Please help identify this Thing Roll Cage Roll Bar

[amishman]

Anyone know who made this VW Thing Roll Bar? Does it look pro made and sold back in the day or a home-made setup? I do notice it has notches cut just right so the soft-top still closes proper and all. Looks beefy. But, unsure of its origin other than it came with a very original 1973 VW Thing that is still stock all the way around including original mats and soft-top so previous original owner had it along the way.

Here are the pics.

Thanks, tj

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tj (the Amishman)

Come visit my web site!
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[Chad1376]

I don't know about the origins of the cage, but those notches look like they would create a severe weak link in the tubing, in addition to allowing water to get inside the tubing and facilitate rust.

I'm no cage expert, but I would at least close of the holes left by the notching and add some additional reinforcing if this was to be used as anything beyond a "show" cage.
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[Semper_Dad]

Looks like a standard OEM rollbar with the front crossbar hacked. However, the OEM bar would NOT have needed to be hacked in order for the top to work. Definately need to fix the hack before using.

I believe there were at least two different variations of the OEM bar.
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Walküre Restoration Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737492

[amishman]

[amishman]

[Semper_Dad]

[amishman]

[uberautowerks]

What you have is NOT a VW roll bar.

The VW provided roll bar was a 6 point, sort of, the rear 2 legs "V" into one point in the rear.
Also the VW cage fits under both tops.

From the VW sales brochure

From the Samba photo gallery

Now... As I understand a lot of the dealers had local shops fab up cages, so this muddies the facts a bit with regard to "Dealer" roll bars.

I can also tell you that I have NEVER seen a four point roll bar that fit under the hard top. Well at least that wasn't obviously modified.
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--- The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair.
- Douglas Adams -
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'74 Thing (White)
'71 Single cab (White too)
'70 Weekender (White three)
'05 Evolution VIII (White also!!!)
'68 F-250 (White over black)

[Semper_Dad]

I know this argument has been done before but I believe there was at least 2 different "official" rollbars that were offered by dealers.

This one is the real official one with the official ZVW accessory part number ZVW 148 283. This picture comes off the install directions from VOA
. This is the one that Uber is talking about.

This other one is directly off the 1974 VOA brochure. It looks more like a 4 point and nothing like the "official" one. It could be an artist's rendition of one that never was produced. It doesn't look like the one you have either.

Clearly there may have been several versions of "dealer install" rollbar setups. The design of the rollbar the OP posted is the most common (non-Thing Shop) i've seen.
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Walküre Restoration Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737492

[Ron Domeck]

There were 2 types of roll bars. On the right side of the US most were the 4 point as your bar and on the west coast were mostly the 5 point as in the Acc pamplet shown, and in other Acc pamplets you will find the 4 point. It is believed that VWoA sold the 5 point that would break down for shipping ease. The 4 point bar you have would work with the folding top, but not the VWoA hardtop. I can see that the notch is cut were the hardtop has a rib as to clear.

[kubelmann]

I currently have three 4 point Thing roll cages.

Cage #1 came installed on Herr Kubelmann when purchased from the PO who was the second owner. The first owner bought the car new from Heubergers VW in Colorado Springs where he worked as a mechanic. It came with a hardtop and soft top and the 4 point roll cage was built by an off-road company in Tempe Arizona. I know this because when I pulled off the foam cover of the large diameter tube the tube had a sticker from the off-road company. Both a soft top and hard top fit easily under this 4 point cage.

Cage #2 came installed on KubelPanzer when purchased as 4th owner; Car was sold new in Texas then sold to a couple in Eastern CO and then was a barn find by the folks I bought it from. It has the same roll cage shown on this thread minus the chunks of missing metal. This car came with a soft top that fit fine. Later I got another hard top for the car (that fit fine over the 4 pt. cage) This hard top was traded for other VW stuff and now under the knife has Herr Kubelmann's hardtop (which fits over the roll cage just fine.)

Cage #3 Also a 4 point but constructed of smaller diameter tubing than the other 4 pt. roll cages. The reason I have it is that it would not fit under the hardtop that used to be on KubelPanzer. Thus this cage became part of the trade for the hard top. Included in the trade was a Bundeswehr OD green soft top that also fits under Kubelmann's 4 pt roll cage.

My Dad bought a used 1973 Thing from a VW dealer in 1974 and it had a 6 pt roll cage and a soft top that cleared each other just fine.

[hitest]

My cage is identical to the one discussed- stock as installed at dealer in '74. Mine, however, lacks the notch-outs made to support a 2X4 bike mount! Nobody with any tubing sense would notch the tubes in that manner- even a nutjob clearancing for a poorly-fit top.

Try the 2x4 test- my hunch is drops right in- look at the underside for evidence of muffler U-bolt Appalachian mounting hardware.
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[kubelmann]

That is funny. Years ago a guy I knew had enough 4 x 4s to make a bike rack for his 73 honda civic. He bragged about how he built it for free. We joked about how the rack probably weighed more than the car.

[sdwalter]

I have the same rollbar without the notches. I'm sure it was produced, not homemade, but the notches scare me too!

[volksaddict]

My 73 has the first one too, unhacked. It came on a very orig 23k mi car that has the front push bar too. Maybe there were 3 styles of original.

[yellow73kubel]

Strangely enough.. Amishman's is exactly the same as my cage, one short leg and all (except the notches ). My Thing traveled from Oregon to North Carolina, but I don't know where it started before that. Did anyone else's cage come with holes in the front to rear tubes for seatbelt mounting?

Since it is wide open, would you mind measuring the wall thickness on that tube? I'm just curious to see what it is.

[///Mink]

[amishman]

[carterzest]

[laughatgravity]

dunno but
its for sale...
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/pts/1922669839.html
my roll bar look like the one on the blue Thing. fits soft top great. but does not fit with the hard top