Double roll bar

[bert]

Hi,

I want to mount a double roll bar in my Sumo. It is standard chassis with only two fixing points. Does anyone how to change this and what to do with the metal in the body which is used for the seat belt.

cheers,


Bert

[Bernie]

Danny Mann did this a couple of years ago. See http://www.dan.uk.net/Projects/Cobra/ - don't intimidated by the burning car pics - I don't think it was anything to do with the roll bar!

B

[Phil McCann]

Hi Bert

I've done this. Pilgrim will supply you with two extra spigots which you bolt into position. Before fitting the bodywork, I carefully measured all the spigots from a datum point using spirit levels etc. This datum should obviously be accessable with the body on. With the body fitted I marked it all out on masking tape. The outer holes are fibreglass only so they are no problem. I used ever increasing drills, checking for square all the time, then finish with a file.
The inner ones, however, contain a piece of 1/4" plate for the seat belt fixings. Drilling is made even more daunting 'cos it's on a curved surface.
I used a 50mm hole saw, and then a file to finiish. For the hole saw, make sure you get a real HSS one and not one of B&Q's finest. It is worth it in the end. Also use some cutting compound and keep the drill bit cool.
The escutcheon plates allow a bit of margin for error, as well.

After fitting make sure you "eye" them from the side to make sure they are parallel.

Hope this helps

Phil

[saviller]

I also have a double roll bar. I fitted the inner spigots with the body off, using the roll bars as guides and a long straight edge to ensure both were in line. I masked over the top of the spigots and marked the centre of each one. With the body fitted, I used a wallpaper plumb line (as it has a fine point) to mark on the underside of the body where the centre was, and drilled a pilot hole upwards. I then checked this from above with the plumb line going through the hole and adjusted if necessary. I then used a hole saw to make the holes. As Phil has said, the outer ones are easy peasy. With the inner ones, I did have a HSS hole saw, and even with grinding paste, it seemed as though I would blunt the hole saw rather than cut through the steel plate (maybe I should have been a little more patient?). It did mark the circumference though, so I cut the steel out with a jigsaw, and it did a very tidy job, only needed a couple of minutes filing to ensure smoothness. Result was a very neat and tidy fit.

HTH, Richard

[wazovolan]

Double roll bar on a Cobra is ugly. One roll bar for the driver is acceptable for competition Cobra. Why be pessimistic and need a double roll bar? only.

Originally Posted by bert

Hi,

I want to mount a double roll bar in my Sumo. It is standard chassis with only two fixing points. Does anyone how to change this and what to do with the metal in the body which is used for the seat belt.

cheers,


Bert

[saviller]

They are called roll bars, but them won't save you if you roll it. On the Sumo, the roll bar(s), apart from the cosmetic looks, are for supporting the soft top.

[paolo]

Is it possible for Pilgrim to alter the bodyshell if you tell them in advance you want double hoops?

Seems a bit scary drilling 50mm holes through the seat belt mounting plate...

[Kevin W]

I echo the abopve comments - took ages to drill through on the inner ones.
But i deliberately offset the inner legs of each roll bar towards the rear - if they had been parallel I would have had to modify the inner eschutcheon plates as they would have protruded over into the cockpit. By offseting the inner legs backs slightly, I could fit standard escutcheon plates, although its a pretty tight fit near the edge.

Kevin

[MrFawlty]

Hi There,

I have just got my two roll bars,are the two inner fixings bolted?,I assumed they were to be welded.Kevin,how far did you set the inner fixings back.What size bolts should be used to mount the bars.

Many thanks
Steve

[Kevin W]

Steve, I think it was only about 5-10mm offset on the inner legs - you can only notice it if you squat down and sight across the car, lining up the fronts of the outer legs. I really didnt want to butcher the inner escutcheon plates! I have actually only bolted through the outer legs - as nut'n'bolting is a pain with the body fitted I drilled and tapped (that was a pain as well) an M8 thread into the outer mountings, makes later removal easier. I should probably have paid more attention to mouting the inner legs, but all seems very solid now.

Kev