autopower rollbar install w/pics.....(56k.maybe?)

[tokes¹]

I helped my friend(redSthirteen) install an AutoPower RollBar on his s13 the other day and i took enough pictures to post the install process.

tools:
14mm socket
14mm open wrench
drill (make sure the battery is fully charged!..LoL)
100mm hole saw
jack and jack stand
silicone sealer

install time: id say about 3-5 hours. it took us alil longer because we had to sit around and let the battery charge for the drill.

remove front and rear seats...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/r00.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/r01.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/r02.jpg

now slide the rollbar inside and dry fit it....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/r03.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/r04.jpg

we had to get alil creative due to lack of tools and use a screwdriver to determine where to drill the hole in the rear panel...LoL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/tokeshaul/r05.jpg

now drill the holes and install the mounting bolts...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/tokeshaul/r08.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/tokeshaul/r09.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/dvcart106/r10.jpg
make sure you put some sort of silicone sealer around the bolt holes between the plates to prevent water leakage.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/tokeshaul/r06.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/tokeshaul/r07.jpg

now put back everything that you removed and youre done!...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/dvcart106/r13.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/dvcart106/r11.jpg

and they said no one could sit in the back.....LoL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/dvcart106/r12.jpg

we took it for a test drive and the difference was like night and day.

thats all for now.
watch out for this car when youre out on the backroads..:2f2f:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/dvcart106/r14.jpg

[Ritz S14]

Very nice!! How much did it cost?

and they said no one could sit in the back.....LoL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/dvcart106/r12.jpg

Sure if you want to bust your balls. :bowrofl:

[Andrew Bohan]

classic pic dude

[240trainee]

Can the seat move all the way back? I have been looking at a roll bar for part of my plan, but didn't know if an autopower bar would accommodate the seat all the way back. I'm a big guy, so I need my space!!

[StudentDrifter]

Looks good

[tokes¹]

Very nice!! How much did it cost?

if i remember correctly it cost him around 450 and it took about a month to make.

Can the seat move all the way back? I have been looking at a roll bar for part of my plan, but didn't know if an autopower bar would accommodate the seat all the way back. I'm a big guy, so I need my space!!

yea i pushed the seat all the way back just to see the clearance. the seat can go all the way back on the rails and recline about 3-5 clicks before hitting the bar on the back.

[mbmbmb23]

Cool......thumbs up for the DIY.


-m

[hurleyboi514]

did it make any difference with your handling?? decrease chassis flex any??

[91CRXsiR]

looks like your friend started w/o a sunroof already so it should have already been decently stiff to being w/

[Drunk Bastard]

is it possible to squeeze a wheel (or two) in the back? is there enough clearance between the bar and the roof?

[wootwoot]

Wouldnt happen to know the shipping weight would you?

[tokes¹]

did it make any difference with your handling?? decrease chassis flex any??

i was only able to drive it for about 5-10 mins but i felt a dramatic change in the handling. no more body flex and the rear breaks out alot easier.


is it possible to squeeze a wheel (or two) in the back? is there enough clearance between the bar and the roof?

mmm i think you can squeeze 2 tires in the rear and maybe 2 tires in the backseat sideways. the rollbar fits like a glove...we had to remove the lense cover from the interior light to prevent it from cracking.


Wouldnt happen to know the shipping weight would you?

not at the moment but i can ask next time i talk to him. but that badboy was heavy!

[ThatGuy]

SCCA Legal? It's a nice looking cage, just want to make sure it meets the requirements before I buy one and try to go to the track.

[Drunk Bastard]

tokes1, im talking about right here (in the picture) can you test fit a tire between there and see if it will go into the back seat? I'm gonna be getting this roll bar eventually and want to know if i can fit my extra tires in the back...
http://www.teamexcelracing.com/upload/public/img-1113100690.jpg

[TiNMAN]

hmm, if that doesnt work try the bottom left. it really depends on the wheel itself, im sure you can slip somethin through the opening in the bottom left. not so sure about an s14 though, our seats might be a little higher(more cushon). hmphh, let us know if you work somethin out tokes. im also interested, right on man

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid164/p9c1d2fe5556c1f1e55bb88cc8ad0a311/f4864f61.jpg

[tokes¹]

SCCA Legal? It's a nice looking cage, just want to make sure it meets the requirements before I buy one and try to go to the track.

yup its scca legal. he paid extra to make sure it was race legal.


tokes1, im talking about right here (in the picture) can you test fit a tire between there and see if it will go into the back seat? I'm gonna be getting this roll bar eventually and want to know if i can fit my extra tires in the back...
http://www.teamexcelracing.com/upload/public/img-1113100690.jpg

hmmm ill have to try next time i see him (remember this was my friends car). i dont think the tire will fit through that blue area you highlighted in the picture. but you get a tire to fit sideways in the backseat if you go through the back hatch (thats how my friend got out the backseat after taking that hilarious picture) im sure you can fit 2 tires in the back sideways...1 tire per seat.

