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SgtSamy
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Joined: July 10, 2010
Posts: 667
Location: Mexico
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 Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:52 am Post subject: Is a rollcage absolutely necessary these days? |
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My Thing is on the road again after some major work on the brake. After driving it for sometime, I really think that a rollcage for this type of vehicule is necessary.
People are so distracted behind the wheels these days! It's pretty incredible. I saw guy looking for something on Youtube on his cell phone while he was driving! Plenty of people texting!
I wanted to keep my Thing original but I'm really thinking about putting a rollcage even if I drive my vehicule only the weekend.
I also remember a member here that was driving offroad with his kid, he crashed and the rollcage saved his life and the lifes of his kids.
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I have a 1968 Volkswagen Mexican Beetle. It is basically a 1964 Beetle US with some 1965 Beetle US parts. |
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NOVA Airhead
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Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 3974
Location: The Blue Ridge Mountains of VA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:21 am Post subject: |
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I would say the roll cage is more useful if you are off-roading as its more likely you would have a roll-over there than on the highway.
Besides roll-over protection I wanted the roll cage so I would have an anchor point for a three point seat belt.
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1971 Ghia Convertible Autostick
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Deckard
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Joined: April 07, 2012
Posts: 146
Location: Knoxville, TN
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:31 am Post subject: |
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Statistically, most car accidents are rear impact or side collisions. The stock low-back seats offer zero protection against whiplash, so one way to offer some protection to your front passenger is to switch seats to the late bug/superbeetle high-back chairs.
For side collisions you are out of luck; there is no protection whatsoever other than a few millimmiters of steel. Modern cars have cross braces and low-density styrofoam that act as crumples zone.
When I drive my Thing I act as if I was driving a motorcyle; I approach every 4-way intersection carefully (I always have my foot on the brake pedal), and never assume The Other Driver saw the stop sign. I also added blind-spot rearview mirrors (the fisheye stick-on type), and in 20+ years of driving I have been able to avoid accidents.
Oh, and I don't drive on Friday or Saturday nights, early commute in bad weather, or anytime after a big sporting event. |
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DougD
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Location: Auburn, WA
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Ian Epperson
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Joined: January 12, 2005
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Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:47 am Post subject: Re: Is a rollcage absolutely necessary these days? |
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| SgtSamy wrote: | I wanted to keep my Thing original but I'm really thinking about putting a rollcage even if I drive my vehicule only the weekend.
I also remember a member here that was driving offroad with his kid, he crashed and the rollcage saved his life and the lifes of his kids. |
| DougD wrote: | | http://ian.epperson.com/scrappy/accident |
Yes, that was me and my kids. Without the roll bar, I probably wouldn't be here typing this reply and my kids wouldn't be now getting ready for school.
VW sold a roll bar for the Thing. There are mount points for the factory roll bar (though not all); putting a roll bar on your car does not prevent it from being original. if you hunt around, you may even be able to find an original roll bar.
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Semper_Dad
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Joined: May 14, 2005
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Location: HELL Paso, TX
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:13 am Post subject: |
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Roll bar, original or custom, is a no harm, no foul addition to any 181. Not sure if it would help a lot in a side or front collision but it would definately keep the sky (or road) from falling on you in the event of a roll over.
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74 VW Thing - Walküre
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mcmscott
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Location: sanger ca
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:49 am Post subject: |
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When I built my cage I added side bars |
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ICTrains
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Joined: June 05, 2011
Posts: 57
Location: South Alabama
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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| mcmscott wrote: |
When I built my cage I added side bars |
I've kicked around the idea of building a "roll cage" for mine when I am done. One of the ideas I had was to add a couple of cross members in front and/or behind the front seats just above the pan, spanning between the rockers and the pan tunnel. Has this ever been done? Or is it really not feasible?
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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"If you take something apart and put it back together enough times, eventually you'll have two." |
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Semper_Dad
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Is this what you are talking about? More of a "oh geschissen" bar.
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74 VW Thing - Walküre
78 GMC Motorhome - Valhalla
"Patina" my ass, that's rust
Recovering Split Bus Addict
Washington State 181 (Thing) Registry - current tally: 58
World 181 Registry Map: http://www.zeemaps.com/394427 Gitm registared boys!
