Note: Toys by Troy shut down their operation at the end of 2007. Instead of removing this write-up, I am leaving it on the web site for a couple of reasons. The steps for installing it are pretty much the same as one from another manufacturer and so you’ll get an idea of what is involved if you decide to do this type of modification. If you happen to come across one on the used market, you’ll have some information about it that can help you do the installation correctly.
I had gotten enough grief from Troy over my existing sports bar that I finally gave in and opted to get one of his for Lady. Any time he would catch a ride with me, he would comment about the lack of welded in grab handles. It was all good natured kidding and eventually I found the time to switch sports bars.
Anyway, I had some extra time after I was done installing the rear bumper so Jeff broke out the parts and hardware I needed to install the sports and dash bars. He laid them out on a blanket and said to yell if I needed anything else. “Hey Jeff, got a spare Atlas II back there on the parts shelves?” (oh well….I guess not.)
With the parts laid out and ready to go, Mike grabbed a large blanket and a handful of welding claps. We draped the blanket over the seat area as I was going to be doing some cutting and grinding and catching the metal bits in a blanket make for a much easier cleanup session when all is done.
The spreaders on my existing setup were welded to the factory roll bar. With the help of a Sawsall (I know, that’s not the brand I was using but that is what everyone calls them), I separated the spreaders from the factory bar. A right angle grinder took care of the residue and in about 10 minutes, I had a nice round roll bar again. I hit it with some dark spray paint and took a break for lunch.
Don’t forget that you will need something to deal with the security Torx bolts that are used by the factory on their roll bar. (I hate those things!) Again Mike came to the rescue with a nice assortment of inside and outside Torx bits. It made short work of the two bolts.
I removed the bolts that held the sports bar on either side of the dash. With a grunt, we picked up the sports bar, completely in tact, and lifted it out of the vehicle. I grabbed the camera and took a quick pic. Half done….one sports bar removed, one sports bar to install.
Toys by Troy Sports Bar
Powder coating is used the various parts and this coating adds to the thickness of the parts. When you go to slide one piece into another, the additional powder coating can, and usually does, cause a slight clearance issue. I didn’t ask Jeff if he usually has someone run a drum sander around the inside of the tubing or not, but mine were already cleaned up when I got ready to put them together. You can see that the coating is cleaned away and will allow for an easy fit.
A few minutes were spent putting the pieces and parts together on the floor. I left the bolts loose so the sports bar could be shifted around and more easily positioned once it was placed into the tub.
Mike helped lift the sports bar into the Jeep and left me to finish up the rest of the install. He mentioned that easy access to the back dash area could be obtained by removing the speakers. OK….he talked me into it. The speakers came out and I recycled the mounting hardware that my old setup had used.
After I got everything lined up and the remaining mounting bolts loosely started in their holes, I began the final tightening process. Upon Mike’s recommendation, I left the upper mounting (the ones that tie the sports cage into the factory roll bar) until last. I used them to put a little tension on the sports bar and caused it to be pulled to the rear just a bit as the four – bolts were tightened. I then checked the windshield frame clearance and it was fine. It did not touch the sports bar.
For those that may be wondering, the low profile dash bar that was also installed does obstruct some of the air flow from the defroster vents. After the windshield was back in position and bolted into place, I kicked on the defroster and turned up the fan a bit. I had good air flow at the top of the windshield. I see no issues for the folks who need winter defrosters in order to see out of their frosty windshield.
Toys by Troy Sports Bar
I checked over the pipe insulation that had served as my roll bar padding and found it to be in good shape. No reason it could not be used again. I stopped off at the local building supply store and picked up a new bag of black zip ties. I only had white ones and I didn’t like the looks of those on the black padding. I had a new pair of Raingler handles sitting on the shelf from when I had gotten their nets and decided to put them in too. They use a hook and loop fastener and should work well.
Troy now laser cuts a “TBT” into the sports bar mount. With the padding installed and the Raingler handles in place, it was time to wrap up this project. As with the previous sports bar, I hope I never have to test this one. However, if I do, I hope I come out of it as well as Tracy did when she rolled her TJ with a TBT sports bar in it. Here is a video of the roll over.