Ultimate Roll Cage Thread

[Mach1]

Post em up! NASA CMC AI AIX SCCA Road Racing Drag FIA Mustang Camaro, Anything else that rocks

[white88]

That is so sick! Who did the cage?

[Mach1]

[Mach1]

[jw33]

I have built exactly one cage and spent plenty of time driving it/getting in & out of it now and there are several thing I would/will do different when I need to do it again.

For a mustang definitely put the main hoop as far back as possible on top of that ridge between the front/rear seat section with some additional 3/16 plating. Cut holes in the roof or the floor to have room to weld the bars to the top of the main hoop. A diagonal roof bar would be in the cage for sure. The A-pillar bar from the floor all the way up to the main hoop would be one single piece and I would weld in the front bar in the upper halo separate just as you would the dash bar. I will do foot protection with plating all the way to the firewall and extend the cage to hit the rear or the strut towers. I wouldn't add anything in front of the strut towers since the front is designed to crumple in a wreck. X-style door bar(s) like rally cars with a bar at the bottom tied into the sill plate and connected to both the A-pillar tube/main hoop. A FIA bar (I think that is what they call it?) to reinforce the A-pillar section. I'd keep the A-pillar as close to the stock pillar as possible for good visibility and tie them together with some plates. Taco gussets on everything where they could fit. And clean the living shit out of all the joints with a wire wheel and acetone just like in some of those pictures. Make it much easier to get it right the first time. Shoot the entire interior in white when you're finished to make it cooler and easier to work on.

[aggie97]

Those are Blainefab cages and they are spectacular....however, they are unnecessarily heavy and NOT anywhere close to legal for his CMC build.

The most awesome cage build is one that never has to get used!

If you are looking for ideas for the CMC cage, go here....

https://www.aggie97.com/CMC2

This is my simple yet effective CMC cage and runs between $1800-2000. I have incorporated some new changes in the front half since this cage as I have been re-do'ing some front halves lately for better driver comfort. but you get the idea. Owner wanted .120" wall which was a bit much for my previous welder but I got a new toy that works great for this stuff!

BTW....nascar bars are old news. The new FIA bars like in the car I linked to are much better for solid side impacts in dispersing energy instead of just pushing it through the car.

feel free to ask some questions.

[turbostang]

The cages in the red car and the maroon car are nice! It just scares me that they allow MIG welding, or actually encourage it.

We're supposed to be doing a cage in a pro-drift car here soon, and we have a 370Z in progress now... I'll post pics when we are further along.

[aggie97]

The cages in the red car and the maroon car are nice! It just scares me that they allow MIG welding, or actually encourage it.

We're supposed to be doing a cage in a pro-drift car here soon, and we have a 370Z in progress now... I'll post pics when we are further along.

Blaine does awesome work but its overkill. West coast guys spend fortunes on beautiful cars and then cant understand why they are heavy or cant afford to race or it takes 2 years for their car to get built.

MIG is fine as long as there is good penetration. Ive seen a fair share of tig cages break apart as the tube is thicker than the weld. As long as it is not stick welded you are fine. I started doing tech for nasa and some of the stuff is down right scary. Almosy lemons bad!!!

[racrguy]

Blaine does awesome work but its overkill. West coast guys spend fortunes on beautiful cars and then cant understand why they are heavy or cant afford to race or it takes 2 years for their car to get built.

MIG is fine as long as there is good penetration. Ive seen a fair share of tig cages break apart as the tube is thicker than the weld. As long as it is not stick welded you are fine. I started doing tech for nasa and some of the stuff is down right scary. Almosy lemons bad!!!

I've always heard you aren't supposed to MIG Chromoly tubing. I'm not sure if that's what those cages are made of, it's probably DOM.

[Mach1]

I've always heard you aren't supposed to MIG Chromoly tubing. I'm not sure if that's what those cages are made of, it's probably DOM.

Yep DOM

[turbostang]

You can MIG chromoly just fine, most sanctioning bodies don't allow it. The wire I use and that most prefer to use is ER70S-2, the same rods we use on TIG welding cages..

[aggie97]

I've always heard you aren't supposed to MIG Chromoly tubing. I'm not sure if that's what those cages are made of, it's probably DOM.

Hardly anyone uses chromoly. Too expensive and you must find someone who can weld it for small jobs along the way. Dom is cheap and easy.

[Baron Von Crowder]

Blaine does awesome work but its overkill. West coast guys spend fortunes on beautiful cars and then cant understand why they are heavy or cant afford to race or it takes 2 years for their car to get built.

MIG is fine as long as there is good penetration. Ive seen a fair share of tig cages break apart as the tube is thicker than the weld. As long as it is not stick welded you are fine. I started doing tech for nasa and some of the stuff is down right scary. Almosy lemons bad!!!

You should go to the dirt track and start poking around at some of those "cages"

[Mach1]

You should go to the dirt track and start poking around at some of those "cages"

I think their rules mandate PVC Tubing, .250 wall.

[Chas_svo]

I've seen drag strips that were the same way. Scary...