Oooookay...pics are in my gallery but here goes.
This first pic is of the factory set-up. Note that the hoop is more of an upside down "V", and though it essentially would perform the majority of its intended job, it's not really adequate (but still better than nothing at all)
This next two pics give you a good idea of the relative increase in both thickness and width of the Summit Racing hoop. I layed the old hoop on top of the new one for size comparisons. You can also see that I had to trim the "out riggers" so that they would match-up to the mounting points of the original. This involved using a 10" carbide disc on a cut-off saw, but a plasma cutter would also work.
I also cut 45 degree notches on the corners and rounded them on a bench grinder, then touched them up with black paint to match. This eliminated the sharp edges and gave the final product a cleaner look.
Here's a final pic showing the final installation. Fits like a glove and the lower portion of the hoop is still above the rear sway bar. So I didn't lose any ground clearance. You can also see in this pic where I had to remove a small strip of the floorboard to clear the upper bolts on the driver's side. And I had to do this even after shortening those bolts a 1/4" with a hack saw so that the nuts tightened even with the end of the shortened bolts! Still had a clearance issue, so I marked the area with a Sharpie and broke out my Dremel tool with a small cut-off wheel. That did the trick and did not create some gapping hole that would allow moisture or air to seep into the cockpit from below. Worst case is you can lop in some non-drying Permatex to seal it.
If Lowell's idea doesn't wow me, the next thing that I'm seriously considering is to add AN ADDITIONAL HOOP toward the front of the driveshaft. The mounting points would be the rear bolts that hold the seats in (they attached to a strong strap that is welded between the main frame and the outriggers). I would start with a thin piece of aluminum strap (one that I can bend with my hands), form it around the frame rails to my liking, then make sure it mates up with the secondary hoop correctly. Then send out the bent aluminum strap to a local fabricator (probably the same guy that did my side pipe muffler swap) and have him bend some 5/16" steel strap to mimic the Summit hoop material. Then, and only then, will I have achieved a true 100% solution.
I sure hope this little pictorial has helped some of you.
Regards,
-Dean
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