Tiebar Conversion

[Guest Duncan Venn]

Tim, when you say that the Reliant Robin rear rollbar is 'about' the right size, do you know if it fits without modification? For instance, as far as you know, do the ends fit into the bushes on the lower suspension arms?

 

Otherwise, has anyone actually machined down the Sierra roll bar? if so, how was it done (I have visions of it being on some sort of lathe with the ends flying round in some sort of health & safety nightmare!) and how much was machined off from how much of the roll-bar?

 

I will look at these options first and if they bear no fruit, would be interested in the tie bars, Tim, if you have them

 

I've got until the end of Feb to prepare the car for its grand journey (to include finding & fitting a suitable roof - anyone wanting to get rid of one, I'm in the market), so I haven't got a lot of time for major engineering works, hence my questions. I suspect that 3000km on minor roads with the existing setup will not be a good idea, so I do need to find a viable alternative

 

Duncan

[Snapperpaul]

Sorry for bringing this to the top but i have been thinking again.

On the non double wishbone cars Tim thinks that a roll bar is necessary just not as thick as the Sierra ones, the double wishbone set up does not have an anti roll bar and i hear no complaints from those blessed with the double wishbone set up about excesive roll. As the tie bar conversion is a bit like an offset bottom wishbone is it a case of setting up the springs and dampers properly?

And last but not least has any one grafted a bottom wishbone to a monocoque hood?

[Guest Tim Norman]

Yes I have found them and they are yours for nowt. As for double wishbone cars not needing them, Bull *bleep*. All cars will, and do benefit from having the correct anti roll bar fitted, just because no one with wishbones has complained doesn't mean its right. Even cateringvans have them.

[Snapperpaul]

I will be looking in to this further, what set up have you got Tim?

found this on the westfield site

[Guest Duncan Venn]

Tim,

 

Many thanks, I'll email. Quite taken with that Westfield setup - though at £236 a pop, it'd have to be the right thing - I wonder if they have the same problem at full lock as users of the tie bars seem to have

 

Duncan

[Guest Billy-no-m8s]

Hi Guys

 

Cracking little debat that....ive got an S7 with sierra roll bar and 16" alloys and boy does it rattle your fillings out.

 

I didnt know the sierra roll bars came in different 'grades' so to speak.Does any one know which sierra models had the less stiff roll bar?

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[Guest elwe]

I believe there are 7 different sizes: 21mm to 27mm in 1 mm increments. So you can hit the scrpyards with a pair of calipers and hope you get lucky.

 

I believe the older lower spec cars had the smaller sizes. Our first doner, J reg 1.8CVH, had a 26mm one and our second doner, E reg EFI Ghia, also had a 26mm. The first time round we bought a smaller size roll bar new from Ford. It was about the last one left at a regional parts depot. Last weekend we bagged a 24mm one from a 1.6 in a scrapyard.

 

Incidently on the 26mm one the fixings to the body are too far apart to fit to the plates on a 2B/4. If we had wanted to use the 26mm one we would have needed to buy the extension plates to fit it.

[Guest docter fox]

I might call in at the ford garage to check sizes on the way home, is it an easy job to change? I've never really paid much attention to it

[Guest Billy-no-m8s]

Based on that range of sizes would take much to grind down to 5mm or am i being to over confident ??

 

Nick

[Guest elwe]

is it an easy job to change?

The track control arm ends are all M16 and in the same place. The mounts to the body vary in position, though the 2B/4 has mounting holes for most of the sizes.

 

You will need new bushes for the mountings to the body because the roll bar diameter has changed. You may also need new saddle brackets.

[Longboarder]

I would have thought you would be very lucky to find a thin enough original sierra ARB to do both jobs. Better to fit tiebars to replace the sierra item and then add a separate ARB across the front of the car where cateringvans usualy have them.

 

Nigel

[Guest FIRSTBUILD]

has any one ever heard of someone cutting a "vee" groove in the middle of the anti roll bar perhaps 4mm deep -- wont break in half will it ? if it did it would still stay in place though - wouldnt it ?

[Peter Bell]

I think all the ford bars will be much too stiff. I know of someone who ground down the ford one to half its thickness in the middle so it was a D section for about 18" wide. It was still too stiff! just go to tie bars and add a skinny bar if you feel you must I am sure no-one has regretted throwing the original away.

Peter

[Grim]

has any one ever heard of someone cutting a "vee" groove in the middle of the anti roll bar perhaps 4mm deep -- wont break in half will it ? if it did it would still stay in place though - wouldnt it ?

i most certianly wouldn't do that! sounds like the perfect setup for causing fatigue in the arb, and wouldn't make much difference to the stifness. If it did break it could go anywhere - imagine a fully loaded spring snapping in the middle?

[enforcer]

Mine's a 24mm and came from a 1988 2.0 hatch. I bought a new pair of bushes for mine last week (only a few quid from Fords) - as well as the part no. they also were marked '24'. As with Forrest Gump, no need for callipers.