Drag Racing Tech - Are rollbars street legal? Also a few other Q's..

#1 I can't seem to find a for sure yes/no answer if roll bars are street legal in Illinois?

#2 Also I've yet to see a rollbar setup and interior that the car still looks good that I like, so after you install the plates below/above the floor how quickly and easily can you remove a bolt in rollbar setup? That way whenever I was ready to go to the track I could just throw it back in and have the nice interior look without it for street.

#3 I read that rollbars are NHRA legal up to 10.00 unless you cut the frame behind the firewall back (not including mini-tubs. So does that include even something as small as say cutting a fuel tank access panel or do they mean like SERIOUS frame cutting if you did something crazy like a tilt rear end?

I do know that bolt in roll bars are not NHRA legal.

I could see you getting away just fine with having an access panel for the fuel pump. I think the rules state that it's more than 1 sq ft of material removed. I could be wrong. MWC will be doing my roll cage. I figured with a forged motor and some sort of power adder and you are looking at single digits so just to get a full cage so I don't have to worry about it.

I do know that bolt in roll bars are not NHRA legal.

I could see you getting away just fine with having an access panel for the fuel pump. I think the rules state that it's more than 1 sq ft of material removed. I could be wrong. MWC will be doing my roll cage. I figured with a forged motor and some sort of power adder and you are looking at single digits so just to get a full cage so I don't have to worry about it.

They're not NHRA legal? I thought they were only illegal if the cross bar was removable?

It seems like I may have to decide between going fast/racing and "looking good"/slow/street as I just don't like the look of cages from what I've seen so far..

Bolt in roll bars are legal both on the street and with the NHRA as long as the crossbar is welded to the main hoop. Seems like it would be a major pain in the ass to remove them all the time though.

Bolt in roll bars are legal both on the street and with the NHRA as long as the crossbar is welded to the main hoop. Seems like it would be a major pain in the ass to remove them all the time though.

I thought that was the case with the crossbar. Good to know they're street legal.

I know it'd be a pain in the ass, but once the plates are there above/below the floor (held in with the bolts once the bars are removed) I wanna know is how long would it take to install/uninstall the roll bar?

I thought that was the case with the crossbar. Good to know they're street legal.

I know it'd be a pain in the ass, but once the plates are there above/below the floor (held in with the bolts once the bars are removed) I wanna know is how long would it take to install/uninstall the roll bar?

It would probably take 10-15 minutes to unbolt the front from the main hoop and the floor. It would probably take 15-20 minutes to unbolt the main hoop and somehow squeeze it out of the car by yourself. Then it would probably take 10-15 minutes to unbolt the rear depending on how they are positioned in the car and if you can access the rear bolts with ease. The first time removal would probably take an hour but it's hard to really say because each person is different. I understand bolting it because it makes selling the car easy but constant install and uninstall would get on my nerves. Are you street racing a lot and don't want people to know it's fast? Do you have a couple F-bodies and only want to use one bar lol? What's the reason?

It would probably take 10-15 minutes to unbolt the front from the main hoop and the floor. It would probably take 15-20 minutes to unbolt the main hoop and somehow squeeze it out of the car by yourself. Then it would probably take 10-15 minutes to unbolt the rear depending on how they are positioned in the car and if you can access the rear bolts with ease. The first time removal would probably take an hour but it's hard to really say because each person is different. I understand bolting it because it makes selling the car easy but constant install and uninstall would get on my nerves. Are you street racing a lot and don't want people to know it's fast? Do you have a couple F-bodies and only want to use one bar lol? What's the reason?

No not street racing lol, that was in my late teenager days. I guess you missed the part where I said I just can't stand the look of a roll bar setup. It's my daily driver so I don't want to see/deal with that setup, but want to still go to the track. Thank you for answering the time to install/uninstall it.

you CAN do a roll cage and it not look bad. I think the guys name on here is "1320" that did a cage and he recessed it into the body of the car and it was covered by the factory panels and headliner. maybe try to search for 1320. I found it a while back

Bolt-in rollbars are legal in uni-body cars as long as there is a top and bottom plates.

A custom bar can be done and look good (or even not seen) as said above.... but it can cost $$$.

I'd say after the second or third time putting it in you'll decide it doesn't look that bad in there

While they may be street legal with law inforcement,you need to check with your insurance carrier. Mine told me that if i had a roll bar in my car and was involved in an accident, that they would cancel my insurance. Better check!

To get a really well fitting bar you need a custom built one. My Formula has a custom bar in it made to go around the plastics but I dont run them, even without it looks great though!

you CAN do a roll cage and it not look bad. I think the guys name on here is "1320" that did a cage and he recessed it into the body of the car and it was covered by the factory panels and headliner. maybe try to search for 1320. I found it a while back

Well how do track officials check to see if it's up to specs/legal if it's covered by the interior panels...??

Well how do track officials check to see if it's up to specs/legal if it's covered by the interior panels...??

They will be able to see some part of the cage especially the bars going down to the front. The rest can be hidden and tucked away because the rules don't state it has to be visible.

I'd say after the second or third time putting it in you'll decide it doesn't look that bad in there

Plus another reason I'd like to be able to install/uninstall is I like the option of still having passengers in the rear, and since the cross bar has to be welded (not removable) then yeah...

you CAN do a roll cage and it not look bad. I think the guys name on here is "1320" that did a cage and he recessed it into the body of the car and it was covered by the factory panels and headliner. maybe try to search for 1320. I found it a while back

I can't seem to find pictures of what you're talking about.

They will be able to see some part of the cage especially the bars going down to the front. The rest can be hidden and tucked away because the rules don't state it has to be visible.

Yeah..and that goes back to my not liking the look at all.

Sounds like you need to find another car like the one you have. One for the street and one for street/strip.

The rear bars have to be welded to the main hoop as well. It would be damn near impossible to remove then. Get a convertible if you want to remove the bar, I couldn't imagine doing it in a hardtop or ttop car.

Removing and installing the bar will be old very quick.