Has anyone tried fitting a roll bar into the tight ssr cockpit ?
Also, can the whole top assy be lifted out as a unit, I heard somewhere that is how they are installed ? If a roll bar will fit and the top assy can be removed without damaging anything, it would be an easy way to shed about 900 lbs for racing, take off the lid covering the bed too and that is probably another 150 lbs or so, 1000 lb weight reduction should knock off about one whole second in 1/4 mile times.
Has anyone tried fitting a roll bar into the tight ssr cockpit ?
Also, can the whole top assy be lifted out as a unit, I heard somewhere that is how they are installed ? If a roll bar will fit and the top assy can be removed without damaging anything, it would be an easy way to shed about 900 lbs for racing, take off the lid covering the bed too and that is probably another 150 lbs or so, 1000 lb weight reduction should knock off about one whole second in 1/4 mile times.
You might check with WildDesertWolf (Hank). I believe he is working on one... or at least looking into installing one.
ASC did something like that on the ASC Diamondback. . Removed the folding roof and replaced it with a longer fixed carbon fiber roof that extended over the roof tub. That and a few other changes saved about 1000 lbs. Click on the thumbnail for a better look. and a complete description at this link: 2004 ASC SSR Diamondback based on Chevrolet SSR Maybe they have some of those roofs left, or the molds. It could probably be made removable manually. It would certainly give plenty of room for roll bars and storage behind the seats.
Last edited by FlashBack : 04-13-2008 at 04:32 PM.
Your not alone.
I'm sure several have pondered this.
Does not seem possible without sacrificing the convertable top.
If your looking just to drag, check out SSRdragster w/ the search tool.
JTR
Yes, the complete roof assymely can be removed as one unit but it isn't a simple job. I have done it in class at the training center and it took about an hour but then we not in any rush.
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I remember the Diamondback as being about 1000# lighter than the standard SSR, but besides the roof it had some other carbon fiber parts also, the hood and the deck lid.
I tend to agree w/ Jim G.
I still have not seen an interior picture of the diamond back.
Was the wall behind the seats removed?
JTR
The space behind the seats was used for storage, extended center console and subwoofer. Check out the link on my post #3 of this thread for a full description. I also found where I had read about the 1000# weight saving from a 2005 thread
can't get the link to work, but it works from the origional thread started by kwhopper89 in sept 28/05
Last edited by FlashBack : 04-13-2008 at 11:06 PM.
Could be you are right. It's not important enough to me to research the details as to the exact figure. However, if one is willing to give up the power roof feature on their SSR for performance, there is a substantial weight saving benefit, and the weight saved is high up on the truck, so the center of gravity would be lowered. Not only would straight line performance be improved but handling qualities would likely benefit too.There certainly would be room for roll bars which was the original question of this thread.. Personally, I like my SSR with the roof as it is and took care of some of the performance issues by adding the supercharger.
As a side note, but along the same line, I have had many convertibles over the years and have noticed that most of them handle better with the roof down. The heavier the roof the more noticeable. I assume that the center of gravity is moved down and the weight bias is shifted rearward. Heck, with a steel roof, the vehicle may even hook up better when down.
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