ok guys, i posted up about the roll cage, i simply want to stiffen the chassis why? b/c it flexes like crazy, on teh street!
so... i have no objection to whatever means suits my needs, but seems to me its alot easier and should be cheaper to have a descent 6 pt made than to stitch or seam weld my chassis.
what do you all think?
thanks for all the good input, i like this board so far
-steve

 

it might not make sense to some of you guys, and maybe im a dumb *** here, but my ultimate concern is not necessarily just making my car FASTER on teh track or autox, i first and foremost, want the car to be strong (as it was just in an accident) and stable, feel more so than ultimate fast times.
-steve

 

All depends on what class you run in. SCCA just rejected a bunch of "recommendations" concerning seam welding in a couple classes. Better check the fast tracks....

 

Yeah, if you make your chassis stiffer for driving around on the street using a cage, its inherently unsafe. Why? If you get in an accident your head is gonna smack the cage and cause some serious injury without a helmet and harnesses on to prevent such things. Then you have much bigger problems on your hands than if you just didnt have a cage at all...

 

Rollbar only....

 

alright guys. there doesnt seem to be a concensus.
first off, i dont plan to compete in anything really. i just want to RUN autox (if thats possible, im still trying to learn about it).
i could care less about competing since my whole setup is gonna put me into a modified class that my streetable car probably wont be competitive in.
plus the roll bar would have ample padding, shouldnt be any worse on my head than a driver side window, or a metal (no interior) B pillar in the case of an accident.. right or wrong?
thanks for the input.
-steve

 

From this month's Fast Track...(paraphrasing) "Seam welding is not recommended for Street Mod classes."
I don't know off the top of my head the legality of doing it in other mod classes, but that would get you out of Street Mod, which would be where you would probably run, since you mentioned your car is streetable.
You can always shuck the rules there. At the regional level, no will will probably care.
As far as running a rollbar, padding would be a no-option option IMHO. A bar, (just the rollover hoop) would be better than a cage (6 point) for a street car. Be advised that the loss of usefulness of the back seat is something you will have to deal with, as well as the extra weight. Don't let anyone try to sell you a removable cross brace or anything like that. If you are looking to stiffen up the frame, weld-in is a must, and good solid construction better.
Most cages that appreciably stiffen the car pretty much rule out streetablility.


[Modified by madhatter, 1:42 PM 4/18/2002]

 

Wrong. Generally, a roll cage (especially if bolted in) is very close to your head, especially if you are using a stock seat. You are *much more likely* to hit your head on this than a side pillar in an accident, and since you're on the street you wont be wearing harnesses or a helmet.

1 vote for the roll bar here

Ryan

 

Nobody has mentioned that seam welding is a lutt-boad of work... The return is going to be negligible. Spend the time and money practicing instead - more fun and you will gain more speed!

Have fun!

Kirk

 

And you can take out a bolt-in roll bar... if you ever decided to get rid of a car that had a seam welded cage (or bar) you'd have to sell it to someon else who will race it, and that can be a pain in the ***.