Roll Bars/Cages

[oprn]

I would think so! Those brakes were designed to stop a car with 40 or 50 hp back when speed limits were maybe 45 mph between Edmonton and Calgary on the old C&E trail! Now you are running 180hp? At bursts of speed over 200km/h in heavy traffic?

With the cage you have I doubt your Buggy is any lighter than the original car.

My Buggy has 14" wheels and is light which both help the braking a lot. I thought I was good but I found myself in a pretty tight spot last summer on a down hill in the Rodger's pass so an upgrade is in the works here too!

[mi xj]

I wanted to keep the idea of a bug profile with the roll bars. Also incorporated the windshield into the cage for a cleaner look.

[EVfun]

[mi xj]

I got asked about my windshield instillation. I welded in 1/4X1/8 steel in the frame work of the windshield. My idea was to copy how a modern car windshield is installed. So i need it to have a lip to glue to. A template was made out of a plastic sheet for the glass guy to copy. Once the glass was cut i dry fit it and still had to have more taken off the edges for the correct fit. Also the glass shop sells rubber molding for a nice fit and Finnish between the glass and metal. I used standard urethane glass glue, and installed it like a modern car.

pardon the messy work space.

[Wetstuff]

That's a refreshingly new take on the rollbar. ...and smart to integrate the windshield rather than two systems. Very art school. Congrats.

Jim
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Manx #2614

[oprn]

That is a breath of fresh air! Nice job on the windshield.

A couple things come to mind, rear passenger accommodations would be effected and is the theme going to continue into the engine cage?

[mi xj]

Thanks for the kind words. I hope to finish out the cage rear engine cage this year. The rear seat area is just used as a package tray, there are some metal loops for bunging down a cooler, groceries, or small items from home depot runs.

[Dale M.]

[clonebug]

[oprn]

Everyone's idea of what a Buggy is for is different. As an old guy the picture Clonebug painted is exactly where I'm at. Buggies are for sharing with others and the more the merrier!

Pile it full of grand kids and hit the icecream stand, lend it to your daughter to pick up her friends and go to A&W. Give your son the keys so he can take his buddies gopher shooting!

And when winter hits - everyone wants to ice race it!

A roll bar? Ya that would be fine - cage? Na! It would get in the way.

[AMAC1680]

No question many things were a hoot “back in the day”. Been there done that and done things far more risky than a package tray ride.

Of course I knew less and had far less to lose back in the day.

AMAC
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www.SEGS4VETS.org

[oprn]

This Buggy came with a back seat like I believe most of the original Buggies did. It has not been converted to a package shelf. In fact it is large enough that I have ridden back there comfortably for several hours at a time and I am over 6' tall.

As far as risk goes, a life is worth the same today as it was years ago. The difference is in behavior and expectations from then to now. Back then we were content with a 40 or 50 hp buggy to drive on beaches, putt around the back country with a picnic basket and run a bit on the roads in between. Now we seem to need 200+ hp, handling like a formula 1 so we can blow everyone off the road in heavy daily commuter traffic! That is where the risk is and even a full racing cage with a 5 point harness and a helmet may not be enough! I appreciate the progress in performance that has been accomplished and I am not trying to demean anyone, it totally is up to the individual owner what they want to do and how they perceive their risk level and deal with it.

I am fortunate enough to live in a quiet part of rural Canada where we can enjoy our Buggy in the way they were originally intended. All we really need is a mild engine, good brakes, a roll bar and our smiles will be as wide as anyones!

[MrGoodtunes]

Definitely no back seat in my buggy, not really even a package tray, just a rear window ledge. (Tho, it does hold an 18" pizza box perfectly!)

None the less, my son used to love crawling up in there whether we were going somewhere or not. Wish I'd taken a picture back then. Here's one after he grew too big to fit in there anymore. (Pic taken ~1978, when he was 10.)

BTW no rollbar nor cage in my 1300 pound buggy.

[Glasser]

[EVfun]

I'm lacking a roll bar too, but wouldn't discourage someome from installing one. I'm reworking it now and it should weigh in right at 1100 lb. and have about 50 horsepower. It's a street buggy.
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