Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Considering fitting a roll bar to my plus 4

I am toying with fitting a roll bar to my car for added safety and possibly having a dabble in sprints.
Techniques can supply a roll bar with a removable diagonal that does not interfere with the easy up hood.
Anyone had one fitted or attempted the fitting of a similar roll bar? Do they have any effect on resale positive or negative?

Can't really answer your questions although since I re-chassied Woodstock, I guess I have fitted one, although the mounting holes on the wheelarches were unchanged, and the holes in the chassis needed had handy drilling guides in the sill boards.

Does stiffen up the car at the back which will have a positive effect on the handling as well as the intended safety aspects. You'd not believe the difference if you just jack one rear wheel - with and without a rollover bar.

I suspect it will have little effect on the value, although only a dealer could answer for sure. Many are fitted by owners who have no intention to compete after all.

Like Martin I have only installed a roll bar during a chassis up rebuild (and yes I have done more of those than most !)
If you are starting with a complete car , especially one with any trim in it, then you are going to have to do quite a lot of work cutting out trim to make sure that the metal to wood , and metal to metal joints are just that and not through the trim. This will then need to be re-trimmed afterwards . In fact a poor re-trim would probably negatively affect the perceived value of the car.

Also consider what type of roll bar you want to fit. If you are looking for an RAC legal bar , they demand that your head and helmet should be well below the horizontal bar , and in most cases this means that the hood will no longer fit. You can start by lowering the seat , but this is also no simple job as it is already pretty well down in the car.

A roll bar will also detract from the amount of luggage you can carry in the rear, especially with the diagonal bar fitted.
I believe that Librands do a system where the base of the bar is left in place all the time , and the top section only used when needed. This might be a good system for a road car, and indeed might be the model that Techniques are proposing (BTW they will do a cracking job for you if you get them to fit it)

The plus points are much better anchorages for the seat belts, and a gain in chassis stiffness, especially at the rear of the car.

If you are determined then don't let these factors sway you, but do consider them when weighing up the pluses and minuses.

I agree a tidy retrim is your biggest problem. Bar fitting is straightforward. It does nothing for your car untill THAT day.

I have a Librands one fitted by Chunky at Williams.
Hood fits with no problem.
Tonneau cover retrimmed to fit.
Car has tightened up a bit.
No rear visibilty issues.
The seatbalt mounts are as original and the belts are slightly interfered with but work well, they need watching for any rubbing wear over a long period. None so far after nearly 2 years.
I have not fitted the extra bar supplied for racing harness fitting.
The rear shelf plywood was cut to refit....cut in middle and cutouts on the ends, noe easier to remove/refit than one piece.
When putting the hood up the swivel levers need to be in the "up" pisition and no clearance issues for the frames . The hood does not touch the rollbar when tensioned.
Had it fitted after an "ooffu" moment on a diesel patch on a roundabout on Windermere weekend. If the worst happens then a barless Mog is not a good place! Peace of mind decision and it does give the car a more sporty look!
Just add....for trackdays Librands supple a replacement uppar section to replace the one fitted , this being FIA passed for track. A simple job to unbolt and replace as bolts are easily accessible.

Thanks for your comments and views - I'll have to give me this some thought as its not a cheap option but I will have one fitted it just depends on which one.
Techniques have one they make that fits under the hood and then there is the librands version.

Hi, if the sprints are going to be under MSA rules then the roll bar has to be a specific height above your helmet. A straight line from the nose of the bonnet to the roller above your head with the required clearance to your helmet. I would check the MSA regs. There are roll bars around with a removable race hoop and one for road use which accommodates the hood. I stopped hillclimbing in an MR2 this year and there were all sorts of discussions at the last few meetings around rule changes requiring open cars to have even more crash protection, so it is worth checking it out.

I agree to deciding what you are going to do with your car.
Competitive events will decide the rollbar/cage requirements.
I don't intend competing.
I wanted a "peace of mind" solution.
The rules for safety are tightening up in competition in many ways.
Aren't Hans devices becoming mandatory with age manufacture of them requiring replacement?
I may be wrong so be gentle.......