Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Librands Stainless Roll Bar

Robbie, it is a reasonable question that I was pondering when I had my 89 P4 asI had had one previously. Then, on the way home one afternoon, I pulled into the side of the lane to let a tractor with hay bales pass by as he was coming towards me. His load caught the lower branch of an oak which brought the top part of the load down onto me. Amazingly there was no damage although I have no idea how I got away with it. Anyway my wife solved the dilemma for me .

Some of the Mods I've made to the car could be rationalized but most can't, I guess this sits somewhere in the middle, I'd rather have one than not and I hope it's never required.

I also considered installing a roll bar a few years ago. But I haven't done it until today. The Librands roll bar may give a better feeling of safety but actually it is probably not high enough for survival space underneath. On the other hand, most other roll bars are mounted further forward...like the one on the Plus4 SS or the Baby Doll. This is not a good idea without a helmet for two reasons. Firstly, the bar runs directly over the head and secondly, it runs to the side of the head past the skull and temple. This means that this type of roll bar urgently requires a crash helmet, because otherwise you would already be dead in a side impact, which is not unusual. When installing Librands, check beforehand whether the back of the head will hit the bar when it is thrown backwards or whether the bar is high enough to allow the back of the head to move backwards. Because if the head hits the bar backwards, without a crash helmet you are already dead in a stupid crash if someone behind you in a traffic jam is asleep and hits you. All the scenarios I listed, side impact or rear-end collision are 100 times more likely than a rollover.

I do not want to spoil anybody's fun in personalizing one's Morgan, our indvidual attitude to how the car should be is one of the charms of owning one. When I bought my car in spring 2017 and caught a severe case of "upgraditis contagiosa" and considered all kinds of gadgets and equipment - including a roll bar. But I managed to stay calm and carefully judging whether this or that really was an improvement - of safety, looks, handling, maintenance or a combination. All these things come at a cost, and in spite of having the funds I want something really satisfactory for my money. Better headlights improved safety, clear indicators the looks, Panhard rod and crossbar stays the handling, remote greasing the maintenance, good mirrors both looks and safety. And there are many, many more. Neither of these were terribly expensive, with the exeption of power steering, really useful with the Roadster' fat tyres. So it is really a question of what to give priority, based upon a sober calculation of what comes out of it. With all respect, the roll bar did not reach high enough on the list.
Mark666, whatever you do, continue enjoying and improving your Morgan, making it an elongation of your personality. Good luck!

I've never considered fitting a roll bar because I dislike the 'pinned down' feeling of a racing harness and believe that the chances of hitting my head on it in a prang when only wearing a 3-point belt are greater than rolling the car or having something land on top of me. But then I don't even have head restraints on my car, so what do I know?