so I've decided to put a 6 point roll bar in my car but i want to keep the interior intact , i got an estimate from a fabrication shop on a chrome moly , tig welded , drivers side swing out bar and fully painted with an epoxy paint for 4500$ . man that seems really expensive! But I've never had one done and my buddy's had theirs done 10 15 years ago so their cost really doesn't compare now... is this price now reasonable? it's a shop with a good reputation, 1320 fabrication in Glen Burnie MD. what are your thoughts.'

Wow, that's kinda crazy.

Mine was $600 about 4 years ago and at that time they said the price was going up right after. I think the one in my neighbors Chevelle ended up being ~$1,000 last year. Both mild steel, 6 point, unpainted. His had swingouts on both doors.

IMO a Moly bar, as you described today should be around $2500-3000. There is a lot more work involved in building a bar/cage, than most people know.

I will say painting one is a giant PITA!

i just bought a 8 pt kit from S&W in PA. $299 M/S i have a tig welder on call, C/M will be twice as much
gary

I'm sure I'll piss some people off, but "kits" fit like garbage. There is a big difference between a custom bent cage for YOUR car, vs. a kit that anyone can install.

and labor, bending, cutting and fitting mitres. also tig welding goes a bit slower than mig...

That is what i have.

Highly, highly, highly recommend the 8 point over the 6 point. The two extra bars angle down from the main hoop to the rear seat footwells and tie into the frame connectors.
Makes for a much more rigid chassis

Could you post pics? thanks.

https://swracecars.com/product/dart-dodgeswinger-plymouth-scamp-valiant-1967-1976-8-point-roll-bar/


The two bars labeled “ lateral support bars” are the two i am refering to.
We hole saw and pass those two bars through the floor boards in the rear footwells and weld them to the frame connectors.

I paid $2500 for a custom fit chrome moly 8-point installed in my wife's car (un-painted). She wanted swing-out bars and my buddy talked her out of it, and after he explained why it made perfect sense to us... He said that the swing out bars will rattle and annoy the sh#t out of you no matter how good the fit over time. So, he put a nice bend to make it easy to get in and out of the car, and we're very happy (kept the factory arm rests). The painting is a pain in the a$$. So, the extra money they are charging is probably pure labor for the amount of time it is going to take to paint! It takes a Looong time. I still haven't finished getting the trunk bars painted. Lots of masking and taping. Many hours. So, if you aren't willing to do the painting yourself, i can see it costing a lot of money!

Ha! Me either.

I do not have a ton of race car experience like some of the other guys here. That said, if you are only doing a 6 point, why bother with the Chromoly? The delta in material cost between mild steel and Chromoly is quite a bit. I'm just assuming that if a 6 point is sufficient for the plans you have for your car, then Chromoly is not a requirement.

Call Bob George racing (724-941-4251)and ask them about doing your car, they are Mopar racers and have a excellent reputation.

Thanks, I have already been on the S&W website before posting. What I wanted to see was pictures of your actual installation from a few different angles

Sounds about right. What does that include besides paint?

Materials and consumables have gone up along with everything else. Paint a bar/cage with the right paint and do it right? That's a job itself.

1320 isn't a couple of guys installing kits on the side. Glen Burnie isn't out on the side of a mountain somewhere. That's the high rent district.

So, yeah. Sounds about right.

I think it is a bit high for a 6 point roll bar. I know most shops are busy now and even heard some are charging $300 just to put you on a list.
One nice advantage you have is there are a lot chassis shops in MD and PA. I'd get another quote.

Getting one custom installed/fit to your car is the best way. However, I have seen some kits that fit pretty damn good in some Mopars and other brand cars IF patience, time and pride is taken into consideration on the install. $4500 is way over-priced for a 6-point. Look elsewhere for a quality shop.

The bar in my Dart came from S&W, everything was long so it could be fit up nice and tight. The main hoop is within 1/2" of the inner panel on each side. It's better than I expected and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. The painting is a pain but I brushed o a hammered finish paint and it came out well.

$100 a weld + material will get you close molly needs to be tig welded

DOING side bars and bars from cross bar to floor next week end, M/S tig S&W kit fit perfect

gary
yes its a cordoba

Pictures of my roll bars ... yes, needs a repainting. Also included two pictures of through-the-floor the subframe connectors. The unibody was very flexible before installation. It's very rigid now.

I bought my 12 point thru Applied Racing Technology in Clearwater Fl. a couple of years back and it fit very well up and tight (67 BBody) with plenty of extra pipe, good guys to work with and they have a good bunch of programs for about any vehicle.

That's the same kit I used in my Dart, nice stuff IMO.

Aluminum foil is your friend when painting a cage. Much better than masking paper and tape

[/quote]

I'm sure I'll piss some people off, but "kits" fit like garbage. There is a big difference between a custom bent cage for YOUR car, vs. a kit that anyone can install. [/quote]

I have had occasions in life where the truth pissed me off.
This isn't one of them.
I have installed S&W , Art Morrison and Alston kits in cars................the fit was what I made it , and trying to put one of them in " as is " just ain't happening.

Same here. I measured made sure car was level then cut and tacked it together and a friend who could weld finished it up. The car really stiffened up after adding the frame connectors and bar.