Roll bar bolts

[Silver Square]

You mean headache racks?

No, more like this https://blackhorseoffroad.com/c-1289329-products-truck-bed-accessories-roll-bars.html

 

[78C10BigTen]

No, more like this https://blackhorseoffroad.com/c-1289329-products-truck-bed-accessories-roll-bars.html

Yea like the new colorados have

 

[Grit dog]

Yea like the new colorados have

Everything old is new again. Like the racer backs on squarebodys and similar era trucks.

 

[78C10BigTen]

Everything old is new again. Like the racer backs on squarebodys and similar era trucks.

I just bought the lighted lund moon visor for my s10, the guy had the razor back too but they dont really tickle me

 

[Sad Sack]

I’m dense this morning maybe. Not understanding the connundrum.
Holes in mount plates aren’t made for a carriage head to grab so sort rules out carriage bolts. And there’s just bolting to the bed floor, not through the frame, correct?
I’m not seeing the use for blind nuts, press in nuts etc. or are you wanting to put nut serts in the floor because can’t reach the locations underneath?
Regardless, 24 bolts seems excessive. Especially since it’s for show. I’d probably forego half the bolts. That’s a lot of holes and drilling for a big chrome light bar! (But it will looks cool as hell!)
Would have likely found a chrome “roll bar” for the 86 to complete the look but it has to fit thru a 7’ tall garage door sometimes and it clears the rubber door opening trim by about negative 1/4” lol. It will clear again once the tires are half wore out!

Or just a let some air out and pull it in.

 

[Grit dog]

Or just a let some air out and pull it in.

Well it would be very time consuming to flatten 4 tires and then air them back up everytime it gets driven. Would defeat the purpose of about ….everything. And even if that worked, it wouldn’t account for lights on top of the rollbar.

 

[Grit dog]

I just bought the lighted lund moon visor for my s10, the guy had the razor back too but they dont really tickle me

Not my jam either but I dig the visors on most 70s-90s trucks.
I was gonna visor delete the 86 when we restored it because I thought it was the cause of the windshield frame rust. But it wasn’t so it got to stay!

 

[bigcountry78]

I believe the original hardware would have been a flush mount bolt on both sides of the tube, one being male and the other being female. Similar to a couple that Ricko posted.

That’s exactly what was in that one you got from me. One bolt was male, one female, both with Allen heads on them. They met in the middle of the bar and screwed into each other, leaving only a dome shaped Allen head on each side.

 

[Silver Square]

Well, the stuff I ordered last time didn't work, there were ribs on the shank of the binding barrel toward the head that were too large to fit through the hole. I suppose I could have hammered it through, but the chrome finish on them wasn't really good, and the screw head on the other end didn't fully cover the hole in the bar. I found some chrome plated 1/4-28x1.25" allen drive button head cap screws, chrome plated 5/8" diameter washers, and some 23/64" diameter by 3/4" long coupling nuts in the same 1/4-28 thread pitch that I can use. The coupling nuts can be used at each end to make the 1/4" bolts thick enough to fit snugly in the holes (it'll be 1/64" smaller than the diameter), and again in the center to join the screws together. I got a 1.25" long one for the middle. Far from an ideal solution, but it is amazingly difficult to find chrome plated hardware in the correct diameter and length with matching thread pitch. It's like the world's fastener manufacturers sat down and had a summit meeting and decided to make it impossible to join 3" chrome tube together stylishly lol. I had to order some of it from McMaster and some from Hillco Fastener Warehouse. Fingers crossed the chrome finish on the cap screws is nice. That place doesn't have a local store I can return it to. If it's no good, I guess I'll just have to get them re-chromed properly. Hopefully something that small will be cheap and not take another 8 weeks. I can't believe It costs $250 for some damn fasteners... and I haven't even got anything nice to hold the top hoops together yet, not sure what the thread pitch is on that. I need to take one in to work and use the sizer. Then I still need 24 bolts, nuts and washers to hold the feet down to the bed floor. I bet I end up with almost $500 worth of bolts lol. Anyone have any idea how long of a bolt I'd need to hold it down to the bed floor? I know the gas tanks are right there, I don't want to get something too long.

 

[Silver Square]

I finally pieced together some chrome/stainless hardware that works and looks great, if anybody is interested. This should work for any double/single rollbar with 3" tubes. Here's the parts list.

To join the tubes together:

Order 12 of these: https://www.mcmaster.com/90202A204/
Order 6 of these: https://www.mcmaster.com/93282A180/
Order 2 packs of these (need 12 of them): https://www.mcmaster.com/93960A120/
Order 12 of these: https://www.hillcofasteners.com/details/item?itemID=CH250F125B

Put a washer on each cap screw, followed by the 3/4" long coupling nut (screw it all the way down flush with the head of the cap screw). Then screw the 1-1/4" long coupling nuts onto 6 of these assemblies. Push those through one side of the rollbar, and tighten down on the other side with the remaining 6 assembled cap screws. You may want to order a few extra coupling nuts and screws. Several of mine wouldn't thread, they were buggered on arrival. Junk, like everything else made today. These coupling nuts fit very snugly into the holes in the tubes, like they were made for it. It holds it nice and secure, no wiggle at all. The chrome finish on the cap screws and washers is described as "show quality" by the seller, and they aren't lying. They are NICE.

