Good bolt in cage or weld in cage?

[crashmy911]

So which one should I get? Also if anyone has something laying around. Please pm me about it. I would rather have a used one. If it needs plates I'm sure I could weld something up.

[aftermath]

What kind of racing are your doing, how fast is your car? I have a bolt in ( wish I didnt ) . I had large plates welded in for where the tiny bolt in ones sit. Punching through is a concern. My bolt in also means my helmet and ribs are closer to the cage than what a custom cage would have. Again not as safe. Where I live $2000 for a custom 6 point or $1000 for a 6 point bolt in. The safety differences between the two would be pretty substantial in my opinion. I bought a pipe bender and plan to redo the cage this winter , I keep improving the car and Im going a lost faster now. Starting from scratch it would be a no brainer for me, custom cage. If your talking about buying a prefab that bolts in or welds in, there isnt much difference. Custom is the way to go. Also consider the seat rails, you want to move yourself as far away from the cage\roof\door as you can.

[ErVikingo]

In addition to aftermath's comments, you must define if you are building a track car or a race car. IMHO, if its a racecar, welded is the only way as it allows for a better built cage which also allows for additional space for the occupant (bolt in has inherent compromises).

[crashmy911]

Okay so I have to have a custom cage installed. So what would be a fair price for this?T here are some local shops who do muscle cars and drag cars. Could they do my car? What would I need to do bring them some pictures. I'm cheap and know the porsche shops in the area are out of line!

[ErVikingo]

A really good one from a reputable shop approx $3500.

I got pics of mine if you need some.

[GaryR]

Be sure to build it to the rules of any group you will run (or race) with. NASA for one requires two door bars and a rear diagonal (head to floor), etc. etc..

[KTL]

Haven't used one of these myself, but Rothsport knows 911s. This one may be the best thing going in terms of pre-fabricated bang for your buck, custom fit to a 911.

Welcome to Rothsport Racing - Chassis Products

[aston@ultrasw.c]

Originally Posted by crashmy911

Okay so I have to have a custom cage installed. So what would be a fair price for this?T here are some local shops who do muscle cars and drag cars. Could they do my car? What would I need to do bring them some pictures. I'm cheap and know the porsche shops in the area are out of line!

Any shop with a decent bender, and someone who knows how to use it, can build you a cage.

I had my cage built at an Off Road shop. These guys bend tubes for cages, suspension links, frames etc.... A quick walk around the shop and it was obvious they had tons of experience.

When planning the project take the time to mock up what you want. Take pics, make sketches, make cardboard templates, even use plastic tubing. A good fabricator will want to understand exactly what is in you head, he will have tons of questions, if not, go somewhere else.

I made and installed the reinforcing plates which helped reduce the cost by a good chunk.

[Trackrash]

Why do you need a full cage? Is this needed for your class? What is your intended purpose for the car? Street, street / track, DEs, or W2W?

[ErVikingo]

Make sure that whoever is building your cage knows the regulations of your sanctioning body. Not only do they specify tube specs but also whether or not you can tie in pickup points, etc.

[KTL]

I agree there's a wide variety of shops that can do this for you. Doesn't have to be a Porsche shop, or even a road racing shop. But like Aston said, you need to make sure they understand what you're looking for. That's why I shared the Rothsport cage. It takes some of the questions or debate out of how to do things, since it's based on experience and a well done cage.

That brings up another point about the shop you choose. Some fab guys will say, i'll do whatever you want, just let me know. Other guys will take exception to any input and get put off by your bothering them- good at what they do, not good customer relations, so you have to tread lightly with how you ask them to do things. Definitely ask around. That's another reason why I shared the Rothsport cage. It's a lot easier to say, here take this and install it. Some might scoff at that and b!tch when things don't fit exactly right. However I suspect on the whole the cage kit will save you quite a bit in labor since its already pre-cut, pre-bent.

[Mahler9th]

Wow. This is easy. Sort of. Lots of generally good advice. But my first question back to you is what kind of car is it? Internet assumptions...

Anyway, if I assume a Porsche and further a 911, then I strongly encourage you to join your closest PCA region that does track events and perhaps club races and go to some events and/or meetings. Network locally to find others whom have gone through the process with local contacts that have good reputations and strong backgrounds. Look at cars.

Of course as we all get older and older, it is getting harder to find resources still in business that fabbed 911 cages back in the high days of IMSA... but that is what I would start looking for... folks familiar with Porsches with racing backgrounds.

Every once in a while folks like these visit these BB's, but I would not count on it.

Wow, your info says you are in Chalfont... not far from Warrington. Did you know that the Porsche Motorsports head man lived there back in the day? You are near the Shattenbaum PCA Region... lots of resources likely in that region. I started with them in 1987... went to my first meeting and there were about 30 people shooting the breeze with Bob Akin. I once drove a couple of hours from South Jersey just to see a special edition Porsche at Holbert's.

Anyway, if you haven't already, I strongly suggest some local networking... and the PCA can be a great place to start.