Thing Roll Bar

[87BOSS351C]

Hi All.

I was wondering if anybody had some good pictures of a stock style thing roll bar? I plan on building one but would like it to be fairly close to the original style. What I'd like are pictures of the mounting points, tubing joints, and each basic tube shape. Also, pics of where the bar sits in the car for referance would be nice too. Just thought someone may have the roll bar out and could get some clear pics easy. Thanks!

Patrick

PS, The engine will be back together this weekend (except for the heads).
_________________
'73 Thing (Fiance`s car)
yellow, 53,000 miles
getting a complete stock restoration

'87 t-top Mustang LX
450 hp 351 Cleveland

1972 Ford Gran Torino
Stock Restoration 1997

1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport Hardtop
Waiting for frame off resto-mod

[bljones]

try this for a start:

http://www.geocities.com/pjmacua/curiositesus.html

pj has one of the best sites on the net for thing reference.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[iltis74]

Well I don't know if mine is factory or not, but it looks good and I like it. It will be powdercoated before being bolted up though. The gallery link below will pull up some pics to go off. It uses 1 1/2" tubing with a full 1/4" thick mounting plates.

Front plate- 9 x 4 1/4, bent to fit as the picture shows.
Rear plate- 8 1/4 x 3

Front hoop is 47 1/2" from top of plate to top of tubing and stands straight up as viewed from the side, but is spread 49" on centers at the mount points, and 50 1/2" OC where the bends begin.

The rear hoop is 48 3/4 OC at the mounting, and 48 OC at the bends. It sits angled slightly forwards, but my inclinometer is stuck on 3* so I have no idea exactly what it is. A tape along the back side of it from mounting plate to top on tube is 29"

The tops of the hoops are spread 37 1/2" OC, the crossbars are spread 37" OC at the front hoop and 34" OC at the rear. The crossbars are coped where they meet the hoops.

[Buckly]

iltis76, you dog, I see that 21 rag deluxe back there. I want to see more pic's of it. Do you also have an Iltis? If so lets see those pics aswell.
Let me know here if/when you post them.
_________________
Cool runnins,
_______________________
Bucky

[iltis74]

About 8 years or so ago I bought the Thing, and a German friend of mine told me they were called an Iltis back home, so I set up an email account and joined a bunch of forums and generally as far as the net is concerned became iltis74. By the time I found out he was wrong it was too late and besides, I've grown fond of it. But I neither have, want, or even really like the real Iltis.

As far as the bus goes, it's a '66. There are no doors or glass because it is in need of some serious rust repair, which will begin in about a month. No super specific plans, but the body will remain factory, painted two-tone with undecided colors, and of course it will be airbagged, IRS, roll 17s, and four wheel discs. Engines are my favorite thing to dream about, and this thing's getting something huge. I love the looks of IDAs in a bus. All the pictures I have of it are too large to put on the site and only show rust areas, which are numerous. Maybe I'll take some later this week and post them if I'm still around. I am supposed to be out in the mountains right now, but the weather sucks and the super cub can't find a place to land. Stupid drifts.

[iltis74]

Well what do you know I wasn't doing anything tonight, so I took some more pictures of the rust. Enjoy my misery. I figure it should be on the road in 2007 if everything goes right and I start putting some time into it. The ragtop is complete, I have all the original glass and doors, (though the cargo doors are rusted along the bottom,) but the drivers seat is the only interior it came with. I've got jail bars and perfect bumpers in a storage unit. I'd post a pic of the Beetle but it's under some snow. I just wish I had a digital camera when I welded new pan halves on the Thing. I took the suspension completely apart and por-15d everything, and powdercoated the pan. The disposable camera I used is still hiding in the garage somewhere. It has very minor body damage, faded paint, and some rust issues along the bottom of the body where it bolts up, but I'm going to put it back together for now anyways. It will be mechanically near perfect, and I'll pull the body back off and finish it after the bus and beetle are going good. Have fun with yours.

[germansupplyscott]

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SL

[iltis74]

Then it seems my bar is not stock. Being in AK I've only seen one other roll bar up close, and it was an obvious home job. I always figured if mine was a homebrew at least it was well done. But my question is did all Things come with a roll bar or was it an option? I just assumed the ones you see without one just had it pulled, but I have no holes where the center rear mounting would be.

[suntour]

If you look at the roll bar in the lower right hand corner it looks different from the one that the thing shop sells. I used to have that same one in my Thing way back in the 80’s. I think there are two different versions of factory roll bars.

[87BOSS351C]

Thanks Everyone! All that info and the pics will really help alot. Right now our Thing has a hack square tube cage like deal in it that is hideous. Gotta get rid of it. (I think you can make it out in this pic: http://www.geocities.com/huberpat/thingontrailer.JPG ). Anyway, I should have the info now to build a good one. I'll be using 1 3/4" tubing, but that is just because I'm also building a roll bar for my Mustang and those have to be 1 3/4" to be race legal.

Patrick
_________________
'73 Thing (Fiance`s car)
yellow, 53,000 miles
getting a complete stock restoration

'87 t-top Mustang LX
450 hp 351 Cleveland

1972 Ford Gran Torino
Stock Restoration 1997

1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport Hardtop
Waiting for frame off resto-mod

[TimGud]

Here are some pics of the 6 point cage in our Thing. It fits under the stock top but would not fit under a hardtop.

It has support bars that run from the front roll bar to the middle roll bar that are even with the bottom of the doors. It also has a bar that runs across the back behind the rear seats that long travel shocks mouted to. All the bars are gusseted as well. Here's a pic with the top up.