Cobra roll bar safety

[mickmate]

I have recently looked at roll bars on a couple of different breeds. I have discovered problems waiting to happen and unfortunately that have happened. In one manufacturers defense the manual reads "the roll bar is for decorative purposes only". Just as well as it's not tall enough anyway. The kind of stuff I'm seeing is too thin a wall tubing using seamed (ERW) tube both for the roll bar or the mounts. Bars sleeved over mount stubs and not even bolted to them. Mounting brackets made from whatever is left laying around the shop. Mounting brackets that are loosely attached to the chassis with stripped and missing nutserts instead of being welded to the chassis.
Good bad example.

My background on roll bars is seeing and having some drivers hurt as a result of roll bar design flaws and deficiencies. I have seen SCCA change rules on roll bars after tech crews have been over crashed vehicles and seen drivers hurt. The Cobra bars as you may know will not conform to any modern roll bar class requirements. That shouldn't stop us from putting them in strong and sensible with spec tube so they will work if they are required to. I make them so you can pick the car up with them. I have made the traditional single drivers bar, the dual version of the same (must be time for a hoorah from Patrick) and also the double wide bars.
It's late and I'm done for the day I'll be back with more on this tomorrow. In the meantime get a hold of your roll bar and give it a good yank and make sure it moves the whole car. While you're there eyeball the mounts and make sure they look solid. Like the Sarge says on Hill Street Blues "lets be careful out there".