RE: Unsolicited Endorsement of Spider Chassis Stiffener

["Brian Shorey" <bshorey@domain.elided>]

> Rollbar: (What defeatist nomenclature, but don't have anything better to
> offer). Along with protecting one's head, feel a well designed  rollbar
> (short of a cage) could also strengthen the flexible flyer's chassis. I
> visualize a pretty easily removed / replaced 'down post' from near the
> driver's head to the right forward portion of the passengers floor well.
> Any thoughts?

This is exactly what I had done in my Spider.

It's go an Autopower race height bar.  There are four thick pads welded into
the car, drilled and tapped.  The Autopower bar bolts in from the top.

Then there is a fore/aft bar that is also removable.  That was positioned
with a passenger sitting in the seat, so although it's not the most
comfortable thing it dos allow for the seating of two people in the car.

A roll bar by itself will not do a lot to help chassis flex in a Spider, as
it doesn't do anything to stiffen things up across the rocker panels (where
the doors are).

I also have a chassis stiffener in my Spider (it's one stiff Spider!).  One
useful mod that Paul Glynn did to the stiffener before I installed it was to
weld a couple of small plates onto the ends of the cross pieces in the front
(and maybe the rear too, it's been a while since I looked).  These small
plates, maybe 3" x 3", add some triangulation, and really make a difference.

I've got some pictures of the rollbar installation if anybody is interested.
Some day I'll actually drive the car again, when that happens I'll get some
better pictures out in the sunlight.

HTH,

bs

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