Trying to get my 93 on the track

[Ohiotj]

I already posted this in the gen 1 section but might get a little more help here. I am in the process of getting my car legal to run in some DE days for this season. I ran last year with NASA and they were ok with the car being stock. However the PCA wants me to have a legit roll bar put in. Also need to run with arm restraints. I contacted autoform as I said in my other post and the owner was very nice and very informed about the rules and how his bar is legal. Are there any other companies who make a roll bar? I want to consider all my options before doing anything. My biggest concern are the nutserts used with the autoform unit. I am not good at I stalling them and not really crazy of the idea of drilling into my cars sheet metal. I know a 93 is not the top of collectors list but it only has 12000 miles and I would like to keep original as possible. Any ideas would help out especially if its "just buy the autoform". Thanks for your help.

Ryan

[Joel]

I put an Autoform bar in my car - yes you have to do some cutting and drilling. But, I didn't trust the "roll hoops" in my car one bit for the racetrack or the more likely off road event on public roads. I may have devalued my car a bit but the safety factor was worth it and it did stiffen the car on the track. I found the Autoform guys really helpful. Steve gave me some tips and I passed on some revised instructions to other folks. I also bought the hardtop for my car from Autoform. You won't regret installing a roll bar and, regardless of who you get it from, you will probably have to do some drilling and cutting. You won't regret dealing with Autoform.

[Ohiotj]

Joel, thanks for the reply. That's just about what I was expecting to hear. I just needed a little reassurance.

[Leslie]

Hope you find a way to run with us in April at Mid OH!

Could you just get the hard top?

[Ohiotj]

Leslie,
I am Polish and overweight with no ac in my car. A hardtop is just about the last thing I need. I am looking into the roll bar though. I hope I can make it to the event. Mid ohio is a great time.

[Leslie]

Leslie,
I am Polish and overweight with no ac in my car. A hardtop is just about the last thing I need. I am looking into the roll bar though. I hope I can make it to the event. Mid ohio is a great time.

just a thought...I am overweight too, just didn't know how tall you were, if you could wear the helmet with the hard top on...
we don't run a/c on the track anyway. too bad someone in the club didn't have one you could borrow.

sounds like the rollbar is the way to go if you pass the broomstick test

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Taller than 6'1"? Or Long-waisted?

Without a top, and WITH a Roll-Bar, you will still have to pass the 'broomstick test.'

This means that when you are wearing a helmet, your head cannot be ABOVE the roll bar protection zone. Should be Below the bar in fact, not flush. If a broomstick lays across the bar to the windshield header it should NOT TOUCH YOUR HELMET. If it does, this means your head can bang the ground in a rollover.

[Ohiotj]

Only about 5'9". So I can fit into the car and past the test with a roll bar and helmet on. I can actually make it pretty close with just the factory sport bar if I slouch a little. Which doesn't help me much in case of a roll over.
I have rolled over a jeep with a full custom cage and it still can give a lot too some I am not sold on the roll bar completely. Does it help? Sure but it all depends on the wreck. I know the windshield frame is stout but again the wreck determines what type of damage will be caused.

[Fatboy 18]

Only about 5'9". So I can fit into the car and past the test with a roll bar and helmet on. I can actually make it pretty close with just the factory sport bar if I slouch a little. Which doesn't help me much in case of a roll over.

From your photos you proved this not to be true!

[Ohiotj]

Well I just put the order in for the roll bar from autoform. Just need to get so e arm restraints and should be good to go. Also just signed up with the PCA too. Now we need good weather for April 25th.

[Leslie]

Great! I saw you were on the roster. Allen will be running Fri
also in his black'06. I won't be til Sat. but might be there early to watch you guys.

[Ohiotj]

Jon helped me out at partsrack. I got my harness in already. I also got the required arm restraints too. Now I am just waiting on the roll bar from autoform and should be good to go. Also I just ordered some race ramps to help get the car on the trailer easier. I went with the trailer ramp slash service ramp to help changing fluids a little easier. No more wood boards, however they never bothered me. I really wanted an easier way to change my oil. I will post up if the ramps were worth the 430 dollars. All in all I spent a little more money then I was planning on this month for the car. Oh well. It's time for some seat time.

[Leslie]

I am so glad Jonb got you hooked up
Good to have another Viper with us at Mid Oh. I am running Fri/Sat, but will try to get there Fri.afternoon to say hi.
Mid Oh is a great track, was there this weekend, you will love it.

[Ohiotj]

I had my viper there once last year. I had only driven the thing about 50 miles total before my track day. Plus it was in the morning and just rained. So it was a wet track. But I had a blast. Are you running on Friday? Hope to see you there.

[FrankBarba]

I can see an Autoform Top in your future.....

[Ohiotj]

No top for this guy. I got a gen 1 for its basic style. I do love the autoform top that was on here a few weeks ago. It was an older style but looks better then anything I have ever seen.

[Ohiotj]

Just changed the oil on the viper for the first time. The oil filter was a pain in the a$$ to get out. I had to stick my finger into the threads and then snake it out the top. Other then that it went pretty smooth.

[Ohiotj]

Well I finally got to instal the new autoform roll bar and team tech six point harness. The roll bar required a little reengineering to fit correctly. We needed to install spacers from the foot plate of the bar to the floor boards. We had about a half inch gap there. The holes were a EXACT fit on the top part bar. I was very impressed with how easy they were to line up. The bar looks very well built and does not look too boy racer in my mind. The only problem I had was a lack of instructions. However Steve at autoform was only a call away and helped me with all my questions. I would be happy to answer any questions if anyone else wants info on the install process. There are a few steps that once we figured out saved some hassle and made the bar fit better.
The teamtech harness was pretty easy to install. Once you find the mounting holes on the consul and rocker panels it went in fast. My 93 had its mounting point already cut out in the carpet. I tried to locate the mounting spot where some pictures showed me on the internet but they were not there. I even removed the carpet and insulation to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I ended up using the seat belt receiver on the consul and a welded in nut on the rockers. The double adjustable belt would have saved some extra work but I was too cheap. So we had to remove the seat a few times to get the belts adjusted correctly. I am able to fully hide the harness by removing the bottom seat cushion and tucking it away until needed. The other belts can be hidden on either side of the seat. This will be nice for regular street driving. Jon B was a great help and took the time answer my questions over the phone.
I still need to make a bracket to accommodate the latch system of a child seat. Then I am going to make some covers for the speaker holes as I didn't want them in the car. And there in one last piece to put on the back side of the rear plastic cover.
Thanks to viperparts.com and autoform for their support and help. I am happy with the results.
image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpgimage.jpg
image.jpg