the blackboy, and the targa bar had been pushed in 10mm or so - but the door still closed and the fibreglass top still went on it (not as watertight as before though!).

[GRPABT1]

Some good advice there steve. Some of the reasons mentioned are why I really like exo cages. Although I don't know much about the legalities of them. Anyone shed some light?

I have a 4 point andra spec roll bar behind the cab in my ute chopped SWB. I would like to tie in a set of high up (to protect bonnet and gaurds if it goes onto it's roof) brush bars and an external front hoop to the existing cage and sill sliders. Does this requre any engineering?

[mugginsmoo]

an alloy one...

alloy is illeagal in all forms of competition, as it "work hardens" and becomes brittle.
next time you see and alloy bar have a look at the inside of the radius on the main bends, you will see lots of hair-line cracks. every alloy roll bar that i have seen has these.


but go ahead anyway, as its only your life.

[Gwagensteve]

Some good advice there steve. Some of the reasons mentioned are why I really like exo cages.

Won't comment on legality, but I hate the way 99% of exos are mounted. If I wanted a car that was 6" wider than a sierra at the sill, I would have bought a GQ patrol and not needed the exo and had some interior room.



This is my "exo" it's there to strengthen the cab and help me keep a screen in the car. It's not for a high speed roll, but weill be plenty for any roll this car is likely to see.

It's incomplete in this photo - it's fully welded into the gutter and tied to a b pillar bar that sits in the recess behind the cab on utes. It adds no width to the car at all. I will run a brace across the top of the windscreen.

Steve.

[mrRocky]

a cage also means you can open and shut your doors when its flexed up
before i fitted my 6 point cage if i got stuck sometimes i couldnt open my door and if i could then id have bugger all chance of getting it closed, the cage eliminates this prob

[MightyMouse]

This is my "exo" it's there to strengthen the cab and help me keep a screen in the car. It's not for a high speed roll, but weill be plenty for any roll this car is likely to see. Steve.

And I thought the exo was to mount bump stops for a soft landing.

Don't loose the drawings cj might be interested.

[cj]

This is my "exo" it's there to strengthen the cab and help me keep a screen in the car. It's not for a high speed roll, but weill be plenty for any roll this car is likely to see. Steve.

And I thought the exo was to mount bump stops for a soft landing.

Don't loose the drawings cj might be interested.

[GRPABT1]

Some good advice there steve. Some of the reasons mentioned are why I really like exo cages.

Won't comment on legality, but I hate the way 99% of exos are mounted. If I wanted a car that was 6" wider than a sierra at the sill, I would have bought a GQ patrol and not needed the exo and had some interior room.



This is my "exo" it's there to strengthen the cab and help me keep a screen in the car. It's not for a high speed roll, but weill be plenty for any roll this car is likely to see.

It's incomplete in this photo - it's fully welded into the gutter and tied to a b pillar bar that sits in the recess behind the cab on utes. It adds no width to the car at all. I will run a brace across the top of the windscreen.

Steve.

I see your point but my ute chopped tray is wider than th ecab anyway and I like that cause I can actually fit stuff for camping lol. But none of this (tray or future exo) would be wider than the mirrors and probably only marginally wider than the tyres (if at all). And it would still be skinnier than a pootrol. I mainly want one so I can roll it and still drive to work the next day. I don't care alot about the cosmetics but would like my cab and panels to stay at least the right shape lol.

[grimbo]

I reckon my exo that Steve built was avery good setup, it protected the cab and most importantly the windscreen and surround, was tied into the rear cage and didn't increase the width of the Zuk and added some much needed weight in the back with the tray

[GRPABT1]

You see, mine is already solid enough in the rear with it's custom tray. I would like to protect the front gaurds, bonnet and windscreen.

[ljxtreem]

Some good advice there steve. Some of the reasons mentioned are why I really like exo cages.

Won't comment on legality, but I hate the way 99% of exos are mounted. If I wanted a car that was 6" wider than a sierra at the sill, I would have bought a GQ patrol and not needed the exo and had some interior room.



This is my "exo" it's there to strengthen the cab and help me keep a screen in the car. It's not for a high speed roll, but weill be plenty for any roll this car is likely to see.

It's incomplete in this photo - it's fully welded into the gutter and tied to a b pillar bar that sits in the recess behind the cab on utes. It adds no width to the car at all. I will run a brace across the top of the windscreen.

Steve.

Word

I like a lot

Mock

[Camdaman12]

I reckon my exo that Steve built was avery good setup, it protected the cab and most importantly the windscreen and surround, was tied into the rear cage and didn't increase the width of the Zuk and added some much needed weight in the back with the tray

I love this exo grimbo!

I want one when iget me Zuk kitted out!!!