I am currently lookin at adding a rollcage to my 66 deluxe which is going to be getting a few presents for her 40th bday...

I am going to be getting her repainted (stripped back to bare shell and totally resprayed in nice Daytona Blue from the Nissan 350z), buying her a reco'd 1275 A+, some 8.4" discs, some nice bucket seats, AND a rollcage...

now...are they illegal? I live in QLD and have heard they are illegal in NSW...in some cars that are designed with safety in mind with crumple zones etc. i can understand that rollcages might actually do more harm than good...but in a mini yer basically in a glorified tin-can...and if yer hit (especially from the side) yer ****ed...surely rollcages with side intrusion protection bars, FIA approved bucket seats (Sparco, Cobra, Corbeau etc) and 4pnt harnesses would be a win in such a car...

does anyone know if its illegal or not? what are the pros and cons of having one? should i get 1/2 or full?

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE

A roll cage is a great idea as long as you wear a helmet.
You talk about safety but you want to add something that will kill you if you hit your head against it.
If you are worried about driving a tin can, sell the mini and buy something with an airbag.

BTW, I have been knocked out in a prang by hitting my helmet against the roll bar in a side on crash.

Isn't that what padding on the cage is for? Surely if the cage is well padded near both passenger and driver the danger of hitting your head on the cage would be reduced significantly. Plus I will be getting fairly robust and well padded bucket seats (something like http://www.cobraseats.com/item.asp?pg=M ... &opt=RERE2 ). Shouldn't they give some head protection?

Also, would the danger of hitting my head still exist if I got a 1/2 cage? instead of a full cage? It would surely provide fairly good reinforcment of the main cabin but ofcourse not the side entry protection that a full cage would provide...

PS. It would probably be a good idea to make helmets compulsory for drivers anyway i would think it would reduce fatalities and brain damage resulting from car accidents significantly. inconvenient yes...but then so is death

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE

i wanted a roll cage cause i thouht it would look cool but prob just a waste of $$$ spend you money on something else

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I knocked myself out by hitting helmet against a padded roll bar!
What would it do without the helmet?
The seats may stop your head from going backwards but it will not stop you from going sideways.

The safest thing you can do in a mini is not crash it.
Spend your money on things that will help you avoid crashing like brakes, suspension and steering and it will be a better investment in safety.

I wouldnt buy it because of the way it looks. I like the way the mini interior looks stock. The only reason I am considering it is the potential added safety that it MAY provide.

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE

Hehehe, noted. Well I guess not having it will save alot of money. Even 1/2 cages (rear only) are that dangerous? I see lots of minis in miniworld and mini magazine from the UK with rollcages. They seem to be daily drivers too. What are their owners thinking?

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE

They are probably thinking "If I fit a shiny roll cage I will get in Miniworld!"

Yeah true...people do alot of other HORRID things to minis to get theirs in there...

So...since I am never going to crash this mini, should I even bother with bucket seats and harnesses?

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE

A harness is a great idea for the track. But think about what a pain it is to adjust 4 different points every time you change drivers. Or what a pain it is not to be able to reach the key (early cars) or change cassettes (clubmans) On a long trip you get sick of the pressure of being tied into the seat.
Inertia reels are a lot more comfortable in the long run and are safer than a loose harness or a harness that is badly mounted.

Well at the moment she's got non-retractable sash-style belts. So I am used to adjusting the damn things all the time. Plus I prolly wouldnt let anyone else drive my mini. Atleast not on a regular basis. People know I am pretty precious about my cars. If you get to drive my car then you have well and truly earned my trust. The passenger on the other hand might get annoyed with the whole rigamarole...I probably wouldnt mind using it on the track as well as a daily driver. Not sure about harnesses anymore. I dont feel particularly unsafe in the mini as is...but if you do get hit...yer pretty much screwed...and you dont always see it coming...

I am tossing up between going a full race interior (bucket seats, harnesses, rollcage) or a leather version of the current, original interior (which is vinyl)...the racing interior would weigh alot less and give more performance...but then the original interior would be more true to the style of the mini...but would also cost like $4000ish...

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE