Tuscan II Roll Bar in a Griff?

[MPoxon]

Afternoon,

I saw a Tuscan II convertible at the weekend and I really like the roll bar it has fitted. This got me thinking has anyone thought about retro fitting this roll bar to a Griff. IMO it certainly looks better than the aftermarket options currently available.

Here's in interior shot of a Tus II currently for sale at MADS in the classifieds that shows the roll bar.



Matthew

[MPoxon]

T5GRF said:

I owned a Griff 500 several years ago, the next owner fitted stainless steel roll "hoops" to the car which look very similar to the Tuscan, I have a picture of it somewhere if I can find it I will post it here.

now that does sound interesting. I would love to see some pics if you still have them.

[MPoxon]

tbdgriff500 said:

no one has mentioned tr lanes hoop rollbar,picture on my profile, also google tr lane fabrications, loads of people have fitted them and i think they really suit a griff.

I cannot see the roll bar very well in your profile picture. You don't happen to have any pictures that show the roll bars better do you?

[MPoxon]

tbdgriff500 said:

just been on tr lane fabrications website, under customer cars there is one picture of mine, shows it really well. far right hand picture.

I take it this is yours?


That looks better than most of the TR Lane bars that I have seen as it doesn't have the diagonal bar through the middle of the hoops:



It would be greatly appreciated if you could send me / post up some more pics of you roll bar if you get a chance.

[MPoxon]

tbdgriff500 said:

no probs i will do it in the morning, i specced mine that way as i wanted it to look simple, i painted it same as the car,chianti starmist and fitted it myself, took a couple of hours to do it properely and neatly, stiffened up the car and allowed me to fit harnesses.

Many thanks sir, I shall look out for those tomorrow.

I think the colour choice and the spec of the bar itself do make a bit difference as I have seen of those type which look a little out of place, where as yours being matched to the exterior colour almost looks like an OEM fitment.

[MPoxon]

tbdgriff500 said:

matt yhm

Thanks for the pictures Tim, much appreciated.

The roll bar in your Griff does look really good painted to match the exterior colour.

[MPoxon]

SteveGRF said:

Heres another option without the centre wind breaker (removed at the time of the pic).

Another view;

That roll bar looks really good as well. The hoops like as though they are slightly higher and narrower than the TR Lane version, it looks quite similar of the Tuscan II one in the first post

May I ask where you got that from?

[MPoxon]

FlipFlopGriff said:

Matt,
We've got the TR Lane's fitted to both Griffs which were at the Growl and close to wherre you were parked!!!
They have an additional cross piece between the seats as well as the cross piece like on pic 2. This was the highest spec one and it was for piece of mind, as it will be stronger with the cross members. It attached in 6 places, 3 on each side - 1 at the back end into the chassis, 1 through the plate you can see in the rear arch holding the seat belt and also 1 (I think) through the cross support piece on the end of the outrigger. As Tim said stiffens the car up.
What happened to standard by the way?
FFG

Hi Paul,

Thanks for you help last week identifying the alloy breather, that has been ordered now

Guilty as charged, my car is parked right next to Mrs FFG's car:

In my defence however, the roof is up, thus inhibiting my view of said roll bar.

Thanks for the info on the roll bar. I am coming to this years Growl so I will make a point of having a look at both of the Flip Flop Griffs in more detail.

I trying to keep the car as standard as possible by only going for what IMO are sensible modifications as to not polute the character of the car. Looking at some of the examples in this thread it would seem that they possibly enhance the looks of the car while also having the added benefit stiffening up the car and also protecting the occupants

[MPoxon]

T5GRF said:

MPoxon here are a couple of pics as promised of my old 500 with the new owners roll hoops. No idea who fitted them, but they do look nice:





I haven't seen the car for years, it did sell on here again about 2 years after I sold it in 2001. I hope it is still on the road!

WOW they are cracking pics! I do like those roll bars as it goes.... very nice

[MPoxon]

RichB said:

I agree the aluminium annodised hoops look good in the Tuscan but unless they are fitted properly around & under the trim they don't have that "factory fitted" appearance. IMO the best roll(over)bar I've seen in a Griff is this one, plain, simple and covered in leather to match the trim. Belonged to chap called Barry who used to be on Pistonheads.

I have always prefered the roll hoops as IMO the full roll bar version looks too track car like. Having said that particular example trimmed in leather to match the interior looks absoloutley fantastic.

