Rate my Rollbar, Can this be saved...? Options

[Mike T]

This "cage" consists of :
- an extra height Autopower roll hoop 1.75"x.125"
- front hoop 1.75"x.125 tubing
- braces run to front strut towers through vent holes
- rear hoop braced to rear shock towers through old rear window opening within top 1/3rd of bar.
- single door bar from roll hoop to front hoop.

This is an autocross car that sees no track use or street.

Problem is the guy that put in the front hoop and door bars connected the bar too low where it attaches to the front hoop. I intended to add more cross braces at the doors but now I'm stumped. Suggestions?

Mike T

[Mike T]

This is the driver's side.

[Jeroen]

I think this would be a good set up...
Just cut out the door x-bar that you have now
The yellow x-bar could be of a lighter/lighter tubing to save some weight

Or at least move the front of the doorbars as high up the front hoop as possible

Seam-welding is a good way to add structural rigidity without adding much weight too
(be carefull not to warp!)

I'm sure others will have comments or ideas...

Cheers,

Jeroen

[EdwardBlume]

Jeron's got the right idea. It seems you'd want to tie into the tube that goes to the front tower, and the back tower as well. Front what I understand when I had a bar and brace welded in to mine, the more you weld to one point, the stronger it gets.

Just a side note- that big old pad on the steering wheel looks a lot like the old "autopia" steering wheel at Disneyland. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif)

Good luck.

[Mike T]

My intent in the first place was to have the door bar attach higher at the same point as the tube that goes to the front tower. I was going to add more tubing myself, one like Jeroen's red bar, to tie into the roll hoop at the point the rear tube that runs to the rear shock tower attaches. Then an x-brace under from smaller tubing. The guy who did the work tried to tell me tieing into the front hoop at the same point the front bar did would *weaken* the structure. Needless to say I was a bit disturbed at his work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif)

As it is now all loads from every attachment point are being fed into unsuppported sections of tubing.

Cutting those 2 tubes out isn't out of the question but I was hoping someone could come up with a suggestion that would work that would avoid it. The guy actually came highly recommended by the local stock car crowd. I should have been more specific.

The big center pad is from Kirkey. Covers up a really ugly aluminum steering wheel. (I actually rode on that ride at Disneyland when I was a kid. early '60's)

Thanks Jeroen & cavwpguy

Mike T.

[Tony C]

Oh NO! OK all 914 club members repeat after me, "I will stay away from circle track and dirt track fabricators!" I have a SCCA EP Miata in my shop that has a $3500 piece of shit cage with poor tirangulation and poor fabrication. Do you know what I am re-doing for the owner???

Mike I would cut the two bars out and re-do it with a simple x. If you send me your email address to tony@tcdesignfab.com I will send you a link to pictures of an SCCA production cage I built. I can't post them on my site right now as I have recieved a demand letter to remove them, long story not going to get into.

-TonyC

[SirAndy]

here's a example of Tony C.'s fine work:

My Roll-Cage

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

[Tony C]

I have recieved quite a few emails from club member's wanting pictures. For most of you you can check out several 914 cages at my website TC Design Mike T however needed pics of a different design.


-Tony

[ChrisReale]

TonyC or Sir Andy or anyone else...Is the cage in SirAndy's car allow use of the emergency brake? About how much wold the one in Andy's car run? E-mail me the price if necessary. Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

Let me edit...TonyC, iwent to your site and checked out the 914-6 cage in the orange or red 914-6. How much is that cage?

[Tony C]

Chris, Yes the e-brake still works. The cages run ~ $1600. That includes option of doorbars (x-bar or street version), materials and labor.

-Tony

[campbellcj]

FWIW, I have a TCDesign cage also, and am very stoked with it (that's a SoCal technical term). Mine is your basic 8pt "race" version with high-X door bars and a diagonal/front-back petty bar. The design is great - YES the top still fits, the window cranks work, the e-brake works (although I don't have one anymore), yada yada yada. And the bars are as out-of-the-way as possible, i.e. not spookily close to your head. It's very comfortable.

The biggest PITA is getting the race seat in and out of the car. That takes a bit of practice and trial 'n error. The real fun will begin if/when I try to put TWO seats in the car.

[ChrisReale]

Thanks guys. Let me add another thing to the "to do" list. Make that the "Convince Girlfriend" list. Would be fun to drive the 914 down, check out the area, and get a cage while I was at it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

[campbellcj]

Here's a pic of my cage right after it was built. Basically the same as Andy's (AFAIK) except for the 2 items mentioned above.

[Tony C]

Thanks guys. Let me add another thing to the "to do" list. Make that the "Convince Girlfriend" list. Would be fun to drive the 914 down, check out the area, and get a cage while I was at it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

What Chris didn't tell you is that he dropped it off at 5pm on Friday night and picked it up at 11am on Saturday. I think Brad and Chris also had about an hour of removale/assembly of the interior. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

-Tony C

[campbellcj]

Thanks guys.  Let me add another thing to the "to do" list.  Make that the "Convince Girlfriend" list.  Would be fun to drive the 914 down, check out the area, and get a cage while I was at it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mueba.gif)

What Chris didn't tell you is that he dropped it off at 5pm on Friday night and picked it up at 11am on Saturday. I think Brad and Chris also had about an hour of removale/assembly of the interior. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

-Tony C

Well, the reinstall of the interior was a bigger job than planned. The dash cap and knee pad were cut to fit around the cage. We also had to replace my dead battery, rehang the doors, reinstall the seat & steering wheel, etc. I don't think I got out of the shop until like 6pm (which included plenty of BS'ing around, going to lunch, etc.)

Still, basically a 24-hour in-n-out turnaround. It came out nice.