A NEW ROLL 8 POINT CAGE .............






A NEW ROLL 8 POINT CAGE .............








I already have welded in SFC, STB & wonder Bar I did not think that a CAGE .. would make that much of a difference ...Wow this is like a totally different car....




CG

 

Who made the cage?

 

CHRIS ALSTON`S

CHASSISWORKS...........

 

That cross bar under the dash, would hafta go right through my knees.

I want a 6pt.

 

i was thinking of a 6 point with the side bars by the door that are bent for easier getting in and out of the car since mines my daily driver

 

I did a Alstons kit in my car as well. I put the front bars through the dash. I did swing-outs for the sides and the rear bars go all the way to the back of the car. There's no real support there where you put the pads for the back bar/s.
The top sides (beside your head) look too low... You'll be regreting putting them there if you plan on doing anything but racing the car.
The main hoop looks spot on.
Not much you can do about it now. Hope your side bars are between the sholder and elbow as you sit in the car.
Cages seem like a simple thing to do untill youv'e got to tear them back out when there not done right.
Not trying to pick on you and I'm sorry if it reads that way. I've done cages in this body style alot and know where the pitfalls are.
The cages make a HUGE difference in how the chassis is. You can't help but notice the difference.
Once again..Sorry if this reads like a bash.. it's not.. .
~Scott

 

First of all if you are such an expert than you would know that putting the rear bars over the shock mounts provide maximum weight transfer for traction . the side bars are swing out ...... As far as front hight the bars where not right when I got them since I already had the hoop in they would not take anything back ........ the seats are not yet mounted they are sitting on 2x4 wood
they will sit lower when I weld them in next week

 

So you welded in the STB

Wouldn't that hamper a repair or replacement of something down the road if needed?

 

good luck dropping that steering column ever with the bar so close, and it's at your knees too, normally the front bars are behind the dash further up.

 

Heh… yea, I was looking at the bars around the driver thinking “that has to be some little guy to get a way with that layout.” And yes, the area where there are multiple layers of steel and welds coming together above the shocks/springs is about the only good place to tie in the down bars, it will make the cassis stiffer, but it will not change weight transfer.

 

anyone ever bolt in a set of those competition engineering already made ones or ones u gotta put together? how good are those? i was gona throw in a 4 point in the rear and then get the side bars seperatly since i want them in that bend shape for easy in and outs and so the girls dont complain....they already do bc my exhaust is too loud but thats so i cant hear them babble

 

My rear suspension is not the stock configuration by a long way. I'm using the South Side Machiene lift bars with a 9" ford 3:50 gear/detroit locker 35spline axels and QA1 coil overs in back of the rear end. No stock lower controll arms.
As Cross fire said it's not going to change your weight transfer with any cage. It's just going to stiffen the chassis flex and protect the driver.
Was this a "add on" to a existing cage? You said it didn't fit and they would not take it back.?
It looks like you tried to install it as it came... not tweaking the bends at all. Do you have a roll cage bender?
You can't tell on the posts how somone is coming across. I may sound like a smart a$$ but I'm realy not trying to be. (as I stated in my first post) I'm not going to come on here and suger coat things either. I call a spade a spade.
I defintaly didn't start with a perfect cage my first time.....110 welder... no bender... ect.. that was over 18yrs ago... It still passed NHRA tech but looking back I don't know how it did... Lol...
If you set the seats down it'll help.
BTW.. how are you planning on getting the dash pad back in?
Had you been kicked out of the track for not having a cage in it and that's why your installing one now?
What rear suspension mods/rear end and trans do you have? Connectors?
~Scott

 

that looks like the old, if it came out of a box it doesnt fit anything syndrome...some parts are ok, but it is going to get in the way alot, possibly even obstrutcting your view also. I built my own so that the area where the driver sits is larger, although i put an x in the doors it is a race car after all, it isnt that bad to get in and out of. I tried to hide the bars as much as possible from the side, but still be legal.


you always learn things the first time you do something, and try not to make the same mistake again, so what you dont like about it, you can change next time (or cut it out but thats probably worse)and with the way those rear bars are made they will flex too much to stiffen anything, no matter where they attach.

