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Cages - Experiences wanted


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Interesting on the old photos of the full race cage how the main hoop anchors to the front edge of the rear fender well instead of to the floor just in front.  Is it as strong or effective?  If so, that is ideal for accommodating factory seatbelts for a street legal car, as well as potentially more room for taller drivers.

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13 minutes ago, SleeperZ said:

Interesting on the old photos of the full race cage how the main hoop anchors to the front edge of the rear fender well instead of to the floor just in front.  Is it as strong or effective?  If so, that is ideal for accommodating factory seatbelts for a street legal car, as well as potentially more room for taller drivers.

That's similar to how the Autopower bars attach. They used to be SCCA legal. Not sure if they are anymore. I do think it's a LOT better for seat clearance, but it's very hard to connect door bars to. I haven't seen one of their bolt in cages in a really long time, but I seem to recall they had one door bar that clamped to the roll bar then bent down in front of the door and went forward to the A pillar. I don't think the door bar bent into the door area and I think it was only a single door bar. 

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This is the design I've settled on after months of analysis; it wouldn't be THAT difficult to remove the forward components and make a roll bar. I think just as important than the design is the quality of construction. Having large gaps around the main hoop perimeter with no tie-ins to the body the gains you see will be negligible. 

Cage 2.JPG

Z Clear.JPG

Edited by Austenp405
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  • 4 months later...

I ran gussets from the hoop to the map light area and I did two vertical plates from the sides of the main hoop to the door area.

Hope the OP checked helmet clearance before welding in that diagonal across the roof. I wouldn't fit in my car with that bar in place. Would have to do it the other way, then no passenger.

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13 hours ago, JMortensen said:

I ran gussets from the hoop to the map light area and I did two vertical plates from the sides of the main hoop to the door area.

Hope the OP checked helmet clearance before welding in that diagonal across the roof. I wouldn't fit in my car with that bar in place. Would have to do it the other way, then no passenger.

Just went through the (many) pages of your build, looks great! Thanks for the insight.

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Has anyone boxed in a cage area into the cabin? I tried to google but couldn’t come

up with much. Obviously not race legal. I did find one major Porsche company (you would all recognize the name but I’ve forgotten it for the time being) which did it to some of their special edition cars.  I’m thinking sheet metal boxed area where a traditional cage would sit. Perimeter of roof, down A pillars. Then traditional cage structure from behind the driver, back. Stiffen the Chassis, possibly safe without full driving gear (slim profile and out of the way).

 

Edit: found the reference again. Ruf made them. I’ve never been in a Z with a cage, I suppose it is space dependant.

 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/593488-ruf-integrated-roll-cage-irc.html

Edited by HuD 91gt
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tube80z has talked about doing this in a Z. Several people have run tubes in the rockers, so that has been done. A pillars aren't big enough to hide a tube, but you could stitch to it and cover it and that would work fine, I expect. The problem is the roof and the halo. You could get the tubes right up next to the roof and stitch them in directly too, then box it in, but it isn't going to be far enough away from your head to be "safe". Safe is relative though. Even without a cage I once smacked my head on the top off the door opening pretty hard with a helmet on and rang my bell a bit. Did a 360 at an autox and when the (slick) tires gripped again... whack! Wasn't serious, a couple ibuprofen took care of it, but it got my attention. If you're looking for safety though, there are better cars to start with!

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