Decent rollcage?

[cabriniman]

Susan and I recently acquired a 240Z and want to put a roll cage in so we can race time trials at potentially all levels. If someone could look at the below link and let us know if the advertised cage is legal we would appreciate it.

thanks!

CAGE (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Roll-Bars-and-Cages-10-Point-DATSUN-Z_W0QQitemZ260358126620QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRace_Car _Parts?hash=item3c9e8dbc1c)

[delirium45]

not sure about legality, that depends on what racing organization/class/etc you're going to be running in.

One question: who would do the welding ?

after shipping and paying someone to do the welding (assuming you won't be doing that yourself) you might be better off (financially and quality wise) working with someone local.

i had a custom rollbar built for my M3 by Grant Barclay (Built-by-Bones) up in Loveland. i cannot say enough about the quality of the work. Grant has his own shop and also works with/out of the SCR shop in Loveland. Give them a call to kick things off if you're interested.

also, you may find that you want some safety that extends forward of the b-pillar... in fact i'd recommend it if you're going with a cage.

in the near future i'll be gutting my M3 and having a full cage built, BBB/SCR will be doing that work without a doubt. i'm in for updates on this thread.

good luck

[GingerGSR]

I'll second everything Garrett wrote.

I had BBB build me a touring cage over the winter...

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii127/GingerGSR/1996%20Civic%20EX%20Coupe/Cage%20Pics/Adam-002.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii127/GingerGSR/1996%20Civic%20EX%20Coupe/Cage%20Pics/Adam-008.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii127/GingerGSR/1996%20Civic%20EX%20Coupe/Cage%20Pics/photo.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii127/GingerGSR/1996%20Civic%20EX%20Coupe/Cage%20Pics/Adam-005.jpg

More pics here... http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii127/GingerGSR/1996%20Civic%20EX%20Coupe/Cage%20Pics/

The quality of his designs and workmanship are second to none. Grant has been building cages for years and is familiar with just about every type of autosport on the planet. He knows the rules and will build you a cage that will meet or exceed any requirements.

There's always those little things you never think of like harness guides, window net tabs/mounting points, seat mounts, fire system mounts that really start to add up and need to be done right.
The best part is how Grant stands by his work. If something isn't right, he'll make it right. I needed to have him redo the bar running accross the dash so I could get my OEM gauge cluster back in = Done!

Safety isn't something you want to skimp on, your life might just depend on "one silly weld" someday.

[LaCount]

I've seen a lot of cages by Grant and BBB, and can say that I've been thoroughly impressed by all of them. They do great pipe bending, welding, and are very precise in everything they do.

[John Scheier]

As someone who used to have 'kit' rollbars delivered for installation into Mustangs and F-bodies, I'd advise staying away. They usually require much more work (re: $$$) to install than just letting a good shop do the work from scratch.

The last custom bar I had made was $100 per point (6 years ago). I'm sure it is more now.

The 4-point I have in the M3 is a unit which Grant builds and then is resold via Bimmerhaus. The fit and finish on it is very high quality and I would not hesitate to drop my car off with him for a full cage (assuming I had the cajones to actually do that ;) ).

[Built-By-Bones]

wow, thanks for all the tremendous compliments you guys, I really appreciate that.

Max, the cage you link would not be legal for any SCCA events, you would at a minimum need to change
- tube needs to be DOM, drawn over mandrel (or chromoly, but I dont recommend that as it is $$$ to weld) not ERW
- double door bars, either X-style (WRC) or Nascar style. Some classes stipulate Nascar style only, some classes stipulate both for drivers side. If you intend carrying a passenger or instructor I recommend equal protection both sides
- main hoop bracing, a diagonal at a minimum, although I recommend a full X brace
- foot plates for the other points of the cage
- add a tube forward of the cage on the drivers side (at a minimum, I recommend both sides) to the firewall to prevent front wheel intrustion
- dash bar

I see that cage is $500 in DOM, figure $125 - $150 in shipping, and $1000 in weldig and fabrication. Now add in all the additional bars mentioned above, and you are going to be very close to the cost of a totally custom cage.

Built-By-Bones will not do install's of Autopower or similar cages. They never fit as advertised, and usually end up costing the car owner more than a custom cage would, while ending up with a lesser final product.

I would be happy to have you guys visit the Loveland shop, part of the growing SCR Performance empire, and we can show you some of our work and discuss your project before giving you an estimate.

Grant Barclay

[Solo2GS]

Susan and I recently acquired a 240Z and want to put a roll cage in so we can race time trials at potentially all levels. If someone could look at the below link and let us know if the advertised cage is legal we would appreciate it.

thanks!

CAGE (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Roll-Bars-and-Cages-10-Point-DATSUN-Z_W0QQitemZ260358126620QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRace_Car _Parts?hash=item3c9e8dbc1c)

I can't comment on the quality of the cage listed, but in TT it is not required to have a full cage. For your own comfort level you could likely be happy with the added safety that a 4/5 point roll bar would provide you with. At a later date you could then add to that structure if needed.

[GingerGSR]

I can't comment on the quality of the cage listed, but in TT it is not required to have a full cage.

That depends on the prep level/SOLO class of the car. Street Mod, Prepared and Modified are required to have full race safety gear. Any Club Racing car has to have the safety gear specified in the GCR for its particular class. In other words, you can’t show up in a Spec Miata and pull out stuff to make it lighter.
Some Street Mod cars (like my Civic) are given a pass due their speed potential (or lack thereof). An SM car like Mark Jr.'s or The Faucetts Monster BMW would be in the "gotta have it" category. We look at them on a case by case basis.
It’s a good reason to get any car that is intended to run in PDX/TT in for an annual tech inspection before you show up to and event and find out you can't run.

[DaveK]

I can't comment on the quality of the cage listed, but in TT it is not required to have a full cage. For your own comfort level you could likely be happy with the added safety that a 4/5 point roll bar would provide you with. At a later date you could then add to that structure if needed.

While this method could work, its better to plan ahead and do it all at once. Doing it in pieces will end up costing you more money in the long run, and in the short term, you'll have a cage that isn't complete.

Yes, dropping a tidy sum on a complete roll cage isn't fun and doesn't make the car any faster, but if you ever have an off course excursion, you'll be glad you spent the money...same goes for a HANS device.

Dave "certified rally roll cage tester (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJklaMQFrcw)" Kern

[lmichael]

Max and Susan,

With a 240Z (I have owned, raced and autocrossed many of these), if you are not already, you absolutely must become very familiar with this Z-car parts supplier: http://www.motorsportauto.com/index.html

This company can supply you with anything you'll ever need for your 240 (I'm already jealous).

[nasa-rm]

Buyer beware with a cage kit purchased off the internet. I'd be leery of anyone who sells NHRA certified 10 point cages if you plan to use it for a road course. The NHRA rules are sometimes significantly different than those used for road racing bodies. Not that there is anything wrong with NHRA rules, they just are different and if you planned to show at a road racing event you could find yourself with a cage that won't be approved.

One of my favorite shops for cages (in addition to BBB) is Hanksville Hotrods in Highlands Ranch. They are becoming experts at cutting internet cage kits and "inexpensive u-weld" out of cars and re-caging the car with a custom :rolleyes:.

[SalineCO5]

I learned my lesson with my first autocross car, a convertible 96 Mustang GT. Bought an Autopower 4 point bar, went to install it and found that the passenger side rearward bar wasn't at the same angle as the other one. Too much of a PIA to return it, made it fit anyways.