Rollbar Installation - We Make Our 11-Second '67 Rambler NHRA Legal

CC/Rambler

If you go too fast at the dragstrip, you're gonna get booted. We've been racing the CC/Rambler for a couple of years now with that notion in the back of our minds, tiptoeing on the brake pedal or simply lifting in the lights to stay above the e.t. cutoff. Ya see, the '09 NHRA rules say you must have a rollbar if your car runs faster than 11.49 (or 135 mph) and the CC/Rambler ran a string of 11.60s on the motor. With the extra 2 seconds on tap from our NOS Fogger, a 10-second run was definite if we opened the big blue bottle. There is no way we'd get away with that without the proper safety gear, and we really wouldn't want to.

To catch you up, the CC/Rambler is about five years old as a CC project car. It was built originally using parts from a wrecked AMC Gremlin and an '85 Jeep Cherokee. With a mild JMS Racing-built 360 with Edelbrock heads, a Richmond five-speed, and 3.55:1 gears in a Moser-prepped M20, the car runs consistantly at the strip and is completely streetable, even for long road trips. After we realized the car was getting too fast, we took it to Westside Performance in Los Angeles, California to get a rollbar installed. Watch and learn.

Here is a good side shot of the car after the rollbar was installed. The main hoop is hidden behind the B-pillar and the down bars run near the headliner so they can't be seen.
Here is a good side shot of the car after the rollbar was installed. The main hoop is hidd
The rollbar was installed by George Diagne from Westside Performance in Los Angeles. Rollbars can be made from either 4130 chromoly or mild steel. Mild steel is less expensive and can be MIG-welded together, but it adds weight. Chromoly is stronger and therefore lighter because a thinner wall can be used, but it needs to be TIG-welded adding cost and complexity. We chose to use mild steel with a requirement of 1 3/4-inch od x 0.118-inch thickness.
The rollbar was installed by George Diagne from Westside Performance in Los Angeles. Rollb
The differences between a rollbar and a rollcage are the number of connections or points between the structure and the vehicle and the ability of the bar or 'cage to protect you from additional crash angles. Generally, the 'cage will have 8 to 10 or more points and the bar can have as few as 5. The 'cage will usually have a forward hoop that runs from the main hoop to two forward down bars. 'Cages might also have sill bars and dash bars and will need to be SFI certified and stickered every three years. For most classes, if your car runs faster than 9.99, you will need a 'cage. This NHRA illustration represents a typical rollbar designed for a car that has a stock firewall and floor and runs between 10.00 and 10.99. This is the bar that is going into the CC/Rambler.
The differences between a rollbar and a rollcage are the number of connections or points b

The main hoop must be within a certain distance of the driver's helmet and shoulders. Eric Solomon at Westside helped us measure for the location of the main hoop.
The main hoop must be within a certain distance of the driver's helmet and shoulders. Eric
Since this is a Unitbody car, the main hoop does not need to connect to the frame or frame connectors. Because of this, there are only two points where the main hoop connects to the car using 6-inch by 6-inch x 0.125-inch steel plates that are welded to the floor. Full frame cars usually use four points that include two that angle inward slightly to connect to the frame. Add that to the two rear braces and two door bars, and you have an eight-point roll bar. You can also bolt the bar down by sandwiching the floor between two plates. The wood is there so the bar can be dropped down and fully welded while in the car.
Since this is a Unitbody car, the main hoop does not need to connect to the frame or frame
We saved the back seat by running the rear braces over the side-window glass and through the package tray. The braces need to be made of the same material and be the same thickness as the main hoop.
We saved the back seat by running the rear braces over the side-window glass and through t