Turbo Meister Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 There is progress in the construction of my new Chromoly Roll Cage. The rear portion is done. Now the front downbars must be constructed and then two bars will also penetrate the firewall and attach to re-enforced front strut towers. There will be side swing-out bars since they are legal down to 8.50 seconds in the quarter mile. Not that I will ever go that fast. :nono: Hanns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeper-Z Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 looks great. good work! keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbk240z Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Glad to see the pics, the cage looks great! Those 9.50's are just around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayolives Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I am not a cage designer. RTR Motorsports designed and installed my cage and did not add the long bars from the top of the hoop to the rear of the body like you have shown in the pictures. My concern for you would be what could happen if you car was impacted from the rear end and those long bars would push the cage forward and into the driver. Perhaps you should redesign with a "crush zone" at the rear. There are many more talented cage designers here at Hybrid that could chime in and offer advice if you should desire more input on your design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnjdragracing Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 The roll cage looks great, good job. I like the way you tied it to the rear. The welds look good too. Keep us updated....... There is progress in the construction of my new Chromoly Roll Cage. The rear portion is done. Now the front downbars must be constructed and then two bars will also penetrate the firewall and attach to re-enforced front strut towers. There will be side swing-out bars since they are legal down to 8.50 seconds in the quarter mile. Not that I will ever go that fast. :nono:Hanns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Mayo, I had thought about that with my cage as well, Until the guys at Piper Motorsports advised me otherwise. They had a car in their lot that had impacted hard into a tire wall and the stock gas tank had erupted after it ruptured on impact. That was all I needed to see. Having been involved in a rear collision impact where my Car was hit from behind, I've seen what can happen. You need those bars to protect you from the fuel cell impact and to keep the chassis as straight as possible. If you are wearing good harnesses with a good racing seat and the proper head and neck restraint, you should be better off then having all that "stuff" behind the rear strut towers impacting the interior... Including the fuel cell. I was a huge fan of crush zones, and still am. But the Zcar is so small, and space is so limited, you kinda are forced to dance with one devil or the other... Pick one. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 That looks nice Hanns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayolives Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 MiKelley, I understand your comments and will reconsider my design. The fuel cell thing should be a VERY big consideration. Of all safety issues, fire from a ruptured cell is very near the top of my list. I bit the bullet earlier this year and purchased a good fire suit due to seeing Dale Jr. nearly get fried at Sears Point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 IMHO... The rear braces supporting the main hoop exist to keep the main hoop from racking forward or back. More horizontal rear braces improve that protection but they also give a greater area for bending. Long rear braces need to be reinforced in some way. Hans cage looks fine and I prefer a Halo bar up top to long roof/door bars, but the rear braces should be tied together with an X brace to spread the bending loads between them. FIA road race and rally rules specifically require this X brace for the reasons I mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peej410 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 where can i find the specs for cage design for drag cars? ive had a few muscle car customers that ask me about 1/4mile cages but all my experience is with SCCA cages... looks very good btw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Meister Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 the rear braces should be tied together with an X brace to spread the bending loads between them. FIA road race and rally rules specifically require this X brace for the reasons I mentioned above. John, I agree with you on the X brace for road race and rally purposes. My initial design was with an X but then I reminded myself that this car will probably only be raced at a dragstrip and continue to see street duty. Also, since my Z has a tubular rear frame to which the cage attaches it should be very rigid. This frame is also attached to tubes, welded to the body (visible in the pic) that extend to the firewall. I'm also changing the location of my fuel cell. I fabricated a couple of beefy angle iron lengths and had them welded between the rear subframe. Now the fuel cell will be supported and protected by the frame from any rear impacts. I'm amazed at how relatively light the chromoly cage tubes are compared to my old mild steel cage. And because the new cage uses smaller diameter tubing I should have extra room inside. Thanks for all the input and comments, guys, it's appreciated. Hanns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5foot2 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Hey Turbo Meister, any more pics of the 4 link? Will you be able to pull the dash after the cage is complete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 The only problem with the "X" in my cage is the fuel cell can't be removed now. I tried... This was one thing that Piper overlooked, even though he knew I would need to remove the cell at some point... I'm probably going to have to make the cell removable from the bottom of the car at some point. Right now I have not reason to remove it, and I can take the top of the can off to get into the cell to change out the foam and do maintenance on it. It's the little things... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBC_400 Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 The only problem with the "X" in my cage is the fuel cell can't be removed now. I tried... This was one thing that Piper overlooked' date=' even though he knew I would need to remove the cell at some point... I'm probably going to have to make the cell removable from the bottom of the car at some point. Right now I have not reason to remove it, and I can take the top of the can off to get into the cell to change out the foam and do maintenance on it. It's the little things... Mike[/quote'] That is why I tied my X brace right down to the suspension pick up points, the cage runs all the way to the back of the hatch, bu thte stresses are inbetween the front and rear suspension, because that is where the loads are. That way the rear floor area is left open and usable, and accessable for the cell and other things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Meister Posted October 29, 2005 Author Share Posted October 29, 2005 Hey Turbo Meister, any more pics of the 4 link? Will you be able to pull the dash after the cage is complete? You can PM me with your e-mail address and I will send you pics of the 4-link if you need them. The front downbars will go through the dash like my previous cage thus rendering it unremovable. It's been like that for the last 6 years so I guess I'll have to live with it. Hanns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastac4 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Hey turbo meister, i would love to see more 4 link picture, especially where the cross member is attached .How long are your 4 link bars and how far is your cross member from the center of you rearend? and what rearend are you useing? I,m helping a friend build a 240 ladder bar car with an 8.8 and a glide/trans brake now.But i,m strongly considering 4link in my 240."ls1/pglide/transbrake/9"ford/turbo is the plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Meister Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 Hey turbo meister, i would love to see more 4 link picture, especially where the cross member is attached .How long are your 4 link bars and how far is your cross member from the center of you rearend? and what rearend are you useing? I'm using a Ford 9" rear and will measure the dimensions you asked for in the next few days. Due to the short wheelbase of the Z, the bars are much shorter than normally recommended. But with careful adjustment they work quite well. I will take more pics, soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Meister Posted March 25, 2006 Author Share Posted March 25, 2006 How long are your 4 link bars and how far is your cross member from the center of you rearend? The lower 4-link bars are 14.5" from eye to eye. The uppers are 12". The front link attachment point to the frame crossmember back to the center of the 9" Ford axle housing is 17.5". See the new pics of the thread I just started in the Chassis section. Hanns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWRex Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 In reguards to the main hoop,You have the back bar so you can recline the seats alittle and use a 5 point harness I assume.Under the back bar you have the diagonal bars tying into the rear subframe under the floor.Do these bars hamper the reclining of the seats?I've noticed alot of guys running a diagonal bar from the top of the hoop to the rear subframe/floor,cutting out the ability to recline the passenger seat.Would it be feasible to run a diagonal bar or an X bar from the top of the main hoop to the top of the rear strut towers and still maintain the strength of the single diagonal bar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo Meister Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 Under the back bar you have the diagonal bars tying into the rear subframe under the floor.Do these bars hamper the reclining of the seats? Would it be feasible to run a diagonal bar or an X bar from the top of the main hoop to the top of the rear strut towers and still maintain the strength of the single diagonal bar? The diagonal bars will interfere with reclining the seats. But I, and anyone riding with me will want to sit up straight and pay strict attention as the scenery blurs by. There are experts on this site that could better answer your question on the strength factor of your design. But it seems that the diagonals provide quite a bit of lower support for the main hoop and that they would be required by most sanctioned motorsport organizations. Hanns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.