safety question

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

I note some of u dont have any roll bar inside the cockpit.
Looking (very very often honestly),4 example at Dave morton's green GTD I noted he has a roll bar inside, but too many others dont.

Why this?,
Is maybe enough the roll bar some space frame chassis provide?

Dave's car with roll

mk.3 cockpit

Paul

 

[Peter Delaney]

Paul, I guess its a compromise thing - a full roll cage would be ideal, but most of them make getting in & out of the car even more difficult. Its probably the right thing to do if you are going do a bit of racing, but I think that a normal roll hoop is ok for a road car.

The following pic is one showing the DRB roll hoop which is available as a factory option. When I bought my car, it was "just started" by the previous owner, & he didn't have the roll hoop done at the factory. There was no way I was going to drive around with nothing but a bit of fibreglass over my head, so I had to retrofit the hoop & braces - a bitch of a job as the spider is virtually permanently bonded in place before the basic body/chassis kit leaves the factory.

Kind Regards,

Peter D.

 

[Lloyd]

ERA gt Has a built in roll bar, not a cage, but adequat for street use.

lloyd

 

[David Morton]

Paul,
My roll cage was built before the roof was added.I don't think it can be properly done any other way. The geometry for it also extends into the B post area with additional reinforcing and the lower sill area also with additional reinforcing by way of two added diagonal struts at extra side impact bracing between the outer and inner upper rails above the fuel tanks. I do not have a full cage which would involve side bars as well, and as Pete comments, they make getting in and out a bit more tricky, especially in my advancing years and increasing waist band.
(I must cut out the cashew nuts and digestive biscuits) The cage was manufactured by Henry Atherton here in Marlow who I believe used it as a pattern for Paul Walton's car as well(a Tornado).Paul can verify if he put the extra bracing in his car. I think Henry put a few of them in the Safir monocoques he made as well. As the cage forms a cruciform to remain within the roof limits, I also had leather bound sponge padding made for most of the exposed areas of the cage with matching leather trim in in and around the bubble on the roof. It might be something to lean my head on if I ever get it on the road.

 

[Bill Musarra]

Paul,
If you have had a chance to see a couple of the cars by different manufacturers, you will notice how there are weak points in most of them, and as Peter says there isn't that much fiberglass between you and the road should you wind up in that position. For me there was an additional issue. Entry and exit. Every one I noticed wants to grab the roof just at the corner of the windscreen and pull(exiting) or prop(entering) on it. This is very flexible even with the windscreen in place. Even more so with it out. So I went ahead and put the full cage in mine. I plan to be on the track some, so i needed it for that as well. The cage gives the entrant a place to grab hold of while entering or exiting. I'm thinking of puting a sticker on the corner of the cage that says"Grab Here". For a good set of pics, go to the builders forumn and lookup DRB#5. There should be a bunch of pics unless they got deleted some how. If they aren't there, PM me and I will send you all the pics you need. If you are tall it can get a little crowded but since you are a WOP /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/1poke.gif like me, you shouldn't be too tall.

Bill

 

[Mitch D]

Bill - funny you mention the ingress/egress issue. I did exactly what you described when I had a chance to sit in Chuck's awesome Gulf RFGT at Knotts last year. You don't even think about it, you just reach right for that area of the windscreen frame - good thing Hershal was there to tell me - whoa!!! Don't grab there! He then proceeded to show me how to get in and out of a GT quick as you please.

Even though my future car will be mostly street, I ordered the full cage from RF. The price is not high during original purchase, but I'll bet shoe-horning a full cage in later would cost quite a bit, and undoubtedly it wouldn't be executed as well as they do it from the RF factory.

So for a couple of thousand extra now, you get: 1) enhanced safety, 2) prevention against windshield & windshield-frame damage; 3) no problems at most any track events (assuming some demand a full cage), and 4) some added piece of mind when your tooling around the street amidst a bunch of leviathans driven by people sipping their lattes/eating food/shaving/talking on the phone/applying makeup/etc, etc, etc.

Mitch D

 

[Tim Kay]

Here's a pic prior to bolting to the chassis (Tornado)via 1\2" bolts thru bungs. Can't tell by the picture but it's two pieces so it can be removed with the spider in place. And believe it or not, the ingress\egress is made easier due to griping the cage with you hands for support.

 

[Paul Thompson 'Hooligan']

See also - this previous discussion

 

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

The roll bar in Dave's car gives me an idea of GREAT safety, that's maybe just an impression but it really is!.

was the roll cage maybe present in original race cars?or maybe that role was provided by the monocoque and the aluminium roof?.

BTW Paul Thompson(u wellknow I am your FAN /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif)I cannot see the link to the previous thread u gave here before.

Is there maybe any pic here around of your cockpit? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flehan.gif
Paolo


PS: sorry now the link works

 

[Jim Glickenhaus]

Hi

The MK-IV has a full cage which is pretty robust, doesn't get in the way, and makes a good hand hold for entry.

Best

 

[Mike Dozier]

Paulo

The original racecars did not have a rollbar or cage.
However after the death of Walt Hansgen in a MK II
during 1966 Lemans testing, I think the teams changed
their mind. I believe all the 1967 race cars had cages.
I'm not sure about the 1968/1969 Gulf cars.

MikeD