 

Looks nice CarFxr.... Just reminds me that I've got to put that window net in my car... Ugh... Anything faster than 10.99 has to have one now. I about punched the tech guy when he said that... I know it's not his fault but I drive on the street ALOT more than I'm at the track... Like I want to have a window net in my face all summer... I'm going to make it removeable quickly so I don't have to drive around with it all the time.
Where are you from? What track to you go to then?
Looks like a nice car from the inside... you must bracket race.
~Scott

 

Thanks, and no I dont bracket race, i just play lol. I have had it on the bumper a few times though lol. The way i put the window net on it can be removed easily, the lower bar is just through the little tubes they give you with the mounting kit, and i used a allen screw to stop it from slideing, so 1 screw its out, but is still cleaner looking than those stupid clips they give you lol, It is actually on top of the roll bar pad wrap, and there are two little spots i put slices in for the tubes to mount it. I thought it would be a pain in the a$$ when sitting on it to get in, but i rolled it over to the side enough that the bar isnt where you sit to get in.
I live in GA , and usually go to silver dollar, or the friday night drags at ams, which I think i can hang with the big block boys now lol.

 

So, what would you change the next time you do it.

Funny thing, I've installed a few roll bars and cages but have never done one in an f-body and am dreading doing mine since I really don't see how to do it without making getting in and out a real hassle (I'm 6'4 and about 310, most that weight in my chest, shoulders, arms and legs). I'm actually debating saving the hard top off of my parts car just in case I decide that I really need the extra bit of head room for the halo

 

the car...thats what i would change lol. These things are heavy, so you cant really go fast with an average engine, i can go pretty quick , but 1000 lbs less and i would be haulin. I did have my boss get in the car and make a pass, he has roughly the same dimensions as you, and he was dreading it, but after he did it he said it wasnt as bad as he thought it was going to be. I used cro-mo tube for the smaller diameter so i could really tuck it in good, as you can see i managed to make the opening about as big as you can get, and most people would not put the x in the door, i am just crazy i guess, I spent a long time decideing weather to french the door bars, but i figured it isnt a show car, so i just cut them and notched them. The other thing i would change, the seat i would make it non adjustable, the seat moves back about 4 inches, but it isnt really needed, that one problem took me several days after work to accomplish, making brackets for the seat tracks, attaching them to the seat, making the brackets fit in the car, then putting that back in after the cage was in, the seat almost did not fit in the car.....that was a scary moment lol. that seat is a 16" wide, and it is pretty tight on both sides, you could put in a 17.5 wide seat but any bigger i dont think would fit in that car, I have the main hoop almost touching the pillar too, and the front bar by the kickpanel is sliced at an angle and roughly 1\4 of it is on the rocker panel, to get as much room as i could. not too shabby for my first cage huh? also learned to tig weld on this project, what a test welding upside down on my head lol, luck i had some gas welding experiance so i just had to get used to the tig torch. I also made alot of other parts you can see in that pic, the console , the dash panel with the gauges, the boxes that the main hoop is on, and a hell of a mess lol.

 

Crossfire: here are a few pic's... I bent the side bars so I could still use the stock door interior arm rest/pulls. The Driver side is a swing out. P/S is solid.



Here is the fuel cell cover and rear bars.



And engine bay:




That's the way I did it... It certified to 7.50's. (NHRA) anyway.
Hope that helps,
Scott

 

Thats a purdy engine bay. I'm really jealous now!

 

Thanks... It's not your average 3d gen. Most people don't expect to see that under the hood... Cracks me up...

Anyhow.. I learned alot this year and hope to change some things for this coming spring. My converter is too tight... Im having FB Performance put in what's called VSC (Variable Stall controll) which will allow my nice tight converter to stall 1000rpm higher off the line and then will return to a tight converter for the rest of the pass. http://www.fbperformance.com

I'd like to finish my engine off with a billet crank and roller cam. We'll just have to see what money is left over.

