Topic: Rollbar Group Buy Fitting

[Syjos]

I drove down to RPM Rollbars in Portland, OR on Friday for a fitting and coming up with a diagonal brace addition to satisfy SCCA. 

RPM is where we (lexpioneer and I) got members of the Solstice Forum and the Kappa Forum together to create a group buy to get 20% off on our rollbars.  I’m not sure exactly, but I think we have 8 to 12 members in the group buy.  We only needed 3 buyers!

I don’t think that RPM is a direct competitor of any of our advertisers.  Rollbars is all RPM does.  Our advertisers may dabble in a one-off rollbar but none of them are offering a bolt in rollbar off the shelf.  Moderators can let me know if this post is not allowed and I will remove all references to RPM.

The fitting went well.  Rob, the owner of RPM Rollbars had a Solstice rollbar tack welded and they took the seats out of my car and it fit right in.  They made some cuts and adjustments on the rollbar mounting pads to make the installation easier for the end user.  They came up with a diagonal brace to satisfy SCCA rules that does not intrude into people space..   

I sat in the car with the rollbar in and the two center bars were not as restrictive as I had anticipated.  I was able to shift into 2nd and 4th without hitting my elbow on the center bars.  The top bar was not as close to my head as I thought.

The seats will go all the way to the back panel without any loss of movement.

I raised the top and the rollbar just touches the headlining.

There does not seem to be any cutting required of the interior panels to make the rollbar fit.  The center console rear piece will need to be notched in order to bolt the center bars to the steel underneath.

All in all, the bar will fit well into our cars with minimal reduction in ergonomics.  And it looks pretty good.

Rob seems to be very detailed oriented and I got the impression that he took pride in the final product.  He kept saying that the typical car owner may not have tools such as grinders, metal cutting saws etc. and he wanted the rollbar to be a simple bolt in process with minimal modification or fabrication required for install.  He also talked about the importance of using the right powdercoating shop that could coat his rollbars with a flawless finish to match the quality he puts into the manufacturing of the rollbars.  I looked at the welds on finished rollbars and they were very smooth.

He said that there aren’t very many fabricators specializing in bolt-in rollbars.  Most of the rollbars coming from other manufacturers require welding or modification to fit.  His company is growing in the rollbar business with HPDE becoming very popular and drag racing requirements for a rollbar when the ET gets below a certain point.  He just received a large order for Dodge Hellcat rollbars because those cars are capable of 10 second quarter mile time straight off the showroom floor and NHRA will require them to have a rollbar.

RPM has a steel jig for every cars that they manufacturer a rollbar for.  I saw around 40 to 50 jigs on racks in their shop.  Each jig is large enough to locate every mounting plate on a rollbar and has brackets to hold the pipes in position while being welded.  Rob said that when a new car comes in for a rollbar, he devotes a lot of time measuring the car’s interior, inputting the measurements to a CAD program and building a jig to exactly match the mounting points on the car.  The jig insures that every rollbar will fit the car it was built for with no "fitting" required.

I was very impressed with the operation and especially Robs enthusiasm and pride for his business.

As for completion timetable - two three weeks for all the bars to be shipped?  As soon as he finalizes the SCCA diagonal brace, he will build all the Solstice/Sky bars (8 to 12 bars total?) in assembly line fashion and send them out for powdercoating when completed.  When he gets them back from coating, he will wrap them in protective wrap and palletize the bars for shipping.  I'll go back to Portland when the bars are done to have mine installed.

Interesting fact I learned is that ROB and his crew travel around the country installing their bars in customer’s cars.  They ship tools with the rollbar and fly in to do the install.  They usually fly to installation locations if more than one customer needs their rollbars installed.  It may be an option for forum members.

[jackie]

I'm in....if the price is right  http://rpmrollbar.com/pontiac-solstice/

[2kwk4u]

Interested.  Would like to see pics / specs (and of course at least a price range) before I commit.

[Syjos]

It's around $1000 for mild steel 4 point and $1900 for chromoly 4 point.
You need to order soon to be in on the 20% off group buy.
RPM has pictures on their Web site

[LatinVenom]

So 20% off the prices you posted?.

[Syjos]

Those are the prices after 20% discount.
RPM Rollbars have pre discount prices on their Web site.

[2kwk4u]

Do you lose the dead pedal?  Have any pictures of the driver's side footwell with the rollbar installed?

