Now is the time on Sprockets when we talk about roll bars, roll cages, and restraining devices for the Track Beater.

I've thought about this off and on since I bought the car, the installation of some sort of roll-over protection greater than the A, B and C pillars which comply with all of the finest safety regulations from the 1980's.  This is to say, in the vernacular, fuck all.

I've done a track day in the car already with all of the safety gear that BMW blessed it with upon it's birthday in 1986, I wouldn't have done that if I didn't have confidence in the car.  Having said that  certainly was hyper of certain...deficiencies.  When I was sliding sideways toward an agricultural excursion, for instance, fear that the car would flip if the tires dug-in did briefly flash in my mind just a bit as the rear of the car stepped out.


Nailing the Apex. from SmackJackal on Vimeo.

The question isn't whether or not more is needed, it's clear to me that for this car and the dirty things I do with it on occasion something more is necessary.  But 4-point rollbar or 6-point full cage?  Bolt-in or weld-in?  Without going into a very long discussion I've boiled it down to a weld-in 4-point rollbar with 5-point cam-lock harnesses and either Corbeau or Sparco seats.  4-Point because a full-cage in a street driven car--even one that's track oriented--is a really bad idea, weld-in because it's not like I plan to ever remove it.

I'll be honest, I'm REALLY looking forward to the seats and harnesses.  Driving an MX-5 Cup car around Laguna Seca last year sold me completely on the value of race seats and harnesses.  Not having to fight to keep myself in the seat while piloting the car was a revelation.

For a quick re-cap of the path this project has taken...


Basket Case -> Safe Street Car -> Reliable Street Car -> Trackable Street Car -> Streetable Track Car

Right now it's somewhere between Trackable Street Car and Streetable Track Car.  Roll bar, race seats, and harnesses will put it very solidly in the Streetable Track Car column.