Factory dual roll bar ?

[Leisure]

Has anyone seen a factory dual roll bar setup like this where the front and rear hoops are not connected? The PO, who was 82 years old and the original owner, said he ordered it as an option when he first bought it. I don't think the old man was lying, but I do think he could be confused.
I've seen lots of rear hoops on Blazers/Jimmys over the years but they were always connected to the front hoop as part of a custom cage. The roof basket in the pic kind of hides it but these bars are separate.

 

[dremu]

Wouldn't be factory per se, would be a dealer-level add-on. GM didn't offer a factory rollbar until '74.

If ordered at the dealer, it's likely a Vic Hickey unit. See http://brochures.slosh.com/blazer/hickey12.jpg from their catalog of the era. Looks like they had a front bar (with two pairs of feet), a rear "family bar" (two feet), and then bolt-in front-to-rear runners, which your truck is missing.

For more info, go to http://brochures.slosh.com/ , Magazines, Miscellany, and then Hickey Catalog.

-- A

 

[Leisure]

Great information dremu, thanks. I guess that makes sense that this could be a dealer add-on.
I wonder if there was another provider of add-on accessories besides Vic Hickey? My bars have a couple of differences from those in the Hickey catalogue. One you pointed out already, the missing connector bars. The other is that my rear family loop doesn't have 2 feet, it has two pairs of feet like the front bar. You can't see it in the above pic but it splits just below the rim of the tub. I suppose since the two hoops don't connect this is to make the rear hoop more stable in event of a roll over. (See pic below)

Yes, that is the original rubber floor mat. It was protected all those years under the ugliest orange shag carpet you've ever seen. Some remnants of the shag can be seen around the bolts in the floor. This Blazer had 67,000 original miles when I got it in 2004 for the insane price of $2,200 (along with helping the seller with some yard work). It now has just over 94,000 miles. The only work I have done to it is resealing a leaky transfer case and rear main seal, a mild lift and 33's, and installing a Pertronix Flame Thrower electronic ignition under the original cap and rotor.
The Pertronix is the best mod ever. It's inexpensive ($80 off the net), easy to install (about 40 min) and I haven't had to look under the cap since I installed it in 2007. I do carry the old points and condenser in the glove box in case the Pertronix ever goes out, but so far so good.

 

[ashman]

You lucky, lucky bastard! Sounds like an awesome find!

 

[Leisure]

Hey Ash, I was wondering if it would be possible to get a template of the metal header you got from another member so you don't have to drill holes for the soft top? I was able to get a hold of a new-in-box Bestop soft top and the top of my windshield is rusted out enough I can't drill into it. It will eventually need repairs but until then I would like to use a header to mount the soft top. What do you say? Or if you know of where I could get one already made that's even better.

 

[ashman]

I could probably make a template of it, but I'm not sure how useful that would be. It was made for me by @Z71paramedic. He might be able to provide better info.

Also, someone here made one from aluminum and as I recall had a pretty decent write up on it and it didn't look too hard to put together. Hopefully someone will respond with a link.

 

[ekajkrats]

It was bp71k5 that did it out of aluminum. I believe his was or is slightly different as he went with the jeep type where rigid plastic sewn into the material is what keeps the soft top connected:
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/71k5-bp71k5s-just-for-fun-build.212062/page-43#post-3637566

I made one for my softopper by using the cut pieces of cardboard and tape to get the shape, and then formed the metal piece in an automotive body repair class I took at the local community college. I had zero skills and was able to do a decent job. Good enough for function, but not going to win any shows. I don't have any templates or measurements myself, as I just used the actual header, but bp71k5 might, as he just had his lazer cut (I believe).

-Jacob

 

[bp71k5]

It was bp71k5 that did it out of aluminum. I believe his was or is slightly different as he went with the jeep type where rigid plastic sewn into the material is what keeps the soft top connected:
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/71k5-bp71k5s-just-for-fun-build.212062/page-43#post-3637566

I made one for my softopper by using the cut pieces of cardboard and tape to get the shape, and then formed the metal piece in an automotive body repair class I took at the local community college. I had zero skills and was able to do a decent job. Good enough for function, but not going to win any shows. I don't have any templates or measurements myself, as I just used the actual header, but bp71k5 might, as he just had his lazer cut (I believe).

-Jacob

Yep, I can send you a dxf file to have one cut. You could then just add snaps to that instead of using the plastic to hold it down. I bent the front edge down a bit so you'll need to figure out if you need that or not.