Lewis Maudlin Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I believe I need additional safety features in my car. I keep thinking I am going to eat my steering wheel. I have 400whp and 2480 lbs of weight. I think the answer to my question is a roll cage and a 4 pt harness. I have been looking for a cage and Jegs seems to have several reasonably priced cages that see to meet my needs. I know nothing about cages. So, in looking at the diagrams, the 10 point seems to have the best protection. The bars are 1.625" instead of 1.75" however. $370 shipped doesn't sound bad either. I do not race this car, but I drive it hard sometimes. Anyone have any advice or suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Lewis, Is this a street car? You don't want a "full" cage for a street car. If you have a front impact collision, four point harnesses won't guarantee you won't make contact with that halo with your head... Ask John C. and others who build these everyday... Full cages and street use are bad news... Mike Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I believe I need additional safety features in my car. I keep thinking I am going to eat my steering wheel. I have 400whp and 2480 lbs of weight. I think the answer to my question is a roll cage and a 4 pt harness. I have been looking for a cage and Jegs seems to have several reasonably priced cages that see to meet my needs. I know nothing about cages. So, in looking at the diagrams, the 10 point seems to have the best protection. The bars are 1.625" instead of 1.75" however. $370 shipped doesn't sound bad either. I do not race this car, but I drive it hard sometimes. Anyone have any advice or suggestions? The Jeg's cages are built to NHRA specs. In my opinion you can do a LOT better than that. But I would agree with Mike that if you aren't racing, you really shouldn't do a full cage because the roofline of a Z is so low you just can't get the bars far enough away from your head to be reasonably safe. You might take a look at 74_5.0L_Z's cage. Dan did a tubular front end and a roll bar and ended up with something akin to a cage you might find in a convertible. That might be another option if you don't want to wear a helmet every time you drive the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Maudlin Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 This is a daily driver. Is there anything you suggest to keep the steering wheel out of my face and the roof from squishing me? I drive the car reasonably but at 2800rpm it his full boost and goes crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Lewis, Jody (jbc3) did an EXCELLENT 6 point drag style cage. It has a rear hoop for the roofline protection, and ties into the firewall down at the rockerpanel level. There is no front Hoop to hit your head on. That's what you want. But I'd go to a shop that does cages and get them to work with you on a custom cage. You'll have around $1500-2500 in the right cage, but it will fit your needs. Also, these rollcage kits being offered by Jegs and S&W use tubing that is larger than you need, and isn't always DOM, which is the type of tubing you want. You only need 1.5inch DOM .120 thick tubing for a cage in that car... Also, Beware that 4 point or 5 piont harnesses aren't DOT approved with good reason. The webbing isn't UV safe and will degrade with time. 4 and 5 point harnesses also only work with proper seat selection. You should have harness belt pass thru ports in order for the harness to do its job properly. They're also a real pain in the but in a daily driver. I think newer versions of the OEM belts would be a better solution if you can retrofit some from another model year vehicle for daily use. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublexl240z Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I build cages and agree with ALMOST everything these guys are saying. There is a harness, 5 or 6 point (your choice) available from Schroth, that is DOT compliant. It is a rally harness. Unless you are wearing a helmet, roll bars will be smashing your head worse than a steering wheel in an accident. I might suggest a more tame tune when driving on the street if it is that much of a hairtrigger. There are many 400 hp cars out there that are safely streetable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 FYI... Roll Cage - Front and rear hoops and bars that enclose the entire passenger space including bars in the door openings. Roll Bar - Rear hoop and braces that are installed behind the front seats. I think what you're asking about is a roll bar, not a roll cage. For your four point harness mounting setup the Autopower or Kirk Racing (I sell the Kirk) bolt (or weld) in roll bars work well and are priced pretty cheap. FYI2... the only DOT approved 4 point harness is the Schroth ASM Ralley 4 which is typically around $160 new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 John - do you have any pics of the Kirk 4-point installed? How tight does it fit to the body and how's the head clearance? Saw the pic sitting on the ground on your website but couldn't find it installed. Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 No pics of the 4 point. Tim has pictures of the 6 point I sold him here: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=128263 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Am I missing something? Looks like a 4 point to me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Yes, you're missing two points. Two rear braces, main hoop, and two forward door hoops. In Tim's installation he might not have all the parts in the pictures, but I sold him a 6 point with single door bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Page 3 if anyone doesn't feel like looking. Is it an optical illusion or is the main hoop more than 180 degree? Also, where does the rear supports attach - the inner fender or the strut tower? Last question - what size & thickness tubing? Looks like a good option to the NHRA or Autopower prefab types that I assume meets SCCA/NASA specs. Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Rear supports are inner fender and yes the main hoop is overbent beyond 180 degrees. SCCA allows +/- 10 degrees and Mark uses that to get the main hoop to the floor. I have not seen the Kirk roll bar (4 point) so it might be like the Autopower one that mounts to the inner fenders (all 4 points). I don't think so but I'm sure I can call mark and order the 4 point built the same as the main hoop and rear braces in his 6 point cage. 6 point cage Tubing is in the process of changing to 1 3/4 x 095 to meet the recent SCCA rule changes. I don't know if he's changing the 4 point style which still has to meet the old Solo1/2 rule set. Edited March 3, 2009 by johnc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Maudlin Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Man, I was thinking about a roll cage, not bar. However, I have hit my head in crashes, even at low speed. Actually, have crashed enough different things that my neurologist says I don't have any more crashes to give before I will be eating through a straw. So with that in mind, I guess I just need good seats, good seatbelts and a roll bar for head protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrariferg Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I don't know much about roll cages or roll bars but as far as a harness I would suggest at least a 5 point. I have a 4 point in my car and unless you have a gut to hold the lap belt in your lap, then the shoulder straps will put it in your chest. I might be looking for new harnesses sometime soon and I will be getting 5 points. Just my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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