PACCwards - The 2020 PACC Racing Challenge Car

BTW, If you go to youtube and go to the Nivlac57  you can follow along.  Don't forget to subscribe and like the videos.  There are 5 total videos on the project, 3 are part of the build series.

In reply to wheels777 :

As a former road racer I have my own set of paradigms and expectations. The cross tube (knee brace) just looks odd to me. I'm used to continuous tubes from the main hoop to the front floor anchor points. The cross tube in this cage interrupts those tubes. NHRA is OK with that? I want to put a cage in my car and that detail would make it easier when salvaging parts from the cut out cages I have laying around.

What's the wall thickness of the cage tubing? That's a lot of cage for the light weight (145#?) involved.

You guys are amazing. 

IIRC, the NHRA has very different requirements for a cage than most road race sanctioning bodies. I don't know of many places that would pass tech for road racing, but the PACC folks know what they're doing for NHRA racing.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

In reply to wheels777 :

As a former road racer I have my own set of paradigms and expectations. The cross tube (knee brace) just looks odd to me. I'm used to continuous tubes from the main hoop to the front floor anchor points. The cross tube in this cage interrupts those tubes. NHRA is OK with that? I want to put a cage in my car and that detail would make it easier when salvaging parts from the cut out cages I have laying around.

What's the wall thickness of the cage tubing? That's a lot of cage for the light weight (145#?) involved.

Not sure how the answer/comment. We actually have 4 bars that are not required and 7 that are larger than required. We are complying with this

There are 12 pages of exceptions, substitutions, additions and deletions that you have to wade thru to get the final configuration. 

In reply to wheels777 :

Glad I didn't ask about that type cage when we talked a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks again for that help.

Stampie said:

In reply to wheels777 :

Glad I didn't ask about that type cage when we talked a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks again for that help.

All the cages in our previous Challenge cars were basic 8.50 cages made of mild steel.  They require 1-5/8" D x .118" wt tubing. 

IMO a 7.50 cage would not be possible if we did not buy the pair of cars right.  They were advertised on Market Place, Calvin made an offer, we drug them home.  Interestingly, another Challenge competitor was aware of the ad and commented about it before we bought them. JG wrote a great article about building a Challenge car around that great/lucky/crazy purchase...it happens....this is that kind of build.

OK. The info helps. The diagrams show tubes 12A and 12B as continuous tubes , with tube #11 butted to both. Your cage has tube #11 passing through 12A and 12B so that they are not continuous. Is that permissible? That's the detail that looks odd to me.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

When we get it back in the car it will make more sense. Bar number 11 goes from side to side to anchor plates. That helps keep the front and rigid with the front engine and transmission.  It allows for number 17 to be a tension member. Again, I can take pictures so it will make more sense. 

It's looking gooooooood!!!

In reply to wheels777 :

Anchoring it to plates in the A-pillars makes a lot of sense. Putting more members in tension makes sense, too. I might have to replicate that detail when I do my cage since I'd like to gut most of the body out to the outer skin, just need to leave solid front pillars to hang the doors. Food for thought. Thanks

Are we all going asking about the horizontal dash bar?

If we are, yes it can be interrupted. I actually prefer it that way as a way to tie in more original structural steel then just relying on the cage material itself.

It's SFI, there are 17 ways to build the same mousetrap.

In reply to TheV8Kid :

Yeah it is.

Well, this is awkward. Lol. This car is getting Mitsubishi badges. So goodbye Talon, Hello Eclispe. Anybody need any Eclipse parts. We plan to keep all of the trim pieces (bumbers, skirts, etc) and transfer them to the other chassis.

It even has the right badge! 16 valve? Check! GS (FWD)? Check! DOHC? Uh... Lol

Anybody looking for some wheels. Looking to zero the car out.

In reply to TheV8Kid :

Automatic?!?!  Check!!!

No rear wiper provision in the tail wing?  Check!

In reply to TheV8Kid :

I eventually need the 2 side pieces of the rear wing, though if I find any local/painted white that would be my first choice. However if you still have these & I've not found any I'd be very interested in picking them up at the Challenge!

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to TheV8Kid :

I eventually need the 2 side pieces of the rear wing, though if I find any local/painted white that would be my first choice. However if you still have these & I've not found any I'd be very interested in picking them up at the Challenge!

We're planning to use the tail wing pieces. If we have the Talon tail wing it will be available. Calvin and I both prefer the look of the Eclipse. 

Between your projects and project Binky, it makes me want to take a lot of extra time to do things right the first time around.

DjGreggieP said:

Between your projects and project Binky, it makes me want to take a lot of extra time to do things right the first time around.

Posted on the beam before you get into the work area...

This is going to be good!

In reply to DjGreggieP :

This is the other sign hanging in the shop...

wheels777 said:

  So we cut the roof off and removed the cage.

 

wheelsmithy said:

wheels777 said:

  So we cut the roof off and removed the cage.

 

 

If we didn't....we would have a useless cage in a useless car. Cut the roof off, cut the cage out, fix cage, reinstall, weld roof back on, finish car, race. Not a big deal. It's just work. 

"Cut the roof off, cut the cage out, fix cage, reinstall, weld roof back on, finish car, race. Not a big deal. It's just work. "

Probably did all that after dinner on a Wednesday night, too.