Officially, there are only 98 181s in the world |
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Wildthings
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Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 19967
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| My brother was in a head on last week in his Jeep Liberty, he ended up rolling over 1 1/2 times. Two days later my niece rear ended a car that was stopped in the middle of the road just over the crest of a hill. She rolled two complete times. I have had many many friends over the years that have rolled vehicles, not just SUV's but Saubs, Volvos, and such as well, most of them while driving on paved roads. |
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Hooking
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Joined: April 30, 2011
Posts: 45
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I vote no for the roll cage , do not like the look ( unless your going off road then I vote YES ). bottom line is its not a safe vehicle , drive it like everybody is trying to kill you and you'll be fine . |
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ICTrains
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Joined: June 05, 2011
Posts: 57
Location: South Alabama
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:32 am Post subject: |
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| Semper_Dad wrote: | | Is this what you are talking about? More of a "oh geschissen" bar. |
No, I was actually thinking of tubing, the same diameter as the roll cage, just a fraction of an inch above the pan running perpendicular to the pan tunnel between the tunnel and the rockers. I figured that this would provide some (however marginal) protection from a side collision.
I agree with the "drive like you're on a motorcycle" defensive driving suggestions, but I'd like to do what I can to keep my family safe in the event that something happens anyway. Because, we all know that $hit happens. I'm even planning to put some sort of head rest on the rear seats. Haven't worked out the details on that yet, but I've an extra set of seatbacks to play with.
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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"If you take something apart and put it back together enough times, eventually you'll have two." |
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dells68
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Joined: January 09, 2008
Posts: 218
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:16 am Post subject: |
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| I've seen people run bars like you're talking about to mount their seats. When I made my cage, I originally intended to do that as well. Only issue I see is that you need to make sure the front most bar doesn't interfere with the shifter or e brake. Search the forum for cage pics with seat mounts and see what that turns up. |
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Mal evolent
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Wildthings
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| One thing about roll gauges is that they themselves are all to often lethal. Mine has a bar that sits almost directly above my head, it could do the old noggin some serious damage just going over a bad bump. Want to put a bend in it and move it back about 6" and raise it tight to the top. |
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ICTrains
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Location: South Alabama
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:00 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for that thread link; those are some pretty serious cages. I've got a long way to go on my project before I get to fabricating a roll cage, but I like to think ahead. I've got the same issue as others here have mentioned before; I have a hard top that I'd like the roll cage to fit under. This could prove to be dangerous as well because of how low it will have to be in the passenger compartment.
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JohnD
'73 Thing
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"If you take something apart and put it back together enough times, eventually you'll have two." |
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joescoolcustoms 
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Joined: August 08, 2006
Posts: 6352
Location: West By God Virginia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:02 am Post subject: |
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While very intertaining, I do not think it is all that applicable to this thread on a roll cage for a street driven Thing.
Off all the hundreds of thousands of miles I have driven VW's, in the last 30+ years, the only time I have been hit in a VW was in a VW parts supplier's parking lot, and my VW was parked. I have credited the VW for being nimble and able to get out of the way and avoid an accident.
No one is immune to being in an accident, but I will take my chances without a roll cage, except for my fiberglass buggy.
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Ian Epperson
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:07 am Post subject: |
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| ICTrains wrote: | | Thanks for that thread link; those are some pretty serious cages. I've got a long way to go on my project before I get to fabricating a roll cage, but I like to think ahead. I've got the same issue as others here have mentioned before; I have a hard top that I'd like the roll cage to fit under. This could prove to be dangerous as well because of how low it will have to be in the passenger compartment. |
The Thing Shop's "Show Bar" (not guaranteed to hold in a rollover, but it a hell of a lot better than nothing) will fit under the factory hard top. My roll bar just fits under the soft top and will likely fit the factory top. Note that if you look at the bolts on the door post and look at the factory roll bar, you'll see how the roll bar mounts there with an L bracket to avoid taking the space for the factory hard top mount.
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guppysoup
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Location: Jalisco, Mexico
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:31 am Post subject: |
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I wouldn´t feel safe driving around here without a roll bar and three point seat belts.
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SgtSamy
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Hooking wrote: | | I vote no for the roll cage , do not like the look ( unless your going off road then I vote YES ). bottom line is its not a safe vehicle , drive it like everybody is trying to kill you and you'll be fine . |
I disagree with you. We are now living in a era where people are constantly distracted on the road. Defensive driving is not enough anymore.
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I have a 1968 Volkswagen Mexican Beetle. It is basically a 1964 Beetle US with some 1965 Beetle US parts. |
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