Roll bars

[snowy892]

Roll bars!

Has anyone got an experience swapping an RAC rollbar to a JAP Rollbar?

I eventually won't to change to an JAP rollbar and lockable boot.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

you could say that.

Completed the boot lid linstallation this evening.

Ask away. What do you want to know?

[snowy892]

Have you got any pics?

How easy/simple was it?

Is it a case of take one off and bolt another on?

First set of questions lol.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Not really of the roll bar itself, not much to it.

Unbolt the rear braces from the RAC bar, one bolt top and bottom, either side, then three bolts aside in the main uprights hold the hoop on.

The bolts for the hoop are fitted from below and accessible through the wheel arches, much easier with the rear wheels removed, there may just be enough clearance with the rear jacked up enough to let the rear wheels droop, but in all honesty, once you've got that far, you might as well just take them off!

Note one bolt on each side is really close into the gussets around the damper mounts, so can be tricky getting onto. Depending if the original fitting kit was used, they may or may not be Allen bolts.

With the RAC bar off, you will now find out if it's ever had a JAP or old style bar in before! If there are only the three holes either side, then it's only had the RAC bar, and you're going to need to drill mounting holes for the new bar. It's thick plate you'll have to go through, so take your time, start off with a small size drill bit, 4 or 5 mm or so and work up. Ideally with a drill bit lube, don't let the bits overheat!

Once drilled, the new bar bolts on with one bolt either side.

Your next task is making good the holes where the RAC bars back stays passed through the bootbox, I gaffer tapped over them for the first six months after removing the RAC bar, while I was making my mind up that I was heading in the right direction.

Ultimately, I then glassfibred over the holes, to seal the boot box back up. This then left very visibly traces inside the boot box. I could have filled, sanded and blended them into look good as new, then painted it to hide everything, but instead, I chose to carpet line the bootbox. That was not without its issues! But mainly because I used what turned out to be the wrong materials for the effect I wanted.

I detail the carpeting process and the lid fitting in my build thread. Hang on a mo, while I find the link...

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

...ok, the lid related bit of the thread starts here. http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/105071-build-thread-mega-s2000/?p=1276860

In terms of complexity, mine was hindered by two things, the poor fit of the tub/scuttle/bonnet relative to each other when I built the car. - In order to get the "best fit" of scuttle and tub, it resulted in a running alignment issue that pops up in what were, at the time, non critical areas. One of which, just happens to be the cockpit width, level with the roll bar! And the resulting (lack of) squareness of the back of the tub. I wouldn't necessarily expect you to have anything like this issue to deal with!

The second, was the need to make good the boot box. With the right type of carpet, it went together much better. Fiddly, but possible (Van side lining carpet, before you ask, the stretch version!)

It would be much easier with a cheap second hand boot box.

[snowy892]

OMG Dave, that look scary. However you have completed an excellent job it looks great. As I'm very new to the kit car world I'd be very nervous drilling holes lol.