The car went 11.19@123mph on pump gas through the mufflers on Dot's.
If I could get it to launch hard it'd be mid 10's on pump gas. 2.0 60's aint going to get it. When the car was my cust. several years ago it went 1.48's!
So.. The chassis works well.. I just need more than 2500rpm on the foot brake to build more boost.
~Scott
5"downpipe:

 

i thought you had to have front down bars comming through the dash to be legal at 7.50?

 

he does, look at the pic

 

You do.... Look realy close.. It's right by the windshield pillar (A) Pillar.

The hoop is WAY up. Everything is so close to the inside top of the car as it can go. Unless you realy look with the doors shut you won't see the cage at all.
It does not impare my abilty to see at all. It's about as "out of the way" as a cage can get with out not being able to weld it. Spent ALOT of time on it.
Was not a weekend "bang it out" kinda deal.
Can't wait to drive it again in the spring... I'm already itch'n to go again.
Lol..
~Scott


This show's it a little better but I was in the middle of putting it all together at the time so alot was torn apart right then.

 

i should of said through the firewall, not the dash.
no bars to the front subframe is what i should have asked.

 

Only if you alter the front subframe. If it's stock then your not required to add the extra bars out front.
~Scott

 

i really dont want to run a full point cage.... since mine will be a daily driver but i love the look and the tighness the cage adds to the car. i was thinking of getting a hoop from summit from comp enginneering and then getting awhole of sum mild steel tubing and welding in a 6 point for the rear only and perhaps getting a set of max clearance side bars down the road. i have already installed thru floor subframes and i want to tighten up the rear since they flex alot stock. to so connect the rear completely i would instal the 6 point for the rear. basicaly it would be a 8 point without the front 2 bars... wata think since u all know alot bout cages etc?

also tubing.... if i was to get the hoop could i just use mild steel wall tubing or does it have to be DOM. this is a daily driver with a 500hp 383 goin in but im building it for boost about 8-10lbs at about 650hp. car should dip into the high 10s i think with limited strip use.

 

A 6pt (Main hoop,rear bars,two sides w/swing outs or w/out) stock floor boards/firewall is good to 9.49et. Unless it's a T-top or Convertable. They sock it to those cars.
You can go on NHRA.com and look under rules to see exactly what it is but from what I remember it (was) 9.99 then it moved down to 9.49
Needing a actual bar like your talking about usto be 11.99 now it's 11.49.

If your just going to do a "Bar" you'll use 1 3/4 mild steel tubing.

Cages are 1 5/8 MS. Tubing.

Hope that helps,
Scott~

 

yea i was thinkin of doin the 8 point but just not using the two side bars cuz that kills gettin in and out of the car lol mines already lowered max so its a pain. i dont want swing outs or side bars by the seats since it will hinder my room but i might add them down the road. my cars a stock formula 350tpi so its a hard top but ive added thru floor subframes with 2"x2" box mild steel. i just want the 6 point to increase the rear rigidy since there is nothing really to tie the rear part of the car together like how the front has the engine crossmemeber/wonderbar/strut tower brace to connect the front together. i also like the look of the roll cage from the rear hatch window. mine will be functional 6 point but not an 8 point as of yet. car will prob go low 12's high 11's on motor and after a year or 2 i will prob procharge it 10psi so im hoping for low 11's high 10's. im sure the 6/8 point will be up for that.

im talking 6 point (main hoop, rear bars, the inside bars that connect the hoop to the floor with the hoop and the cross bar from the inside of the hoop, no bars going from hoop to dash.) will the car really gain that much with the addidtion of the front bars from the hoop to the dash?

the comp enginneering kits state that the 8 points are 1 3/4"x 0.134" tubing mild steel. and that the 10-12 points are 1 5/8 mild steel. so the 8 points are thicker pipe.