Drftn280zxt Posted September 24, 2004 Share Posted September 24, 2004 I did a search and had minimal luck finding results. Okay #1 Rollcages aren't removeable, are they? They are permanently in the car right? #2 How do you paint a roll cage? My common sense tells me that you'd obviously have the interior stripped to bare metal (stock is okay too) and then you'd mask off the areas around the bars including all the windows, am I correct?This is only relevant if a rollcage is a permanent fixture. If this is true this process must be a pain in the butt. #3 How can a roll cage be powdercoated if it is permanently stuck in the car? This is only relevant if a rollcage is a permanent fixture. Please work with me I a newb to this stuff. I'm trying to learn it all before doing it in the future. I'd rather be clueless now than when I actually try to pull of my dream Z. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbc3 Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 There are bolt in roll bars and welded bars. Bolt in bars could be removable, but not as a practical matter for the most part. I have a bar in my car that has swing-out door bars and a removable harness bar, but the main hoop and rear bars stay in the car (Wolfe Racecraft Fbody bar)Bolt in bars may not be legal for some types of racing and others require certian sized backing plates and bolts to be legal. Bolt in bars can be powdercoated and some companies offer that as an option when ordering a bolt in bar. I suppose you "could" powdercoat a weld-in bar, prior to installing it, but you'd have to remove the powdercoating near the weld points and it would be a mess IMO. You are correct in saying painting a roll bar does require you to remove the interior and mask what can't be removed prior to painting. It is a lot of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drftn280zxt Posted September 27, 2004 Author Share Posted September 27, 2004 wow that stinks. So I guess a welded in roll cage couldn't be chromed huh? Personally I think that it would look awesome, but so would blue paint. Thanks for the reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austenp405 Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 So I guess a welded in roll cage couldn't be chromed huh? Personally I think that it would look awesome, but so would blue paint. Thanks for the reply. Have you tried the dupli-color chrome paint? I did a goalie mask in it, and it came out awesome. I know that helmets and cages are nothing alike, but it might be worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 I had some POR-15 left in the can not long ago (after finishing a job on another part of the car) and used it on part of the cage. I was somewhat amazed at how well it looked. The brush strokes disappeared (even when using a cheap brush) to a "sprayed on" gloss, and the stuff is hard as nails. I liked it so well that I bought another pint and brush painted the rest of the cage with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 wow that stinks. So I guess a welded in roll cage couldn't be chromed huh? Generally you don't want a chrome rollcage. Unless the chroming process is very well controlled, you stand a chance of having something called "Hydrogen Embittlement" occur which makes the roll cage more brittle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted September 27, 2004 Share Posted September 27, 2004 when designing a cage you can, much like ive always done, tack the main hoop assembly together very well, remove it from the car finish welding it. retest fit it in the car. remove it again prep it and mask off the places that will need welding like the forward hoop assembly (also made as a removable piece temporarily) mask of the ends of that aswell paint both assemblies then your left with your door bars and the like do the same thing with those and u have four main sub assemblies that then can be installed and all welded in place. then you just reprep the welded areas and paint those. ive done this on quite a few cages and it works fairly well. the only problem with the Z is getting the upper parts for where the front bars welds to the main hoop welded but there are many ways of getting around that. just have to be creative. most of all never skimp on quality of the cage construction just to get good paint on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 Peej beat me to it... I was gonna say that the cages I've seen powdercoated have been coated on the main sections of tubing with the connections taped off and left raw for welding. The you match your paint up and just paint those welded joints later... Make sure to match the paint well, and no one will be the wiser! Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drftn280zxt Posted October 1, 2004 Author Share Posted October 1, 2004 I'll have to keep that in mind in the future. Here's my thing I want a cage that doesn't dominate the space in side the car but still looks good and functions well. I've seen is just about all race cars that the cages are either painted or powdercoated. Is it a combo of the two or just paint? Thanks for the replies I starting to understand this whole rollcage deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 A more fundamental question: Is your roll cage for racing or for show? If its for racing, many sactioning bodies (SCCA, NASA, NHRA) frown on (but don't disallow) powder coating. The reason is that it hides weld and tubing imperfections, makes tubing wall thickness checks more difficult, and makes tech inspection less accurate. You'll just have to do more with the tech inspector to "prove" your bar is legal for the racing series you want to compete it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drftn280zxt Posted October 2, 2004 Author Share Posted October 2, 2004 A more fundamental question: Is your roll cage for racing or for show? If its for racing' date=' many sactioning bodies (SCCA, NASA, NHRA) frown on (but don't disallow) powder coating. The reason is that it hides weld and tubing imperfections, makes tubing wall thickness checks more difficult, and makes tech inspection less accurate. You'll just have to do more with the tech inspector to "prove" your bar is legal for the racing series you want to compete it.