Rollcage question: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

Subscribe get a full year for only $23.95 Sample Free Test Drive—no strings attached

Oct. 18, 2009 9:06 p.m. 1966stang New Reader

I am an idiot when it comes to rollcages, so please forgive me.

However...how stupid is it to buy a $299 kit from say JEGS or SUMMIT and add what you need to to make an IT/SPEC E-30/LeMons cage?

Also, is it still standard practice to remove the top of the car to get good welds all the way around at the top of the cage? Or is there a better way to make those welds?

I've known people to also cut small patches out of the roof, weld, and then patch and paint, but that seems like a lot of work, esp. if your going to be keeping the car as an IT car for awhile.

Chris
Oct. 18, 2009 9:27 p.m. clownkiller New Reader

I bought the S&W 10 point drag cage. It was $340 delivered. It is 1 3/4" .134 ews tube. It was good enough for Lemon's, but an IT cage might need DOM tubing. Here's a link :

http://www.swracecars.com/store/MildSteelEWS-OSCAR_38.aspx

We got to the top welds by putting the cage through the rust holes in the floor, then patching.
Oct. 18, 2009 10:08 p.m. 1966stang New Reader

Cool, thanks.

Learning about DOM tubing right now. Autopower makes better cages, but they are pricey.

Chris
Oct. 18, 2009 10:12 p.m. toddgreene New Reader

In reply to 1966stang:

The Jegs/ Summit cages are not described as DOM. The IT cage must be DOM tubing.

The circle/dirt track guys do cut tops to install "universal" cages then re-weld. They either use lexan windows or do need to re-install the glass.

In IT, you'll need the factory glass re-installed. So cutting the top through the window pillars could be very expensive.
Oct. 19, 2009 12:29 a.m. Wally UberDork

I've never had to cut a roof to weld the top of a cage. Stand the main hoop up with a few tack welds, weld what you can of the halo into position, cut the tacks and tip the bars forward, weld the tops, and then stand the hoop back up and weld it in permanantly.
Oct. 19, 2009 1:33 a.m. xci_ed6 Reader

clownkiller wrote:

We got to the top welds by putting the cage through the rust holes in the floor, then patching.

If you don't have rust holes, you can use a hole saw.
Oct. 19, 2009 3:18 a.m. Spinout007 Reader

xci_ed6 wrote:

clownkiller wrote:

We got to the top welds by putting the cage through the rust holes in the floor, then patching.

If you don't have rust holes, you can use a hole saw.

Then you have drain holes without having to add them later. Pressure washer can then be used to clean the interior after rallyX!
Oct. 19, 2009 5:20 a.m. 1966stang New Reader

Actually since the next car will see some rallycross dutry, the hole thing makes a LOT of sense.

THANKS for that idea.

Chris
Oct. 19, 2009 5:45 a.m. ddavidv UltraDork

If you can't use the tip forward method, you cut holes in the floor and drop the tubes down through them. After it's welded, you plate the area to give the tube a solid, flat surface to be welded to at the bottom. It's not that big of a deal. Just make sure you don't have any fuel or brake lines running through the area first.

You can buy a kit from Kirk Racing that is competitive with Autopower. He will also add or alter things as you wish. However, realize that 'kits' don't necessarily come ready to weld together. You will likely still have to cut the chamfers on the pipes and do some final trimming.
Oct. 19, 2009 8:28 a.m. andrave HalfDork

You won't want open holes in the bottom of a rally car unless you REALLY like dirt.

You'll want to plate them up as mentioned above.
Oct. 19, 2009 8:41 a.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker Dork

andrave wrote:

You won't want open holes in the bottom of a rally car unless you REALLY like dirt.

or on a road racer either... I left a hole in the driver side floor of my E30 and in the rain last weekend at Pocono I remembered it. Nothing like a stream of ice water on your hootis to jog the memory.
Oct. 19, 2009 9:39 a.m. andrave HalfDork

what a hootis?

similar to a giant purple snorklewacker?
Oct. 19, 2009 10:02 a.m. wbjones Reader

giant ?
Oct. 19, 2009 5:18 p.m. 1966stang New Reader

A removable cover would work well.

And Rallycross gets dirt in everything anyhow....

Chris
Oct. 19, 2009 5:23 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker Dork

andrave wrote: what a hootis?

Something you should never get bedliner on either.

andrave wrote: similar to a giant purple snorklewacker?

Not at all. That is an entirely different sort of beast. I thought we were thru with all the sexual inuendo.
Oct. 21, 2009 10:37 a.m. andrave HalfDork

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

I thought we were thru with all the sexual inuendo.

it'll buff out.