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Old December 15th 2009, 09:12
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evilC evilC is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: UK Where Leics is more
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zen View Post
Good info here. I have debated (only in my mind) for years about putting one in mine. Mine is a street only car, but mainly wanted it to cover the lack of crumble zones and for side impact protection (not bullet-proof, but better than nothing approach). The challenge with my car is the chopped top. I assume that only leaves me with the option of a custom built cage...and hunting down someone in the area that can do it and is willing to do it at a reasonable price.
I am also conscious that the bug was not designed with modern crumple zone protection but here is an example of the value of a full roll cage in protecting the occupants from a serious impact.

In 1980 I was chief marshal on our car club's restricted status road rally. On one section through the Leicestershire countryside one of the front running Ford Escort RS2000 flat fronts slipped slightly off the single track road onto the flat verge. The soft verge pulled the car completely off the road and it skated along at around 90-100mph on sodden wet grass. It went through the 18" thick brick buttress of a barn and came to a halt (as you would expect) before it hit the next buttress. The buttress had a neat car shaped hole in it just like in a cartoon. The car wing was non-existant with the headlamp buried behind the speedo. The driver got out with a shattered ankle that needed hospital treatment but the navigator was unscathed but looking quite pale.
The Mk2 Escort was designed in 1970's and had only a modicum of front crash protection so without any additional protection you could have seen some horiffic injuries. The cage saved any further injuries, the front leg taking the impact and distributing it back via the door bar to the rear hoop that was multi-pointed. From that point on I realised the value of roll cages.

Clive
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