[/quote'] Well it would be for both. The cage cannot take up all the interior space since I have plans for a stereo. Everything must work together in unity. Nothing will be dominant other than color. The cage would be for safety purposes. I'm not making a D1 car or anytging just something that can drift, autox,drag, etc. Overall, a mean street machine. But I d want a lot of structural integrity. So to answer your question, both, in sense. Something that can stand the test of time and still look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 in that case id suggest a 6 or 8 point "cage" but no overhead front bars because a street driven car leaves your precious skull open to massive blunt trauma from these tubes in a side collision and a roll over. im personally building a 8 point roll bar. one main hoop at the b pillar area which is common and a hoop where the dash would be. bent door bars that arent too hard to get in and out of the car but leave elbow room i will have forward braces to keep the wheel out of the passenger compartment incase of a front collision and two rearward braces that go to the strut mount area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drftn280zxt Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 Ok another thing, you guys all refer to hoops, whats a hoop?Sorry, I 'm not very educated in the field of rollcages. What if the bars in front of you have foam padding on them and foam padding on the sides also? Would that be okay, or still no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 the main hoop is the section that starts behind the drivers seat goes up along the b pillar and across the roof in the car to the other side and down that b pillar to the floor its the main structural part of the cage. foam will help put u need the high impact stuff, u can barely squish it with your hands and even then i still say its unsafe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 in that case id suggest a 6 or 8 point "cage" but no overhead front bars because a street driven car leaves your precious skull open to massive blunt trauma from these tubes in a side collision and a roll over. Call me ignorant, but how can you make a SCCA legal 6 or 8 point cage without overhead bars that connect the tops of the front and rear hoops? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drftn280zxt Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 Has anyone ever made a 7 point roll-cage. Two attachments up behind the firewall directly below the A-pillars. Two attachements at the bottom of the B-pillars. Two attachments at the rear strut tower. and the seventh being two diagonal bars coming from the top of the B-pillars and meeting together ontop of the tranny tunnel? Agree with John C that you would need the horizontal bars to connect the hoops whatever those are. From what I hear, is a hoop simply just a two side bars connected by a horizontal bar or an upside down "U" shape, made of bars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 an upside down "U" shape, One continous U bent tube. No sanctioning body allows a pieced together hoop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 in that case id suggest a 6 or 8 point "cage" but no overhead front bars because a street driven car leaves your precious skull open to massive blunt trauma from these tubes in a side collision and a roll over. Call me ignorant, but how can you make a SCCA legal 6 or 8 point cage without overhead bars that connect the tops of the front and rear hoops? the cage is only for safety on the street, it isnt built to race in any sanctioning body, i wanted more rollover protection and more rigidity and thats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Well, if the sanctioning bodies agree on hoop design... it might be for a reason. I'd still make it to some sort of specs so it saves your behind in an accident. A good friend of mine is alive today because of his roll cage in a T-bone accident. The toyota that hit him wrapped its front end around his roll cage. Amazing stuff... he walked away. I need to get a cage in mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 i build SCCA rollcages for a living i have about 11 under my belt i think even a rally civic cage. my mentor/boss thinks this cage will be perfect for what i want out of the car. everything except the overhead bars are above and beyond SCCA specifications. unless i gut my doors (street car so unlikely) i wont be doing nascar style door bars which are the way to go as far as im concerned. the car will be infinately stronger in any sort of collision ill have protection for my feet and my legs from getting crushed my whole car is built out of tube steel. i think i should be just fine but i do appreciate the concern pics of my cage so far can be seen here http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/peej410/album?.dir=8058&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done= besides the cage tested by SCCA that was written per their rules failed in the car they tested but its still in review i believe and they havent released how it failed yet. mines all 1 1/2 .120 wall for just a lil added strength Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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