Roll Bar Input

To drive this kind of vehicle is dangerous, look how pros are protected in official sport events.

 

I put a 2" front cage kit in my '61 with 1/2" padding and it fits with the top mount wipers. The cage should be over the wiper motors. If you put the top bows on and run a straight edge from the windshield to the bow, there is enough room for it to fit. The forward edge of my top actually lays on the padding.

 

This 72 or 73 was rolled in the desert/dunes. It has the fender well mounted Smittybilt bar installed.
This Jeep was straightened in the field and pulled the house trailer home.
Of note: This Jeep replaced the other red CJ5 shown that rolled on the freeway; that's right, they were owned by the same Jeeper.

 

All rolled on the street; imagine the outcomes if NO roll bars installed.

 

I've posted all off these photos several times before.
We showed them to folks who had a difficult time deciding if they wanted a roll bar or not.
The pictures most times made the sale for us.

 

im digging the vintage pictures,the white 7 screams 70 disco.

 

Probably the worst Jeep that I saw involved in a rollover is one that happened at Pismo Beach.(I have the pictures here somewhere)
I wasn't present but later saw the Jeep in person and the pictures taken of the accident .
This 1969 Jeep CJ5 had two adults in front and two children in the rear.
All had seat belts/harnesses on. It had a roll bar and full front cage.
The Jeep also had the windshield and full Fresno top in place (Not that it mattered)
The Jeep left the club camp as the leader of a group of Jeeps. In those days, we camped out in the dunes.
The Jeep accelerated from camp a couple hundred yards, headed out into the dunes.
The driver never saw the edge of the large bowl he drove off into.
The Jeep rolled end over end no less than 5 times to the bottom of the bowl; it landed on it's top/roll bar.
All 4 occupants remained in the Jeep as it rolled, and all were able to get out when it came to rest.
They were battered and bruised and were very lucky.
It took a flatbed trailer and 6 Jeeps wagon train style to pull the totaled Jeep out of that bowl.
The lead Jeep was an early CJ5 with a sbc 350 and paddle tires.
For those that don't know, you don't just climb straight up out of a bowl.
You start out going in a circle at the bottom, and as you build speed, you slowly get higher and higher in the bowl
till you get out, all the time going in that circular direction.
As I said, the Jeep was a total loss: I believe the V6 engine was the only salvageable item from it.

 

in 91 or 92 I was driving in winter my 77cj5 at night stone sober and noticed I was going a bit sideways on a straight road. Turned into the slide, didnt help, but when the ice I was sliding on ran out, it did. I was up on 2 wheels, then hit a telephone pole sideways on passenger side at 40 MPH. Got thrown out, hit head on the roll bar, no seat belt and woke up sliding feet first toward my jeep. The rear axle got ripped out and that tore out the gas tank which spewed gasoline all over the road and me. Lucky i wasn't killed several different ways. Whatever you can do to add a bit of safety is worth it for me. Cage is next project. The thing about 5 point belts is that they are a PITA for every day. 3 point mounted right should suffice. I use a roll bar and 3 point belts now always, every time.

 

I make the point to install a 5 or 6 point to be used only when you feel necessary.......otherwise clip the seat belt and go about your business.......A 3 will not keep your body from going under the belt in a forward collision nor will they keep your legs inside if you roll.............not for everyone I understand that.........I'm just more comfortable being strapped in.........and controls have to be positioned for that reach.

 

As you can see in the pic, I have a spreader bar that my shoulder harnesses attach to. They were not installed at the time of the pic. Anytime it gets hairy, I stop and install the shoulder harnesses and crotch strap. The crotch strap is uncomfortable, but when you wreck hard you realize why its there.

 

I seen that Howard added this old subject to another post............that may also be appropriate here: shackles

 

Is there a way to mount a 3 point belt without welding tabs to the roll bar?
If this is a high jack, sorry. I can start a thread.

 

Some people may not like these, but this is the only option I know of. Many different manufacturers offer versions of this. Some are stronger than others. All-In-One Roll Bar Accessory Clamps

 

That may not be a perfect solution, but it's better than the 2 point belt I have, until I came come up with a better solut

 

Instead of making a side-to-side front hoop, you can make a front-to-main-hoop bar and tie them in together with a spreader bar that can be set behind the wipers like so:




In the "better than nothing" category, for your family protection, you could use clamps to mount spreader bars to keep them removable.




And as a full cage alternative to keep your foot space, you could mount the front pillars to a sturdy plate on the dash. I'd argue that this is almost a better alternative to a floor mount that isn't tied to the frame.



Again, not ideal, but better than nothing. It would be enough to keep the windshield from folding back and rearranging your face in a tipover at speed.


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Is the car on the right in that pix a Mercury Comet?

 

Yes, I believe so. 1961?