New GT Half Cage, limited availability, build to order Options

[McMark]

I'm got a tubing bender to make a replica GT half cage for a customer car. This is the style of bolt in cage used on some of the GT cars pictured on Armando's AWESOME GT site, as well as the style used in the PMB GT.

Material is mandrel bent 1.75" DOM 0.95", notched and will be completely welded. Plates are laser cut steel, ensuring they look great and fit perfectly. You will be required to weld the provided receiver plates onto your longs.

These cages will keep the seats from moving all the way back because of the center brace bars. I have some ideas that will adapt the cage to work better with stock seats. PM me for details. Also, these cages will obviously not work with a stock backpad, nor the door handle/pocket.

Each cage will be $xxx in bare steel, with powdercoating available. Shipping is possible, we're probably looking at crate and freight shipping, which should be around $175 (give or take $25). Cages are built to order.
--Optional Item 1-- Leave off the two bars going to the center hump. This would let you keep the backpad and knock $xxx off the price.
--Optional Item 2-- Leave off the forward/door bars. These add a lot of rigidity, but make getting in and out of the car harder. Leave these off and knock $xx off the price.
You can combine both options for just a hoop, priced at $xxx + shipping.
Custom alterations are also available at full shop rate of $125/hr for actual time spent beyond the building of the standard cage.
These cages are now special order. Contact me for details.



Installation Info:
1. Use a jack on both sides of the car, in the middle of car (between the wheels) with slight pressure simply to counteract the weight of the car. If you think about the way the weight is distributed, it's split between four wheels roughly equally. You're using the jack to try and distribute the weight six ways evenly. If you lift too much in the middle, you're changing the bias. This is not an exact science or setting. You just have to use your best judgement.

2. Test and measure the door gaps and opening closing effort before and during the welding process. Also measure between the targa bar and the windshield hoop, using the attached picture. Anything within 2-3mm is considered correct. But keep checking that measurement as you weld to make sure things aren't moving.

3. Do not run a bead longer than 1" ever on any joint. Long continuous welds are how cars get warped.

4. If you're using the bolt-in setup, weld the base plates in while they are bolted to the cage. Welding the base plates with the cage fully assembled ensures that everything lines up.

5. Get the cage to sit correctly, fully assembled, before fully welding a single piece. You cannot adjust things as you go. Get them all lined up, sitting flat, etc before you start permanently attaching things.

6. Tack weld the forward bars to the main hoop first, but fully weld the rear bottom plates first. Then weld the forward bottom plates and the forward bars to the main hoop at the same time. A little weld on each bottom plate, a little weld on the forward bar joint, then a little time to let things cool off. Then repeat.

7. Leave time for welds to cool completely between steps. This can seem long and tedious and it's REALLY hard to slow down and take your time. Ideally you'll have 30m of welding time spread out over 1.5-2h. More cooling time reduces the risk of warping the car and you can't let it cool too much. The times I just mentioned allow the welds to cool at the rate of 2-3m cooling for each minute of welding time.

8. Read #5 again. Good installs require good prep. The quality and success of your install ALL happens before you pick up the welder.

Good luck. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[Rand]

Seems like adding a short tube, elbow to crotch, would make a big difference in that example. The bend with no support is sketchy. Wait, the more I look at that, the more it bugs me. The bend is bad. It would be better to make the side tube straight and connect it lower to the rollbar than bend it like that. Ugh, we are venturing outside best design standards. Bends are for hoops. Tubes between pillars should be straight and triangulate. Hey I'm a poet and don't know it.

[0396]

Seems like adding a short tube, elbow to crotch, would make a big difference in that example. The bend with no support is sketchy. Wait, the more I look at that, the more it bugs me. The bend is bad. It would be better to make the side tube straight and connect it lower to the rollbar than bend it like that. Ugh, we are venturing outside best design standards. Bends are for hoops. Tubes between pillars should be straight and triangulate. Hey I'm a poet and don't know it.

I asked Dennis at Assco Racing about the same thing years ago and he mention the same thing- "side tube straight and connect it lower to the rollbar than bend it"


Also when I mentioned OK..But can you build me one anyway? His response was NO – it’s too much liability… in a racing environment

For the street- a great looking product- good luck with your project!