[Syjos]

My rollbar is a 4 point so it does not have the bars that go forward to the footwell.
The 6 point rollbar has the two side bars.  I don't think they go all the way to the dead pedal.  The mounting point is closer to the door so that the bars can swing out on the  hinge when getting in and out.
The 6 point is not required for SCCA.  NHRA requires them when your elapsed time goes below a certain point.

[jackie]

Thanks for sending me a PM on how to order them.  You may want to post that info for others to see. 
 

[acamuso90]

Always was interested in a roll bar. Is installation hard?

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[Syjos]

I have not done the install but watching the guys at RPM Rollbars test fit mine, it does not appear difficult.
If you have the experience and/or the desire to take your seats out, remove waterfall and surrounding plastic, then it would be easy.
You'll have to jack the car up, drill mounting holes and bolt the rollbar to the car.  Might have to remove backbone in order to reach the bolts securing center bars to the center tunnel.
Finally the interior gets reassembled, carpets and, center console trimmed around rollbar.
Will report back when i go back to Portland and the actual install takes place.
Hopefully remember the camera this time!

[Gentleman Jack]

this better be mounted to more than just the body?  I know there is no "frame" in the traditional sense, but if this is just bolted through the floor panel it is useless.   Maybe I missed something? 

[Steelmesh]

this better be mounted to more than just the body?  I know there is no "frame" in the traditional sense, but if this is just bolted through the floor panel it is useless.   Maybe I missed something?

It's possible there are "boxed in" frame type features on the Solstice that the cage should be attached to, resembling frame rails.  I was a maintenance supervisor for the last Avenger / 200 platform, it definitely had frame rails, front + rear ladder that would join to the sheet metal floor parts to create the underbody.  For Convertibles we would include a lateral piece of square steel tubing in the first process to build the rear assembly. 

[jackie]

I decided to make one instead of buying. I do appreciate those guys figuring out how to do it. I am thinking about removing the center portion of the waterfall because it squeaks and rattles....this will allow some cross bracing.

[elff]

Jackie,

Your signature cracks me up.

[Raygun]

this better be mounted to more than just the body?  I know there is no "frame" in the traditional sense, but if this is just bolted through the floor panel it is useless.   Maybe I missed something?

What do you mean by "no frame in the traditional sense?" I've spent quite a bit of time climbing in, over and under this car - there is definitely a (hydroformed steel) frame, not a unibody-type structure.

[Critterman]

There are very stout frame rails under our cars.  I friend of mine used to weld the rear cross member to them.  He said that they were shortened Corvette frame rails.

[TomatoSoup]

A picture being worth a thousand words...  We DO have a unibody structure that ALSO incorporates the (hydroformed) steel frame rails:

[Steelmesh]

A picture being worth a thousand words...  We DO have a unibody structure that ALSO incorporates the (hydroformed) steel frame rails:

[Sol Asylum]

TS could you have gotten a bigger picture from the IPC?

[TomatoSoup]

TS could you have gotten a bigger picture from the IPC?

Crap. Sorry... I'll try to find one.

[Raygun]

A picture being worth a thousand words...  We DO have a unibody structure that ALSO incorporates the (hydroformed) steel frame rails:

Okay, not to start a debate (too late), but when I think "unibody," I think something like this:



where things like the quarterpanels, etc. are a single, molded piece with the support structure. On our cars, absolutely everything - even the quarters, which are glued and spot-welded on and floor-pan (a little more difficult, but doable) - is removable, and the car would still retain its structural integrity. (Though, try explaining that to the local constabulary should one decide to drive the car in that condition.) No part of the body is structural. On a typical unibody car, that just isn't possible. The structural members are bonded to the body work, and get a big part of their strength from that.



Now, I am often wrong, but this goes in the face of everything I've ever heard or read about this. Help?

[Gentleman Jack]

The lines are blurred nowadays. My comment was in reference to a full body on frame vehicle where the two parts can be separated and the body can be lifted off the frame. Like a pick up truck bed.

There have been partial frame cars for a long time. I believe Camaro Nova and more were ?front frame rear unibody?

Anyway, I sure hope the roll bar is bolted to the frame rail and not just the body.

[Rockchops]

A picture being worth a thousand words...  We DO have a unibody structure that ALSO incorporates the (hydroformed) steel frame rails:

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

This looks like a good weight reduction goal to shoot for...