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stock roll bar integrated......

blazerpro79

blazerpro79

1/2 ton status
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stock roll bar... people keep saying there is a stock roll bar in the truck... well i havnt seen this and ive cut my cab and welded in new panels... anyone seen theirs???
 
maybe they are talking about the thickness in that area . when i chopped mine it seemed alot harder to cut there. no actual roll bar though. :dunno:
 
012.jpg

Not much there that can be called a Rollbar!
 
blazerpro79 said:
stock roll bar... people keep saying there is a stock roll bar in the truck... well i havnt seen this and ive cut my cab and welded in new panels... anyone seen theirs???
Click to expand...

The factory paperwork talks about this:

"For 1976, all Blazers have a steel half top with a built-in roll bar. An integral part of the roof construction, this sturdy bar has a flat shape which provides more interior space than conventional tubular roll bars."

I think what they meant to say was

"We no longer use that fiberglass roof that leaks all the damn time, and the steel has a lip and is strong. Really."

:haha:

Marketing drivel, basically. The "roll bar" is just the back edge of the cab, IMHO.

-- A
 
how stupid... wheni read that a few months ago i was pretty excited.. then i cut a beam out of a donor, to repair some rust and said what the hell.
 
If I'm not mistaken, that was part of rollover protection standards (just like the almost total disappearance of convertibles for quite awhile) and I'm sure it has to bear the weight of the vehicle.

Probably not up to the standards necessary to protect in a roll down a hill, however if the rig gets flipped over on it's top, on the freeway, it likely does a fair job of keeping the passenger compartment from getting too small. (at least the bare minimum of federal standards at that time lol)

The rear of the fiberglass top also has metal reinforcement, no idea if that is also part of that, or just something to stiffen the top and rear of the truck.
 
dyeager535 said:
If I'm not mistaken, that was part of rollover protection standards (just like the almost total disappearance of convertibles for quite awhile) and I'm sure it has to bear the weight of the vehicle.

Probably not up to the standards necessary to protect in a roll down a hill, however if the rig gets flipped over on it's top, on the freeway, it likely does a fair job of keeping the passenger compartment from getting too small. (at least the bare minimum of federal standards at that time lol)
Click to expand...
I have seen quite a few blazers roll on this site, and the factory "roll bar" has held up pretty well. The trouble spot for blazers (and most cars) in a rollover, is where the windshield meets the cab in the corners. Not too much strength there.
-Harrison
 
agreed... thats why Im chopping the metal half cab an attaching whats left to a full cage. :)

j
 
Reviving this thread to ask a question about an idea I have. I need a roll bar that protects just the front driver/passenger. (No more rear seat) I have a '78 with the "integrated bar". I am on a budget, don't have access to a bender right now, and don't want one of the pre-fabbed cages, cost and shipping charges suck. (I'm paying for a wedding right now so no truck duckets!)

I just bought 20' of 2" OD x .120 wall HREW and 6' 1/4" x 6" steel plate.

My idea is to reinforce the existing built in roll bar by triangulating it to the floor/frame with straight pieces of tube, angled down from the corners and back up to the center as well. The brace will be beefy for sure. My question I guess is if I tie into the frame through the floor will this cause any issues when I flex? Currently the truck creaks and cracks when flexed hard? Will this damage the frame at all, or just stiffen the body up some? :confused:
 
captaininsano said:
I just bought 20' of 2" OD x .120 wall HREW and 6' 1/4" x 6" steel plate.
Click to expand...

Slight hijack: Where'd you get the steel? (and where in the Bay area ya?)

With today's prices, that can't have been cheap! I just got some bits to work onto my cage at Alco in San Leandro, and they don't give steel away.

-- A
 
onlychevy6 said:
yeah i can attest to that because it was my blazer. boy that was a wild ride.
Click to expand...

I hope to never find out! :bow:

I've flopped and such, but I don't want to ever roll multi times, but if it happens I want to be able to post pics later!

As for the steel I got it from http://www.metalsupermarkets.com/

Not the cheapest, but not bad for the bay. I ended up getting 20' 2"x.120 HREW and 6' 6"x1/4" steel plate for the roof and floor plates for 100 bucks.

The thing about MetalSuperMarkets is there service, great service (at least the one in Redwood City), and you can get whatever with no minimum. I bought 1 foot of 1.75 DOM for my hydro install. Cost me 6 bucks. :D Not super cheap but try finding a place with tons of stock that will sell ya 1 foot. hehe
 
captaininsano said:
As for the steel I got it from http://www.metalsupermarkets.com/

Not the cheapest, but not bad for the bay. I ended up getting 20' 2"x.120 HREW and 6' 6"x1/4" steel plate for the roof and floor plates for 100 bucks.

The thing about MetalSuperMarkets is there service, great service (at least the one in Redwood City), and you can get whatever with no minimum. I bought 1 foot of 1.75 DOM for my hydro install. Cost me 6 bucks. :D Not super cheap but try finding a place with tons of stock that will sell ya 1 foot. hehe
Click to expand...

Sweet. Thanks for the tip -- I happened to be @ my company's HQ in Redwood Shores this week, so it was a quickie trip down there. Nice folks, you're right. Not cheap, but MUCH less evil than Alco in San Leandro ... I'll prolly frequent the Hayward one.

-- A
 
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