Rollbar Pictures & Comments for Convertibles

[witz323]

I'm considering adding a rollbar to my '04 and wanted to see what people have done. I've seen some that have been powdercoated to match the body and or stripes. It sounds like the Autoform is the way to go for the Gen 3 & 4 convertibles, but I thought I'd start up a thread since I couldn't find anything that great using the search function.

 

[TommyG]

I have a red 04 and had the autoform put in over Christmas. Nothing special in color, just blk like it came but I feel safer now with the speedtech 6pts and bar for track use.

 

[TommyG]

I bought mine from Jon B and while waiting for it to arrive I found out that Mark at Woodhouse had one that a customer did not keep that Mark was selling at a lesser price. He might still have it? The one Mark had was rubbing the vert roof bows a bit and making a noise even after they clear bra'd it. The one I got from Jon does not do this. May have been the car or bar who knows.

 

[Twister]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkoEMOzEHL4[/media]


you can see my autoform good in this vid...i love mine

 

[ViperGeorge]

I had the Autoform in my 03. It did rub the top but only when putting the top up or down. It actually wore off some of the powdercoating on the rollbar. You should check with the tracks you go to though. I know VIR doesn't like the roll hoops ala the Autoform bar. Something about them digging in if you roll. They prefer a full roll bar, i.e. straight across the top.

 

[witz323]

Twister, your ride looks fantastic. I love the black powdercoat on the wheels and rollbar.

Gbatejan, interesting comments. Thats the fist time i've heard someone say the rollbar paint was rubbed off by the top. In regards to the track rules, i think most of the tracks in the midwest use the "ruler", which means that when you're sitting in your seat w/ helmet on, they have to be able to put a ruler on the rollbar/rollhoop, parallel to the ground, and it can not contact the helmet.

Anyone else had issues with the Autform powdercoat wearing off?

 

[gb66gth]

Twister, I like the look of the powder coated rims. Is that a flat black or a gloss black on the rims? And did you get a clear coat of some sort over it?

 

[Twister]

Twister, I like the look of the powder coated rims. Is that a flat black or a gloss black on the rims? And did you get a clear coat of some sort over it?

flat black just like the lower rear...Honestly i have no idea if it's clear coated..No problems so far though...


The thing I love about the powder coating is that my rims had lil scuffs hear and there...powder coated them and wallah!!! looks like I have brand new rims..If they get all scratched up again then in a few years or so..Wallah!!!just that rim redone

 

[ROCKET62]

I asked this in another thread - but if the current roll hoops are not meant for roll-over protection, why even put them in? They actually mount to a fairly substantial part of the frame - so why not use a heavy gauge steel instead of the thick aluminum tube they currently use? Certainly not as good as a four point roll-bar - but it would have to provide better protection .

 

[BlackSnake99]

I asked this in another thread - but if the current roll hoops are not meant for roll-over protection, why even put them in? They actually mount to a fairly substantial part of the frame - so why not use a heavy gauge steel instead of the thick aluminum tube they currently use? Certainly not as good as a four point roll-bar - but it would have to provide better protection .

Rocket, I may be wrong but I think it's a liability thing. If it's like Jeeps, they really ARE meant for some protection, but if they call them 'roll bars' and they fail, then DC (or Fiat) is on the hook. So now with Jeeps they are called 'sport bars'.

So, it's the lawyer's fault.

 

[VicTxV10]

Hey Twister...are your brake rotors on backwards? Your drilled/slot pattern is going the opposite direction than all I've seen.

 

[ViperGeorge]

Rocket, I may be wrong but I think it's a liability thing. If it's like Jeeps, they really ARE meant for some protection, but if they call them 'roll bars' and they fail, then DC (or Fiat) is on the hook. So now with Jeeps they are called 'sport bars'.

So, it's the lawyer's fault.

Maybe, but once you take them off and see the type of material they are made of you will doubt they could offer much in the way of protection. I agree though that the lawyers probably are a fault here. Wouldn't cost too much more to put in real rollover protection but then if it fails Chrysler gets sued. The way it is they simply can say "well we told you it wasn't rollover protection".

 

[ROCKET62]

Agree 100% - so if they really do offer little protection - why even bother putting them in at all? They do actually mount to a fairly substantial part of the frame - so why not at least use some steel and not the aluminum tubing they used. Not sure if the chrome hoops that are available would offer any additional protection?

Maybe, but once you take them off and see the type of material they are made of you will doubt they could offer much in the way of protection. I agree though that the lawyers probably are a fault here. Wouldn't cost too much more to put in real rollover protection but then if it fails Chrysler gets sued. The way it is they simply can say "well we told you it wasn't rollover protection".