To join the top bracket to hold the double hoops together (Only needed for a double/single):

Order 2 of these: https://www.hillcofasteners.com/details/item?itemID=CH440SAE
Order 2 of these: https://www.hillcofasteners.com/details/item?itemid=CH380C100B

I haven't ordered the hardware to attach it to the bed floor yet. Upon getting the rollbar firmly joined together, I noticed this:

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Is it normal for the rear bars that go to the wheel tubs to be splayed out like that? I tried swapping them side to side, and that made it way worse. I don't have my truck currently to test fit... Really hoping my rollbar isn't messed up. Anybody with a vintage rollbar like this one got any feedback? I guess I could just leave off the outer coupling nuts and turn them more inward if mine is bent. I don't think it's bent, it seems to fit perfectly every other way.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I finally pieced together some chrome/stainless hardware that works and looks great, if anybody is interested. This should work for any double/single rollbar with 3" tubes. Here's the parts list.

To join the tubes together:

Order 12 of these: https://www.mcmaster.com/90202A204/
Order 6 of these: https://www.mcmaster.com/93282A180/
Order 2 packs of these (need 12 of them): https://www.mcmaster.com/93960A120/
Order 12 of these: https://www.hillcofasteners.com/details/item?itemID=CH250F125B

Put a washer on each cap screw, followed by the 3/4" long coupling nut (screw it all the way down flush with the head of the cap screw). Then screw the 1-1/4" long coupling nuts onto 6 of these assemblies. Push those through one side of the rollbar, and tighten down on the other side with the remaining 6 assembled cap screws. You may want to order a few extra coupling nuts and screws. Several of mine wouldn't thread, they were buggered on arrival. Junk, like everything else made today. These coupling nuts fit very snugly into the holes in the tubes, like they were made for it. It holds it nice and secure, no wiggle at all. The chrome finish on the cap screws and washers is described as "show quality" by the seller, and they aren't lying. They are NICE.

To join the top bracket to hold the double hoops together (Only needed for a double/single):

Order 2 of these: https://www.hillcofasteners.com/details/item?itemID=CH440SAE
Order 2 of these: https://www.hillcofasteners.com/details/item?itemid=CH380C100B

I haven't ordered the hardware to attach it to the bed floor yet. Upon getting the rollbar firmly joined together, I noticed this:

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Is it normal for the rear bars that go to the wheel tubs to be splayed out like that? I tried swapping them side to side, and that made it way worse. I don't have my truck currently to test fit... Really hoping my rollbar isn't messed up. Anybody with a vintage rollbar like this one got any feedback? I guess I could just leave off the outer coupling nuts and turn them more inward if mine is bent. I don't think it's bent, it seems to fit perfectly every other way.

Gonna have to be a keep all the bolts loose until you get them ALL in their holes and then tighten everything down a little bit first, then a round of final tightening. Maybe use a ratchet strap around both legs when mounting, would help.

Either it is what it is and that's what you do, or risk possible damage trying to correct it.

 

[Silver Square]

Gonna have to be a keep all the bolts loose until you get them ALL in their holes and then tighten everything down a little bit first, then a round of final tightening. Maybe use a ratchet strap around both legs when mounting, would help.

Either it is what it is and that's what you do, or risk possible damage trying to correct it.

I think I figured out that it's a Ford rollbar. The ford bedsides curved upward from the top of the wheel tubs to the bed side according to some replies I've got on FB. I'll need to just leave out the rear bar bolts, or make some wedges to put under the legs so there is a flat surface to bolt down to the bed. Well, not me... the guy I'll be paying to deal with that nightmare lol. I don't work on cars any more for this reason exactly. I was told it was a square body rollbar. The guy had it in the back of his square in the ad photos. So I just assumed it was. Honestly, I assumed that they were all universal back then. Never even crossed my mind that there would be different ones for Ford/Chevy/Dodge. They were all so similar back then. It was the right overall size and shape for a full size short bed fleetside, so I bought it.

 

[Silver Square]

I got the rear legs to sit level. I just took the 3/4" coupling nuts off my cap screws and that allowed just enough clearance to rotate the rear bars inboard and still be able to bolt them together with the central 1-1/4" coupling nut. Can't even tell anything is amiss. A washer or 2 on the outside wheel tub bolts will be enough to make it work just fine. Now the question is will it be too long. I know '70s short bed Fords are 7 or 8" longer in the bed than our trucks. I'm hoping that the shape of the front upright bars isn't too radically different between Ford and Chevy. I guess I'll find out when/if I ever get my truck back. Could somebody with a short bed fleetside truck please measure the distance from the front wall of the bed to the end of the flat top surface of the wheel tub? This rollbar is around 45" from the front upright to the end of the rear wheel tub leg. Thanks!

 

[bucket]

I have always assumed that the roll bars for a full sized truck at the time, were designed to fit all three makes.

 

[Silver Square]

I have always assumed that the roll bars for a full sized truck at the time, were designed to fit all three makes.

That's what I figured too. Which is why I just bought it without questions lol.