If you have a roll cage and harnesses, you may find your side intrusion bars become scratched up easier than you would like. This leaves you searching for some form of roll cage covering. There are several options out there such as, padding, truck bed spray in liner, PVC pipe sleeves or the vinyl "wrappers" that are popular with the off road crowd. I wanted something would not only do its job but look good. For my requirements to be met I custom fabricated a leather roll bar cover.
If you opt for this method, here is how
to do it. Cut your leather to fit your application. On the width, figure out
how wide it needs to be then add 3/4 of an inch for the rolled edges. Next,
roll and sowed 1/4 inch of the edges down. With the newly formed "pockets",
insert a 10 gauge rigid wire. Then punch the leather with a 1/16 leather punch
every half-inch on the inside of the wire. There several lace patterns you
can use when lacing the cover to the bar. I recommend whatever you feel most
comfortable with, as you have to make a great deal of stitches in tight spots.
For lace, choose something that will look good with your application and be
tough enough to pull the leather together. Before you beginning lacing, it
helps to soak the leather down with some form or conditioner. This makes it
easier to stretch the leather onto your bar. If you're wondering, the inserted
wire is to keep the lacing from cutting into the leather. For this reason
it is important to make sure all the stitched go around the wire not over
it. The whole process is fairly painless and straightforward. The leather
cover does its job very well. So if any one is ever combing through the archives
for ideas, this may be worth a shot.