PT Cruiser

[t-vicky]

My buddy the carnut wants me to chop out the roll-bar on his PT convertable .  Has anyone done this?  Is it a part of the body braceing?  Is it going to get floppy if I cut it out?  Thanks for any help..

[idrivejunk]

My buddy the painter has a blue 4 door turbo he might sell cheap. Never worked on one myself other than maybe a fender bender or two, and never ever on a convertible.

[lofat46]

I would imagine that the engineers at Chrysler had a pretty good reason for putting the roll bar there.  One of them was to probably meet federal roll-over standards but an equally important reason was strength.  When you cut the roof off a car it loses a whole bunch of integrity.  That's why convertibles have extra beefy frames or additional bracing added underneath.  I would imagine a PT Cruiser would get a little "floppy" if you cut off the roll bar and did nothing to the uni-body to compensate for the removal.  Then think of your liability if you do it and your buddy hits a large bump and that PT Cruiser folds up like a clam shell.  Suddenly a buddy (or his family) becomes a litigant.

[Carnut]

Well, Chrysler was adamant that the 'Basket Handle' was not for roll over protection as stated in this quote from 'Car and Driver' review

Despite its robust sport bar--which is not there for rollover protection, according to Chrysler, but to enhance the structure and cut wind noise with the top down--the PT tends to get the shakes over rough and uneven pavement, especially in the cowl. That said, the PT's less-than-stellar rigidity doesn't adversely affect the ride, which offers a pillowlike cushion over even large undulations.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2005-chrysler-pt-cruiser-gt-convertible-short-take-road-test

As for floppiness I'm willing to chance it. I drove a Model A Ford Hiboy Coupe for many a year with a fairly flexible frame and a lot of illegal features, so I'm not real concerned about the safety of my Cruiser Convertible. Heh, heh, as I've already posted on here, I've removed the steering wheel airbag on the car with a custom steering wheel install.

As said I drove a fenderless hiboy Model A Coupe for 34 yrs and it was considered illegal/unsafe by a number of law enforcement types, especially in my early years.

I'm pretty sure the 'Sports Bar' is gonna come off, I'm aware of other folks on PT Cruiser forums who have removed the 'Sport Bar' and have no complaints about it.

Since the little car is a 'Hot Rod' in my sense of the term I'll deal with any floppiness as needed doing what needs to be done to rectify the situation as best as I can.

[Carnut]

Humm, no 'Sport Bar' or roll bar needed here? Basically a similar structure.

[kb426]

Would it be an option to make square cuts at the door line and then drive it to see if there's a problem? My thinking was an easy fix if there was a surprise.

[t-vicky]

All right, you talked me into it. Come down next week & we will see how many pieces it will come in.

[Carnut]

Yeah, KB426 that's what we had been discussing as well as making some form of strait across the car brace above the back seats, since I consider the back seats to just be a padded package tray.

Oh my point above about my Model A Ford, that is in my avi, was that the body had the floor cut out so the body was channeled the width of the frame, about 4". It just had six locations along the sides of the body with 2" angle iron welded to whatever structure was remaining along the bottom and bolted to similar 2" angle iron welded to the frame for attachment. This really was a weak structure, but it was what a teenager with limited skills could do.

I was a rat rodder before rat rodding was cool.

[GPster]

When the whole problem was brought up about convertibles by the insurance companies it was about protection for the occupants of the vehicle if it got "T" boned. The manufacturer put those roll bars in the cars as much to  protect from side impact . The "B" pillar uses the bars for added support. GPster

[Carnut]

Here's the inspiration for me actually buying the PT Conv as well as what I will try and resemble with the cruiser.



Heh, heh, I intend for the Conv to be as safe and reliable as my Model A Ford Hot Rod was or actually as all my other rides are.

Over the years I've had a couple of motorcycles and a couple of Corvettes as well as having my 77 Silverado Pickup. since new, with dual saddle tanks. and 'Side Impact' protection has never been real high on my list of concerns in life.

[kb426]

I saw the bug at Lake Afton. I liked it, too.

[Carnut]

Ok, I know you all have been waiting with bated breath for this post.

Roger and I finally cut off the 'Sport Bar' on my PT Convertible.

















































I think it looks pretty cool now.

[kb426]

2 thoughts: (I know,scary) how about you make a tie bar like the monte carlo bar on early Mustangs but drop it down after the attachment points so it's not visible from the side. Or, how about a flat bar across and you fasten a toneau cover to it and cover all the back seat for a useful storage ?

[chimp koose]

This may sound odd but the PT looks shorter front to rear with the bar gone . Must be from the lack of a visual height reference that the bar provided . I like the look .

[GPster]

Please tell us that you aren't leaving the quarter window rolled up to tape a For Sale ad on it. It does look good. GPster