 

[Shandon]

Here is some photo's from my install. The Autoform rollbar is slick! You will be able to run with it at most any track. It stiffens the frame a little to or so Im told? Installation is not for the faint at heart as you will be cutting some of your viper.

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[Nader]

Rocket you mean something like this?

Agree 100% - so if they really do offer little protection - why even bother putting them in at all? They do actually mount to a fairly substantial part of the frame - so why not at least use some steel and not the aluminum tubing they used. Not sure if the chrome hoops that are available would offer any additional protection?

 

[VicTxV10]

Nader,

Where did you get those?

 

[ROCKET62]

Nadar is a bad man for my wallet!

First - he does the moton fill kit - perfect solution. Then he has manifold polished - looks amazing. He then adds a quaiffe and 3.33 gears (which I think has to be a great gear for the SRT). And now he shows us these new roll hoops which look nice and also appear to be stronger than the stock hoops!

Nader,

Where did you get those?

 

[Nader]

Rocket - First off Its Nader as in Ralph Secondly I went with the OS Giken instead of the Quiaffe. Third the hoops are three years old and from Germany (Startech). They dont sell them in the states. In fact I dont think they even make them anymore.

Here is a link to the old thread.

http://forums.viperclub.org/srt10-srt10-coupe-discussions/602320-new-mod-startech-roll-hoops.html

I appreciate all the kind words Rocket but lets keep this conversation in perspective. If you line up your car next to mine, the hoops, polished intake and all my other mods wont nearly come close to the serpant kit you did. What is most impressive is that you did it yourself. That is awesome.

Now as far as the sport bars, I am currently looking into the cost to produce these. They would have to be both functional and attractive and at a reasonable price. Since the rear bulkhead of the car is substantial I am sure that if I can build a sturdy hoop, it will help in rollover situations more so than the aluminum crap on the car. I am modeling it a bit form the startech and can offer it in different finishes including leather with matching stitching. I am evaluating it now and you will be the first to know what I find.

Tom

Nadar is a bad man for my wallet!

First - he does the moton fill kit - perfect solution. Then he has manifold polished - looks amazing. He then adds a quaiffe and 3.33 gears (which I think has to be a great gear for the SRT). And now he shows us these new roll hoops which look nice and also appear to be stronger than the stock hoops!

 

[viperbilliam]

Agree 100% - so if they really do offer little protection - why even bother putting them in at all? They do actually mount to a fairly substantial part of the frame - so why not at least use some steel and not the aluminum tubing they used. Not sure if the chrome hoops that are available would offer any additional protection?

I believe the factory hoops were put in mainly for cosmetics - they do look good; so good that I'm very hesitant to replace them with stronger, more functional pieces. If I were to replace them with something that Nader is talking about, I would much rather the black powdercoat than the chrome which is too blingy.

 

[witz323]

Are there any more pictures of actual rollbars installed in the convertible? I saw a SSG that had one painted SSG...looked sweet.

 

[kllymartin]

Are there any more pictures of actual rollbars installed in the convertible? I saw a SSG that had one painted SSG...looked sweet.

Here you go. As you can see mine are wrapped in leather to match the interior. Originally, I had them removable because they rubbed on the stock soft top framing. Now that I've adjusted the fitment of the rollbar, I had them permanently glued/wrapped...

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[Twister]

thats kool

 

[witz323]

klyymartin, what rollbar is that underneath the awesome leather and stitches? It doesn't look like the autoform to me. Does it pass inspection for the racing you're doing? BTW, what kind of racing are you doing?

 

[VicTxV10]

klyymartin, what rollbar is that underneath the awesome leather and stitches? It doesn't look like the autoform to me. Does it pass inspection for the racing you're doing? BTW, what kind of racing are you doing?

I think that is an Autoform, the newer style. The one in Twisters video is the old style, has the crossbar above the rear bulkhead. The one shown in Shandon's pic is a new style also.

 

[viperbilliam]

That leather-wrapped rollbar looks real good.

 

[Shandon]

Yes I have the newer style roll bars that hide the cross bar under the bulkhead cover

 

[kllymartin]

klyymartin, what rollbar is that underneath the awesome leather and stitches? It doesn't look like the autoform to me. Does it pass inspection for the racing you're doing? BTW, what kind of racing are you doing?

Autoform...not sure if it's the newest for the SRT or not...as it's been on the car for at least 4 yrs.
It doesn't pass any tech inspection for 1/4 mile racing. But it does for light road racing and standing mile events.
I've raced the car in the 1/4 and standing mile.