Technical Roll Bar options for 56 Chevy

I’m looking for a 4 point roll bar for a 56 Chevy 150 I’m starting a build on . I’ll be using a stock front bench seat and will putting a rear seat delete kit in. I would like the rear bars to attach to rear floor or a little above I don’t want something that goes through the package tray. Is anyone here using something like this and where did you purchase it at? The car will never see a race track this is for looks only Something like the bar in the AG/Two Lane Blacktop 55. A Lakewood style bar is another option Any pics would be great. Thanks !

 

NHRA minimum is a 5 point bar, main hoop, two tubes in the rear and a driver's side bar. Why not go to S&W Race cars and get a legal setup made for your car? Just in case you ever did want to take it down the track. Bars that don't meet specs will prevent you from running at all.

 

Come on, really...the internet is your friend, you gotta know this by now.
Pull up "Google", type in "56 Chevy roll bar kit"..! About a 1000 pages come up. The first two pages are good enough.
Read on, do your own homework, pick what YOU like, get out your credit card.

Mike

 

Since it's strictly for the street, and for show, a S&W is overkill. I bend my own up using my Greenlee hydraulic tubing bender. But even just for looks I'd still want to at least got to the inner wheel tubs for my back supports or the main hoop, and braces will be too close to look right. If you mount to the wheel tubs as close to the trunk divider as possible, it will have more separation on the tubes, and not look weird. And it will also work if by chance you ever did get the rubber side up.

 

If you know someone with a tubing bender that will bend 1-3/4" tubing, you can make your own...the main hoop needs to be bent, the rear bars don't. Might add a cross bar 1-1/4", near the top of the seat backs. And decide how to attach it. If you want to weld it to the frame, the main hoop needs to kick in at the bottom. Or you can weld it to 6x6x1/8" plates and bolt it to the floor.

If you add the door bar, it'll be NHRA legal, assuming you follow all the other pertinent rules. But it's not easy to get a car to run fast enough to need it. Also, if it's there, and you want to pass tech, it had better be legal.

 

This is your best option, at $263.00. I have a great hydraulic bender, and do this for a living, but after you purchase the tubing and layout and bend it, I will use a kit anytime I can.
https://swracecars.com/product/1955-1957-chevy-8-point-roll-bar/

 

^Marty's way is traditional hot rodding, for sure. Be sure to comply with the rulebook.

 

Summit and Jegs have offerings. The problem is there is no published data to include the manufacturer’s page with width and where the actual intended rear mounting points actually are. I just thought maybe some would say. I have this particular product in my car and it looks like this mounted and I purchased it here. I’m capable of doing a web search. There’s a gasser build that Super Chevy did for a giveaway. It says Jegs provided the roll bar. It resembles nothing in their catalog. Thanks for the help and info.

 

As the other guys above are telling you. If you ever take the car to an NHRA track the roll bar system has to meet the minimum tech specs. NHRA does not figure something is better than nothing. If it is not up to spec it is a safety hazard. No matter how slow your car is. Tech guys don't care about your story, they have seen the results of things gone wrong.
That is why they are trying to steer you to a factory set up.

 

There are no tracks in my area. This idea is just a personal thing nothing else. I’m probably going to keep the car the rest of my life.

 

Just but the 5 point kit and leave off the door bar.

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This is the reason you need a legal bar. It's harder to do it wrong in this case.

 

Would this Outrigger pass


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This setup I really liked. It still makes the back seat useable. Has 2x3 outriggers that tie into the frame and inside rocker, which would really tighten up any twist.

https://wildridesracecars.com/shop/...al-motors/55-57-chevy-6pt-exact-fit-roll-bar/

 

Here is one I did in a 55, using an Art Morrison kit. It's a legal 5 point.

 

Good luck even getting to the backseat with the cross tube for harness to connect to! Maybe little kids could climb over or under that tube?

 

The bar I built for my 55 was legal, and it didn't have any outriggers, because it kicked in at the bottom to meet the frame rails. And it had a cross bar, and it had big kids and a few adults get into the back seat. It can be done, but it's not an issue for the guy who started this thread.

 

I guess I should have said you can still retain your back seat if it's only for looks. I would absolutely not put passengers in a back seat with cross bar like that. Could get real ugly in even a minor accident.

 

I had mocked one up for my 57 Ford and the main hoop like you mentioned has to be kicked in at the bottom. The problem I found was the side bars. The frame rail is around 8 inches inside the door opening / kick panel and would interfere with your left leg /foot for braking, clutch pedal so a outrigger is pretty much the only way I could see it working out.

 

I bent the bar towards the frame, under the floor, and welded it to the side of the frame.

 

Welding in a 6 point roll bar in my 56 , anyone know if it would still be NHRA - AHRA legal if a quick detach door bar swing out kit was also installed in the cross bar "A" ?
Would be cool to remove for cleaning rear windows ect.

Norb

 

What does the rulebook say?

I didn't have any trouble climbing in the back of my 55 HT with a 5 pt bar and a fixed crossbar.

 

Here’s one I finished last winter in my 57 Ford. Dimensionally it should be close to a 55-57 Chevy.
I had to add an outrigger to weld the sidebar onto. One thing is if you’re car has oem frame the roll must be welded to it. No back seat…I wouldn’t anybody to sit back there anyhow. Built a shelf sort of like the business coupes had.

 

My 2¢ .. If your going to spend the time and money, build a proper roll bar to NHRA specs or not at all. Makes no sense to build something that is not safe or may actually create a hazard on the street. Plus if you decide to sell the car a legal bar will be an asset.

 

One more vote for S-W. Used a 8 point kit in my 56. As said earlier , maybe check on one without door bars. One thing on a street driver with a roll bar, make sure it’s well padded for head protection.

 

I climbed in the back of my 56 to clean windows a few weeks ago. At 6’4” and lack of flexibility, the struggle is real.

 

Have not found any information in the rule book about 6 point using the swing out door bar kits, are they legal to run NHRA and AHRA using a 6 point roll bar or only they only legal in roll cages running 8.50 and slower.
Luckly, I haven't welded the door bars with the kits in place yet

 

This is probably not applicable to the thread but in Australia you would have a hard time getting insurance on a vehicle that has a roll cage installed.

 

Unless things have changed, I'm pretty sure adding a swing out door bar (properly attached) to a 4 point is still legal. Definitely not the "A" bar or on a certified Cage. I've been out of Drag Racing for a number of years but see @Marty Strode post #15. Maybe he has more current information You could also call Art Morrison, Tim McAmis, or even the NHRA tech department and verify.

 

Thanks Tomcat,
Didn't notice Marty's early #15 post with a legal 5 point that has swing out door bars
Welding in the A bar will have to wait until after the rear glass in put back in, Our Wisconsin drag strips will be open in a couple of weeks to ask the tech inspectors, if they're not sure I will give the NHRA tech director a call.