The "ultimate" cage/rollbar thread

Britain Smith · 08-31-2004, 12:25 PM

I am going to be putting a cage in my car next week and I wanted to get some ideas. If you have pictures of the cages or rollbars, bolt-in or welded-in, through the firewall, etc. post them here please.

This picture is not my car, but exactly what I want to do in the engine bay, through the firewall...

-Britain

Britain Smith · 08-31-2004, 02:26 PM

Come on guys...give me some ideas.

-Britain

MichiganMat · MichiganMat's Garage

me likey pretty pictures

jpachard · 08-31-2004, 02:40 PM

Britain, I did the cage in your first picture. PM me if you want some more info, I do this as my business.

Cheers, James

obrut · 08-31-2004, 02:58 PM

i would check the rules of your race series first - most will specify mounting arrangements and many do not allow suspension points to be tied into the cage

thethrill · 08-31-2004, 08:23 PM

Here is a pictue of the front area of my track car cage. It is stitch welded to the side of the tub and is fully welded to the suspension pan, above the suspension mount areas. It is made from 1.5" .095" DOM which is the SCCA and PCA requirement for cars under 2,500 lbs.

Good luck !

Britain Smith · 08-31-2004, 08:29 PM

Awesome Cage design James...

I really like the way that you attached in the rear suspension points. I am going to get a rollbar welded in and I am probably going to go through the rear firewall to the framerails like you did. I couldn't decide if the crossbar should attach at the framerail similar to the pic below or if it should just go to the firewall like your cage above. Any ideas?

-Britain

jpachard · 09-01-2004, 05:30 AM

Britain,
In regard to your crossmember, it depends on the motor you are using. It might cause an issue with intake components if run as shown in the picture. Please remember that a cage should be welded with the car loaded on the suspension points to alleviate as much post welding stress and distortion issues as possible. Ryan also made an excellent point regarding series rules. The PCA rulebook is pretty straigtforward wheras the SCCA one is like reading leagalize. They mention tube thickness and diameter and after that it's very class dependent. Please feel free to e-mail me offline with any other questions you might have. I have run some FEA for different Porsche models and have a good baseline of where to start.
Remember too that one of the most important aspects of a well constructed cage are the welds. Make sure that your fabricator is a certified welder and is familiar with joint design as per AWS( American Welding Society) codes.

Cheers, James