Do you really need one to begin with... that is the first question.
What you should do is find out what class you would run your car in and see if you even need a bar to begin with. I doubt that answer will be a conclusive yes...
A simple four point to tie the uni-body/uni-frame together in the back half doesnt hurt. Especially if your goal is to tie the rear suspension pick-up points together. This alone is helpful and rather simple to accomplish. Every thing else can or will bolt to that structure. In the mindset of all this... are you going to keep your rear seat ?? Are people actually ever going to sit in the back seat ?? Then how about a bolt in shoulder bar ??
I would even add a door sill bar from the main hoop, forward to a point near the door hindge/floor. This will be the most noticeable addition as for chassis stiffness. And since its on the sill... its low and not obtrusive... and stiffens up the gap between the front sub and the rear uni-body structure.
Pipe wrap is junk. Use an SFI legal BSCI 45.1 padding. There is a reason for the regulation... and it does the same thing in a race car as it will on the street. Cheap-o pipe wrap/roll bar padding does nothing for your safety.
As far as the confusion about the "daily driver roll cages"... all that you really need to retain from that is... that the proper seat and harness, when properly installed and used, is what will keep your head from hitting the roll cage. Dennis however, makes many very valid discussion points and those arguements are for real... and need to be throughly weighted out in your own mind. Building the cage with this in knowledge will lend you the insight of where you actually want to place the tube in the car. Meaning... that you dont want the main hoop 3 inches from your head... etc etc. Its basic common sense. Knowing that... tell's you that a pre-formed or kitted roll bar isnt the thing that you will want to use... as there are no pre-fabricated roll bars that are worth a crap in my opinion. They are all constructed with too much room between it and the body... which means less room for you. The tubes need to be as far from you and as tight as they can get to the body as possible.
Yup... you are right... doing that is a PITA. But then again... its done right... and with the best intentions for your own safety.
I'd say do it. Just keep it simple and well thought out.
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