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Mike,
Your roll bar needs should be compared with your intended use.
My preferences may be different than yours but for me and my Sonett, anything more than driving in a parade calls for at least a roll bar. A roll cage however is probably only going to make sense if you intend to do track driving or have significantly improved your engine's output and are a spirited pilot.
A full cage will add about 160lbs to the car. In other words it's like driving around with a passenger all the time. In a race car you've removed some stuff to make up for the added weight but in a street car, you have not. You know what happens to the performance of the car when you add weight but not power or a tire/brake package, don't you?
Anyhoo... here's what I wanted to get at. If you are going to have to spend $50 to buy a used roll bar from a used-parts-supplier anyway... if you've got the cash and the inclination you should consider having a *decent* one made up to replace the stock one. That stock roll bar is a joke. It's so thin and puny.
I made a new one out of 1.5" dia .120 wall DOM steel for my Sonett. I bent it to match the stock bar and it uses the stock mounting points +plus a couple others. Either a shop that makes roll bars reguarly or a skilled hobbyist like me could help you out. It's a pretty simple job once you have the tools.
I am planning on building a removeable cage for SONEAT (my '68 Sonett "Spyder") and a welded in one for my current "Super Street Sonett" project. Having been involved in racing for a while now, I understand a lot of what goes into a project like this and have seen the results of one of the roll bars I helped build... working.
My opinion of the stock roll bar is that it is only good for holding up the body and giving the rear window of the III models a place to bolt their hinge. Protection from a rollover from that thing is a joke.
-STEFAN
posted by 12.111.209...
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