33 Coupe Interior 39        11/13/04

I had the down-bars that go through into the trunk area bent because of how the body is shaped. I was thinking that if they were bent, it would make the installation easier so they wouldn't interfere with the body. The one drawback is that you loose a lot of strength by bending them. I was told by an NHRA tech guy that I was okay to bend them up to 30 degrees so this is what I had them bent to. I started by using a piece of welding rod and bending it at the same angle the tube was so I could get a good idea of how big of a hole I needed to make through the bulkhead. I ended up bending four different pieces of welding rod with the same bend but different lengths to simulate the tube being cut to different lengths. I drilled a 1/4" hole in the bulkhead to poke the welding rod through in the place I thought that would work. After placing the welding rod through the hole, I needed to drill in a different place and tried the fit again. I now thought I had the starting place and used a 1 3/4" hole-saw and did some cutting. The reason for the 1/4" hole to begin with is because this is the size of the pilot drill in the hole-saw. If you've ever tried to use a hole-saw without the 1/4" pilot drill, you'll know why I did this because it will jump around all over the place and not let you cut. 
 

 

 

After some trial fitting with the welding rod, I didn't like the way it was going to fit so I tried a straight piece to see how it looked. The NHRA rule book says that you can have the down-bars a maximum of 5" below the main hoop to start the trip back into the trunk area. The straight piece looked like it was going to work and I didn't think they would which is why I had them bent in the first place. I cut a piece at 39" and started grinding it to fit the main hoop. 
 

 

 

After making a hole in the bulkhead large enough for the bent piece, then switching over the the straight one, I had an opening way larger than I needed or wanted. The good news is that the straight piece is going to work which means it will have much more strength. The one thing I had to make sure of is to have the down-bar clear my upholstery that was already finished in the trunk area. The bar is going to be very close to one panel but I think it will work. I have a clamp holding the tube from falling through the hole I made in the floor of the trunk so I can see how long I need to cut it off at. 
 

 

 

To help me hold the tube in place, I used my old friend blue masking tape. This stuff works great for a third hand if you ever need to hold something for short periods of time. In this shot, you can see how it's not at the top of the main hoop. I marked a spot five inches down from the top and started fitting the down-bar in that location. You can also see how large the opening for the tube is.....yikes!! The other side will be much smaller now that I know what I'm using.
 

 

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