ericbauer Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Hi all, I'm looking to put a 6-8pt cage in my Z. This is for track days & the car is rarely if ever driven on the street - it is not for sanctioned competition. I'm on the tall side of things (6'3"), so I need a b-pillar hoop that is as close to the roof as possible. I looked at a couple different cages, but because I have a 73, I have the extra pockets in the floor sheetmetal for the stock retracting seatbelt mechanism that earlier S30s don't have. The Japanese Cusco / Safety21 cage for example lands right on top of this 73+ sheetmetal difference - not ideal... You'd have to through bolt through the seatbelt pocket to get to the underside sheetmetal... The Autopower 6pt bolt-in attaches to the rear wheel well instead of the floor behind the seat & that works better for my car. However I've sat in a friend's 70 240Z and head-room wise it feels tight - especially with a helmet and roll bar padding. Does anyone have any objections against me making some spacers to fit between the Autopower bolt-in and the floor / wheel well to space it UP as close as possible to the roof. I get that it's not ideal for CG - but again this is not for competition. I figure I might be able to get about 1" out of that - every little bit helps. The only reason I'd want a bolt-in over a weld-in is for the flexibility of potentially one day pulling the dash out if I needed to. I guess I could always hack up my dash so that it can be removed with a weld-in... Another option... If I do end up going for weld-in, is there a consensus for always opting for a custom made one rather than using a pre-fabricated one size-fits-all? Thanks for your time, -e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Question, if it is not for competition, why do you need one? I can't imagine a cage working correctly that is bolt in and easily removable. I can see a roll bar work, but not more than 4 places, or a full cage that has bolt in feet with spreader plates. The tighter you want the cage to fit the more difficult it will be to remove let alone install. Example a tight fitting main hoop is going to run right in front of the quarter glass mounting points, the quarter glass has to be removable so you can lean the hoop back and get it over the door sill. Once you add legs to that portion, it will be even more difficult to remove, add a dash/knee bar to that and it is near impossible. If you make the cage into several pieces to keep it removable you introduce weak points in the cage. If you plan on non-competitive track time a roll bar is a nice idea, you can still remove it, attach harnesses to it, and no one will have a real problem with it, plus in the case of an accident it should protect your noggin although your helmet should be doing that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 There's only so much room for a cage. To get more room you will have to cut out the stock seat mounts and make new ones at floor level. Removing the seat sliders wi also give you another inch. And remember, even with padding, the door hoops will turn a minor accident into a concussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duragg Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 I just went through all this and finally opted to have a weld in custom cage built. With all the goodies and some extra work I spent $2600 (added camber plates, frame rails, seat mounts, Nascar door bar and some other repairs). Probably could have gotten a basic cage done for under $2k. Or a really much nicer for $3-4. I would encourage you to follow a rulebook of CCRs regardless (SCCA, NASA, etc). If you turn more competitive in the future, perhaps you would only need to add or amend a few small items versus being hopelessly out of tech. My 73 has the retract cups also, but that is where we anchored the bottom and used the cups as the drop holes for 360 welding the main hoop areas. In NASA CCR you can have up to 4 bends in each forward hoop and I would use ALL of them. You are also allowed to dig into the horizontal section between A and B pillars and with all of this a crafty fabber could really tuck that Forward hoop deep into the roof, then embrace the A pillar all the day down and sink into the side frame near the footwell. You need to lower the seat more... imagine how I know this? and I'm 5-11. I can send pics if able to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericbauer Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 seattlejester: for the usual reasons namely to stiffen up the whole car & for added safety if i get hit or roll the car johnc: i understand what you mean about smacking your head on the cage in a side impact - but it's a risk i'm willing to take. I wouldn't have the cage unpadded anywhere near my head. Then again I rarely drive it on the street - almost always on track only so i've got a helmet on. i recently replaced the floor pans / frame rails in the car, and when i did so i did not put stock seat mounts back in. i am also not using seat sliders. my recaro spg is on the floor - can't go any lower with it. I've dropped the steering column a bit as well. duragg: can please I get a couple pics of the welding of the main hoop touchdowns? thanks for your help guys, -e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duragg Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Some pics. None of the install is perfect, but learned a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Check out 74_5.0L_Z's album. He has a cage like you might find in a convertible with no bars other than the main hoop near his head. He has a tubed front end, but you could do a dash bar and connect to that and get your two hoops and door bars and connect into the rear struts and then choose to connect to the fronts or not. At 6'3" I think you'll either be in a very laid back seat or you'll be dropping the floor down to make clearance for your helmet if you actually want rollover protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duragg Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Sorry, you said main feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericbauer Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Duncan Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Hi all, I'm looking to put a 6-8pt cage in my Z. This is for track days & the car is rarely if ever driven on the street - it is not for sanctioned competition. ......because I have a 73, I have the extra pockets in the floor sheetmetal for the stock retracting seatbelt mechanism that earlier S30s don't have. The Japanese Cusco / Safety21 cage for example lands right on top of this 73+ sheetmetal difference - not ideal... You'd have to through bolt through the seatbelt pocket to get to the underside sheetmetal... The only reason I'd want a bolt-in over a weld-in is for the flexibility of potentially one day pulling the dash out if I needed to. I guess I could always hack up my dash so that it can be removed with a weld-in... Another option... If I do end up going for weld-in, is there a consensus for always opting for a custom made one rather than using a pre-fabricated one size-fits-all? I know this is an older thread but I'm going to comment anyway. Those seat belt pockets can be cut out pretty easily and a plate welded flat over the hole. Get rid of the stock dash if you are building this car for the track, it's really heavy and un-neccesary. You should look at the SCCA rules on rollbars. If you are going to the expense and trouble of a roll bar might as well make it pass tech so your options will be open in the future. It probably won't cost that much more to do so. Pre-fab weld in is going to be more economical than a custom build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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