Bull-bar/ winch bar for airbag RRC

[POD]

Can anyone give me some info on fitting a bullbar and winch to a 1994 soft-dash classic Rangie? I had assumed that I would need a specific type of bar rather than transplanting the bar off my 1988RR complete with winch; however, the SRS-airbag activating doohickeys on the chassis rails appear to be accelerometers/ G-force meters rather than crush cans- does this mean that any old bar can be fitted and the airbags will be unaffected? It would be great if I can swap my old bar onto the new vehicle with just a paint job, but I don't want to risk stuffing up the airbag system.

[justinc]

You will still need an SRS compatible bar/ crush cans. There are ways to engineer a standard bar to suit, IE collapsible/ slip joints in the mounting plates, but this req intervention from an engineer etc to be legal.
I would just hunt around for an SRS bar from a D1, they are the same mountngs etc and look good on a RRC. I have an ARB winch bar on my LSE, it came of a D1 and looks excellent.

JC

[POD]

Thanks for the response Justin. I thought it would have to be a discovery bar- I assume the clasic RR with airbags was not around long enough for the bar manufacturers to bother. I don't understand the principles involved with crush cans etc- not something I have ever needed to look into and was not around back when I was in the motor trade. Just have to trust this one to the experts and buy a SRS compatible bar I guess.

[rovercare]

Thanks for the response Justin. I thought it would have to be a discovery bar- I assume the clasic RR with airbags was not around long enough for the bar manufacturers to bother. I don't understand the principles involved with crush cans etc- not something I have ever needed to look into and was not around back when I was in the motor trade. Just have to trust this one to the experts and buy a SRS compatible bar I guess.

Seeing as your in Drouin, would you be interested in an SRS compatible ARB winch bar from a Disco for $650:angel:

[r.over]

A disco bull bar will have a different shape for the front panels and will not look as neat as a RR one. You will have gaps between the bar and the grill.

The thing with airbags is that they only inflate for milliseconds. It is all about the timing. An incorrect bull bar may cause the vehicle to slow too quickly and therefore deploy the airbags too early. They will therefore be deflating before you get to them.

I have seen a Range rover bull bar fitted with crush cans on an LSE, but it was a custom job where the crush cans were fitted to a standard classic bullbar.

There are bullbars that are airbag compatible that do not have crush cans. It is all about how it deforms in an accident. From memory I think that TJM bars are ones that don't have crush cans. Therefore you may find that their classic bar is still airbag compatable.

[justinc]

My Disco1 ARB bar fits the LSE like a glove. The front panels etc are a perfect fit, even across the front it looks fine. I would'nt hesitate selling them new to fit RRC's.
The TJM one I saw fitted to Shortys D1 on the other hand was quite different on the sides, and I reckon wouldn't look as good as the ARB one.

And I have a TJM winch bar on my RR, and it says definately not SRS compatible.

JC

[rovercare]

The Disco bar is a reasonable fit, doesn;t look out of sort

In regards to the TJM bar, bet they never complianced them as airbag compatible to suit the classic, despit being virtually the same car as a disco, keep in mind their was about 10 soft dash classic built:D








The figure is a joke, but you get the point:p

[r.over]

A Disco airbag bullbar would still not be legal on a Rangie. The bullbar has to be certified for the vehicle. As they would not have tested it for a Rangie it would still be illegal to use it on it. So you might as well use the classic bar you have in regard to legality. In regard to airbag deployment, there are a thousand other things that affect whether the deployment is correct, eg what you hit, how you hit it, whether your seat is set all the way forward or all the way back, how heavy the occupant is, etc, etc, etc. So whether the Rangie bull bar will make a difference in the end is unclear.

[rovercare]

A Disco airbag bullbar would still not be legal on a Rangie. The bullbar has to be certified for the vehicle. As they would not have tested it for a Rangie it would still be illegal to use it on it.

Well done Sherlock:p

But if he wants a bar, that is airbag compatible, this is the way to do it;)

[justinc]

Legal schmegal.

The D1 and the late RRC still use the same chassis and they are about the same dimensions/ weight etc. Even the softdash RRC's share a 'MA' onwards D1 firewall and dash.

I agree that they may not have it written on the bar, but it is in all intents and purposes the same vehicle in a engineering sense.

I'd like to see them try and prevent you from using one on that basis.

Then again, more stupider things have been known to happen in the world of vehicle licensing and allowable mods...:mad:


JC

[r.over]

I'd like to see them try and prevent you from using one on that basis.
I suppose I should have clarified my comments. In Victoria it would be illegal to fit virtually any bullbar to a airbag rangie classic. The bullbar has to be tested for that particular vehicle and since only 10 (repeat of joke) LSE Aibag classics were ever imported, they would have not tested them on it.

You can get around this by finding a bullbar that was certified by Landrover for that vehicle. So if Landrover sold a bullbar as an accessory, or recommended a certain bar for that model, you can legally fit it.

The vehicle laws are stupid, but ours is not to question why.

[CapeLandy]

Like the saying goes "in a Landy, the vehicle in front is the crumple zone":angel:

[POD]

Been away from the pooter for a bit- thanks for the replies. I figured the fact that there were only a brief run of these vehicles would cause problems- I remember seeing new vehicle sales figures in 1994 and the figure of 10 Rangies was closer to the truth than you might think!
Rovercare, I'd be interested to have a look at your disco bar.
The only reason I need a bar at all is to put my winch on it, it has the factory option bullbar arrangement on it. Guess I can always just carry my big tirfor, but the electric winch is sure nice when you need it.
I've had a vague idea to mount a winch under the centre of a vehicle for a long time, like the big old inter army trucks. Wonder if anyone has attempted this.

[rovercare]

Been away from the pooter for a bit- thanks for the replies. I figured the fact that there were only a brief run of these vehicles would cause problems- I remember seeing new vehicle sales figures in 1994 and the figure of 10 Rangies was closer to the truth than you might think!
Rovercare, I'd be interested to have a look at your disco bar.
The only reason I need a bar at all is to put my winch on it, it has the factory option bullbar arrangement on it. Guess I can always just carry my big tirfor, but the electric winch is sure nice when you need it.
I've had a vague idea to mount a winch under the centre of a vehicle for a long time, like the big old inter army trucks. Wonder if anyone has attempted this.

Centre mount winch is ALOT of work and not worth it, in my useless opinion:D

Its actually in Mirboo north at the moment but can grab it and you can drop in and have a bo peep:)