Given that I want to have my restored Mini as a daily driver it seems prudent to put a rollcage in. I know that MiniMania sells a rear cage for $500 but I was wondering if anyone had made their own ($500 sounds a bit dear for bent tubes).

What have people's experiences been like with roll cages?
Does anyone have plans/ drawings for making one?
If making my own, what points should I protect?
Would a bar going into the trunk foul the fuel tank?

Any thoughts or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Google, Autopower rollbars see what you can find, that's what I have in my 67 Austin Mini.

 

If I send you plans ... how do you plan to bend the tube? And then I presume you have a welder to attach base plates etc...

Safety Devices seems better all the time ....

$500 sounds steep cuz this is for a 'real' roll bar .... unlike Miata 'style bars' and similar.

{this roll your own discussion is not NEARLY as entertaining as one on Miata.net however where a poster announced his intention to build his own hard top (Miatas have an optional hard top) and asked where to get a 4ft x 8ft sheet of 1 inch thick steel..... (he wants it to be strong )}

he asked for suggestions on how to cut it too: hacksaw and a LOT of blades.... A LOT of blades.

 

Do you have plans?!!! I would use a small-radius pipe bender and yes I have a welder.

Funny story about the Miata guy... He wouldn't need the full roof when he was finished because it would be too heavy to go anywhere!!!

 

Just wait for the joy of trying to put the proper roll bar into a Mini .......

 

any tall people have roll cages?

 

I'm 6 foot even with a Safety Devices full cage - bolt in. No problems here - but also have Cobra Classic seats which are a bit lower and perhaps a bit farther back than stock.

 

6'....Norm meant TALL!

see if you can find Norm here....

 

i got one in mine and i'm just over six feet tall. if your planning to restore you mini wait until you pull out your windows to make things easier. i'm thinking to still install the front cage as well. i got mine made at BreadBox Racing.
here is a pic of mine:

 

lol......thanks minimad.........

 

People ask how I fit in the car?

I feel so inferior now

but I'd add that the roll cage doesn't impact my headroom at all - the bars are farther away....potential difference depending on the seats I suppose, but I have several inches in all directions. My issue is leg room and if you fit in the car now - you have that one licked except the reconsideration of the main loop.....which on the safety devices drops in the pocket just behind the seatbelt roller mount points and then goes straight up and over. So just a bit behind the front edge of the back window edge....

should I submit pictures?

 

Nope - no plans, all I was asking was how you planned to bend the tube and weld after reading the Miata Nut' thread. If you have a tubing bender you are past my tool box - which includes a MIG welder but still would end up producing ugly roll bar welds..... (seriously, pretty welds need TIG don't they? Maybe that's what u have, but mine is a {decent} MIG) {what's the line for 'small-rad'?}

 

pics would be nice........i do have seat extensions so i dont know if that would give me an issue with head clearance