Decisions

[MPoxon]

Marty V8 said:

Ive got a roll centre version in mine.

Hi Marty, does the roll centre version restrict how far you can move the seat back like the TR Lane version? I don't suppose you have any more pics do you?

Matthew

[MPoxon]

Marty V8 said:

Hi Matthew,

No the cage doesnt restrict the seat movement. Its bolted to the chassis rails as well so its solidly mounted.

The only negative point I have is that when I have the roof folded down, I can only see out the back between the top of the folded roof and the top horizontal bar - its a bit like looking through a letterbox.


Dont have any decent shots of the cage unfortunately, but the side view shows how it sits height-wise in relation to the seats.

Thanks Marty.... that is very striking colour combination, it looks great!

ETA - That is is lovely cobra

[MPoxon]

Podie said:

Poor photo of a Rollcentre one on our Griff...

Hi Podie, you don't happen to have a picture of your roll bar from the other angle looking from the front of the car do you?

Matthew

[MPoxon]

Podie said:

MPoxon said:

Podie said:

Poor photo of a Rollcentre one on our Griff...

Hi Podie, you don't happen to have a picture of your roll bar from the other angle looking from the front of the car do you?

Matthew

Not handy, but will take one. What is it you want to see?

If you would be so kind I was after a picture of how the roll bar looks on the rear shelf behind the seats. This kind of angle but to include the roll bar:



I am just trying to get an idea of how the Rollcentre one fits behind the seats.

Matthew

[MPoxon]

Podie said:

No problem, will venture into the garage tonight.

Thanks in advance

[MPoxon]

FlipFlopGriff said:

We have loads of stuff in the cars hence why roof maybe up. My roof was probably off (unless I was still in bed!). Main reason we had them weas for safety. I know they aren't perfect but better than nothing. Seen a couple of wrong way round Griff accidents and it isn't pretty.

Are you at Chatsworth or TAG as you can look at the setup then?
You could fit yourself but all cars are slightly different so I got Neil Garner to fit them both. I helped fit mine and it was a right bh, with straps pulling it into shape. Couldn't have done that on my own and Neil said it was the hardest one he's done - bloody typical.
FFG

I remember seeing the picture of the upside down Griff on the Tower View website which looked grim. I did try and find it again but their site appears to be gone now.

I am looking to be at TAG and the Growl but I probably wont make Chatsworth. That would be great if you could give me a brief overview of your setup at either one of those events. :-)

I would most certainly be looking to get an expert to fit said roll bar, it would only end up upside down or something silly if I attempted it with my lack of skill.

Matthew

[MPoxon]

haircutmike said:

Trouble with most of the roll bars is they are too low, especially the earlier TR Lane bar and especially if you are tall!

The tallest bar is the later TR Lane one that was built as a prototype for my car, it finishes exactly under the roof line and is high as it can go!

This bolts in 4 places, is cross braced and is very secure.

Not the prettiest but no doubt the safest.

Hi Peter,

Many thanks for sharing the pictures, I do agree that it is one of the safest out there especially with the cross bracing. If I used my car on the track quite often this roll bar would be very high up my list. Unfortunately I have ruled out this particular bar from my search as I am looking for a bar which will protect the occupants and also look good / look like and OEM part. I do not like the way the TR Lane full roll bar runs down the sides of the seats, I would also be concerned about the bar being that close to my head without wearing a lid as my car is currently purely for road use.

I agree with you on the height - a few I have seen are too low and are below the occupants head, also the low bars are difficult to see past when looking in the central mirror, especially with the roof down as well!

Matthew

[MPoxon]

Podie said:

MPoxon said:

Podie said:

No problem, will venture into the garage tonight.

Thanks in advance

Sorry, manic week at work. Will get some taken at the weekend.

Hey fella, I don't suppose you managed to get a chance to venture into the garage at the weekend?

[MPoxon]

Podie said:

No... DIY hell.

Will trot off tonight.

Oh no not the dreaded DIY!

No rush fella, whenever you get a chance

[MPoxon]

Podie said:

Taken at stupid o'clock this morning...





Hope these help. If not, let me know and I'll have another go.

That is exactly what I was after, thank you very much sir.

I like the way that the rollcentre bar you have fitted resides completely on the rear shelf and does not affect how far the seats go back.

Matthew