stony Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 i started it today. i took lots of pics and will post when available. I need criticism on my technics as i have never installed one and want to make sure im not making any stupid mistakes. My first question is there a method of measuring to make sure you dont cut too much of the tube off and not have too much trimming after initial cut? i would really like to cut once notch it and have it done ... Possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Wow Stony, i cannot believe that you are just new putting in a cage. I would never drive a 400+hp Z without one. You are a brave man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240hybrid Posted December 29, 2002 Share Posted December 29, 2002 Im just wondering, have you or are you gutting the interior and doors etc. I'd like to see it when your done too. I agree, depending on what kind of driving you do, I would like to have a cage in a 400+ Zmachine. Good luck on your cage though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 yes it is gutted dash held in with one bolt for test fitting purposes. it took so long to get the cage becasue i was preoccupied with getting a 10 sec slip which never happend but WILL this year plus i was trying to find a way to get a cage here to alaska without paying 400+ dollars for shipping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 here are some pics from last nights progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Stony, can i have your car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 sure if you can make it to my house in alaska by noon monday you can have it. HAHAHAHA everything has a price tag though 19K is mine right now once i get the 10 sec slip it goes up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Stoney, Couple of things you can do to stiffen it up... Go over to my yahoo pics and sort through the cage pics... http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z I'd recommend gussets at all the joints. Get recommendations from whome ever you got the cage from on where to place them, but basically just weld them only on one side of the gusset... I've got LOTS of gussets and can send you some for free... Look for a way to tie your cage into the side of the car below the rear 1/4 window and MAKE SURE to use a plate between the tubing and the side of the car. That particular area has thin metal. Reason you want to do this is there is NO A-PILLAR there and it will help stiffen the sides of the car up and allow the roof seem NOT to crack at that infamous seems at the rear hatch area where we always see these cars with those little cracks in the paint! If you can, you might get one of the companies like S&W or Stock Car products to send you some larger gussets to tie it in at the roof where that little interior light pocket is as well... Again, use a backing plate if possible. You may also want to tie it in the way I did behind the seats and into the lower sidewall of the car as well near where your main hoop mount plate is... That will add lots of stiffness near the rear fender well and help tighten the car up nicely... Look through My pics and get ideas, but be carefull with the temps on your welder, and on those backing plate to factory sheet metal contact points, I'd only use .025 wire... .030 requires more heat than Nissan's fine metal can stand... Don't ask how I know! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 thanks mike, one question for you or anyone. i bought the alston cage...in the kit i recieved there are 2 tubes that are smaller in diameter then all the others? are these the tubes that come down from the main hoop to the back of the car? or are they the side bars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I'm thinking it would depend on the rules the cage was designed around... Check with Alston or wherever you got it from. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 This brings up a question I have alway wondered about. If you fit the cage tightly inside the car, how do complete the welds around the back side of the joints? Weld in "gussets" with the pipes outside the car, then piece everything together like tinker toys inside the car and only weld half way round each gusset? Can anyone recommend a good book on building effective cages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I asked the guys at S&W what they recommended since they make rolling chassis. They told me that most times they will weld as much as they can reach, and leave it, then run a gusset tab to the body at that point. They also said that they will sometimes run a double gusset when it is something like a main hoop to halo connection. Best of All worlds would be like Michael Ol's big block Z... Cut out the trans tunnel and floor pans and drop the car down over the completed cage!!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Thanks for the compliment, Mike! The guy who welded my roll cage was a rare find - and even he had some choice remarks when describing the difficulty of the job. As for books on roll cages, one standard reference among those currently in print is "Chassis Engineering", by Herb Adams. A company called Steve Smith Autosports had a series of guidebook-type publications on chassis and roll cage design, back in the 70's. They focused on NASCAR-type cars, back when they actually resembled "stock" cars. Those books are probably out of print, but try a web search on "Steve Smith Autosports". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 When we were doing the cage for my corolla, we put everything together and marked where the front bars would sit on the floor and then sawed a hole on the floor. the main tubes would slide in the hole so we could weld over the top of them. We then slid the mounting plates under the bottom tubes and welded them in place. This covered the hole we just made. Pain in the arse, but it worked. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted January 3, 2003 Author Share Posted January 3, 2003 wow this is alot of work now i know why welders want so much money to do stuff like this. anyways i have the halo main hoop and forward bars all welded in. Now i just have to figure out how im going to brace the rear of the car. the smaller diameter tubing i received from alstons is for running from the main hoop across to the trans tunnel. Im thinking im going to run an X from the top of the main hoop to the struts then a diagaonla from the top of one strut housing to the bottem of the other. Also going to run a diagonal from just right of the drivers head down to below the passenger seaton the main hoop. any suggestions on my ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Stony, Run anther bar like a strut bar across the rear strut towers to tie it al together. You may also want to run a bar from the top of the main hoop to the bottom on the passenger side. I like to see everything triangulated (sp?) Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 What ZRossa said... Triangulate everything...Also, and I know other guys have done this differently, but I don't, I would NOT run anything PAST the front or rear strut towers so you have a crush zone in case of impact. Yea, the fuel cell is in the rear, but if you have an approved cell then you should be OK... I'd want that crush area so I could have a better chance of walking away from the impact in front or rear.. Images of Dale Earnheardt come to mind. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted January 3, 2003 Author Share Posted January 3, 2003 exactly like this would you add anything to this thanks cuong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAD D Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 STONY looks good, just a tip, at the body shop supply store you can get this paper that is sticky on one side and stops the spark from burning things,like your head liner and glass. I think it is made by 3M. it helps alot when working on a nice car like yours. I e-mailed you back about the sump but my e-mail is down today. and Its my work e-mail so i dont get to see it on the weekends. so if you have any questions or answers to my questions, you can post them on this forum if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Has anyone seen/considered the tube frame chassis in Jegs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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