it will work if you go from the back..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/blah.jpg

[Drunk Bastard]

...i have an s14...so going through the rear isnt an option. :squint:

[tokes¹]

...i have an s14...so going through the rear isnt an option. :squint:

ohh haha duhh! LoL

the good thing is that the middle part is removable. just pop out the bolts and you can place the bar in your trunk and youll beable to place tires in the backseat without a problem. then just bolt back up the middle bar and youre good to go.

just remove the bolts...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v422/tokes/blah2.jpg

[Flipzide]

thanx for the install info, been looking for something like this ^^

[420sx]

hmm..... is that a dude in the back seat??? wow could make a qutip out u

[Heartwork]

could you take a picture between the roof and the bar to really see how snug it is

[wootwoot]

hahahah. I love how you give instructions with drawings; I feel like I'm in an planetarium! Sucks it was so heavy. Espicially with a majority of it being rather high up. Looks like I'm still going to havOe to make mine out of cf or titanium. Theres also my option of becoming some crazy chemist. Easier yet I could quit driving like a jack ass and not worry about landing upside down...

[kingsol]

so where did he buy it from?

[ohnobigtdawg]

loving all this visual aid!

[BOROSUN]

is that a wyotech jacket?

just wondering why you guys choose to put the bolt on the bottom facing up and the nut on top.

[Drunk Bastard]

hmm, if that doesnt work try the bottom left. it really depends on the wheel itself, im sure you can slip somethin through the opening in the bottom left. not so sure about an s14 though, our seats might be a little higher(more cushon). hmphh, let us know if you work somethin out tokes. im also interested, right on man

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid164/p9c1d2fe5556c1f1e55bb88cc8ad0a311/f4864f61.jpg

what about those with fixed-position-bucket-seats....that cant really move too far forward and CANNOT recline/fold-forward..... hmmm....i want a cage and ALSO want to be able to fit tires in the "back seat" (which is taken out)....i cant jjust go through only two tires per event....

[Andrew Bohan]

this should solve all your problems joe
http://guernsey.globat.com/~mountainracer.com/pics/driftaholic/mrtrailer.jpg

[KoukiMonster]

wait.. you have two fixed buckets? driver and passenger?

[Drunk Bastard]

hmmm...didnt know the bar was removable....that makes all the difference in the world.

a good place to order from is IO port racing...
http://www.ioportracing.com/

[TiNMAN]

ok ok, i say we all chip in and all go in on andrew's idea. PLENTY of space. :rawk: i got $5 on it!

[Ian]

get a motorcycle trailor and tow it w/ your 240

i'm dead serious too lol

[Maeda]

I like how the autopower mounts to all the softest spots.
Middle of the fenderwell...
Middle of the floor....
The bracing is just floating between good hard points that would make the chassis stiffer...

I'm getting a weld in. ^_^

[420sx]

well it stiffens the chassis doesn't it? and it wont collapse in a rollover = fullfills its function

i seen those in person and i was left impressed

[Inland180]

ive seen these in person and they do seem like very good quality!......

[sr240mike]

The bar seems to fit pretty well. Door bars wouldnt be to hard to weld on for extra side protection either. For Bay Area Heads Livermore Performance (http://livermoreperformance.com/autopower_roll_bars.html) has them stocked as well.

[Andrew Bohan]

i have two full buckets, but then again i have a huge hatch area and no back seats :)

[redSthirteen]

Haha that is a wyotech jacket. how did you know?

[redSthirteen]

bucket seats do fit and do slide all the way back as well as the stock seats and they still recline.

[Maeda]

well it stiffens the chassis doesn't it? and it wont collapse in a rollover = fullfills its function

i seen those in person and i was left impressed

But it would work much much better if it was actually mounted to something hard... like the frame. I would also feel a lot safer in a roll over situation as well, if the thing was mounted to something a lot tougher then the easy to destroy 'floating' points it's bracing....
When you put a jack under your car where do you put it huh? Frame rail or someplace in the middle of the floor sheet?

After seeing this I will spend less money and get a custom made weld in. Bolt In = Not worth it.

[sideview_180sx]

you should measure the area where the halo bar mounts. get some plates made and have them welded to the frame. cut the base of the roll bar to sit on top of this. for the rear bars, get some more tubing and use plate steel to weld up a square-shaped base on the rear shock towers. weld bars from the halo to these squared areas of the shock towers. voila more stiffer then autopower could have imagined.

[hellion240sx]

i have seen the photos of a roll over with an autopower roll bar = not good. i might search for them later
peaces looks good btw. enjoy!