Cage Question: upper windshield crossbar re-enforcement

Hey all,

Question to the masses - Does anyone know if the ~45* tube re-enforcement that most people put between the 1/2 laterals and the upper windsheild crossbar is actually required by FIA regs? NASA says they are specifically not required, but the FIA is somewhat hard to follow in that regard, and i'm under CARS.

I sanding the cage down for paint and noticed that I don't have em (for what reason escapes me) ad I already have my logbook... which leads me to believe they are not required. FIA regs lead me to believe both that re-enforcement and the 1/2 lateral to main hoop re-enforcement are also (253.31) optional.

I just want to pull the windshield now (with a broken one) and do them if required, rather than waiting until I find a good windshield, am forced to do them, then having to remove and likely break a hard to find windshield...

If you were recently issued a logbook without the reinforcements, don't worry about them.

Quote

Reinforcement of bends and junctions
The junctions between:
- the diagonal members of the main rollbar,
- the roof reinforcements (configuration of Drawing 253-12
and only for cars homologated as from 01.01.2007),
- the doorbars (configuration of Drawing 253-9),
- the doorbars and the windscreen pillar reinforcement
(Drawing 253-15),
must be reinforced by a minimum of 2 gussets complying
with Article 253-8.2.14.
If the doorbars and the windscreen pillar reinforcement are
not situated in the same plane, the reinforcement may be
made of fabricated sheet metal, provided it complies with
dimensions in Article 253-8.2.14

That says to me that a reinforcement between half lat and header bar don't need reinforcements.

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First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

Excellent. Thats how I read it too.

That said... if its easy, it might not hurt adding them now.

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First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

It's never been required. It's a uniquely North American bar that I've never seen used anywhere else.
You do sometimes see a taco gusset in that junction in some of the Euro cages but almost never a bar.

Not to get too into the epidemiology of it, but it's popularity recently really seems mostly tied to it's use by Jackson Rally in California cages, though that's maybe a bit different than what you are talking about in that they bend the windshield bar so that the interconnect piece and w/s bar both meet the half lateral around 45 degree angles and form a 90 at their junction 6" or so into the center of the car.

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Grant Hughes

Ok. I will if I can secure a windshield before I paint. If not, then I'll grind off paint and do them at a different point if needed.

I just don't want to have a car sitting with no windshield to put in it but otherwise finished.

Quote
NoCoast
It's never been required. It's a uniquely North American bar that I've never seen used anywhere else.
You do sometimes see a taco gusset in that junction in some of the Euro cages but almost never a bar.

Not to get too into the epidemiology of it, but it's popularity recently really seems mostly tied to it's use by Jackson Rally in California cages, though that's maybe a bit different than what you are talking about in that they bend the windshield bar so that the interconnect piece and w/s bar both meet the half lateral around 45 degree angles and form a 90 at their junction 6" or so into the center of the car.

From 3 years ago.
http://www.rallyanarchy.com/phorum/read.php?1,57557,page=5

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http://www.huebberally.com