I just got this cage put in. I went to a shop that has a great reputation for fabrication.

I have some concerns and need some help with what may be wrong. Id love to have any NASA techs help if at all possible. Please post or PM an email address if possible for easier means of contact.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Im a complete NEWB in the safety department (have only built slow street cars in the past).

 

Dont know why pics are so small?

 

Host the pictures at imgur.com.

 

I cant see
help us here.. bigger pics
Jeremy
Chad
Stinky
keep an eye out for the bigger pics

 

cant really see these pictures. but I do see that the side bars at your hip are WAY to close to you. upon impact the cage will collapse to disperse engery. it needs to have room to do its job without hitting you.

 

I think the problem is you have obviously installed the cage in a Matchbox car. You need to purchase a full size car (or maybe it's just the pictures). ;-)

 

Up. Pics fixed. My biggest concern is the door bars. My arm wants to go past them. Theres a pretty big gap between the door and the bars.

 

I still can't see pics. Will check later, as I have a work filter.

 

Cage looks fine to me can you post pics of how they boxed the base and tied it into the suspension in the back?

 

looks OK from what I know.

I dislike the rear section attaching to the rear pan, I prefer boxes on the shock towers.

I also like when the rear section starts at the same place than the transversal on the main hoop, but that's just me and I don't think it affects anything

 

Nothing looks "wrong" with it per-se.

Not sure that the X will pass saftey as now NASA/SCCA require 2 door bars (the cut one doesn't count IIRC).

The proximity of the driver door bars is what you get when you do a straight X. And is why many people don't like them. You should be able to minimize that, by moving the seat over to the center of the car.

Also the main hoop appears to fit pretty poorly, IE it isn't tight with the chassis.

But, the cage would certainly get a log book from the looks of things.

 

For more room on the side; replace the X door bar with a NASCAR style door bar.

 

I agree. It would be much better if the main hoop attachment point was at the frame rail of the unibody like in this example:



You get a better fitting hoop, a bit more space for the driver, and it is a stronger attachment point than the floor.

 

you can look on nasa's regional site for you and find a nasa tech inspection shop. they do it for free, and can tell you what it may or may not need.

or, just look at nasa's rulebook for the cage material and design...

 

don't think the diag will pass tech....don't think it can be in the bend.....needs to be within 12 inches of the bend.....i think that would crush drastically if rolled....

 

tear the cage out, and take it to someone else

 

I would say the main hoop didnt come out so great. Unfortunately that is pretty much the foundation for everything else...only way to find out is to ask a tech. I am currently building a cage as well. and I have been looking at a lot of photos. Where is your main hoop welded to the body?

 

Your not safe. Do it over.

 

Well, its not the worst cage I've ever seen, but it does leave a bit to be desired. The main hoop is the big problem, as it fits like ***. Was this a pre-made U-weld-it kit, or did the shop do all the bending and such? If it was a pre-made, I could totally understand the main hoop fitment. If not...not real excuse. The fitment of the front arms is pretty good up against the A-pillars.

The doorbars, eh, that's what you get with that design. There are some alternatives, but none available in kit-form that I know of.

The diagonal will be ok for tech I think (NASA anyway) given this wording in the CCR:
"15.6.7 Diagonal Brace
One (1) diagonal brace shall be used in the same plane as the main hoop. The diagonal should be one continuous path; meaning that it must conform to Diagrams 15.6.7a or 15.6.7b. Note- If the installation method from Diagram 15.6.7b is used, the builder should pay close attention to alignment. One end of the diagonal brace shall attach tothe corner, or horizontal part, of the main hoop above the driver’s head, within twelve (12) inches of the driver’s-side corner. The other end of the diagonal brace shall attach to the mounting plate (or to the main hoop as close to the mounting plate as practically possible) diagonally opposed to the driver’s head (passenger floor)."

Note "corner OR horizontal part" wording in there. That being said, I don't know that it's the best choice of attachment point, but it should be legal.

How is your head clearance on the top of the main hoop/halo?

 

It seems like the main hoop is the biggest issue. Seems to me that with it as narrow as it is (leaving that much space between the roll hoop and the b-pillar) that it's partly the cause that the door bars are in so far.

Door bars are, well, not impressive. If you're sitting in the car and your arm cant even fit in the car, you need a new door bar set-up.

Another thing catching my eye is the down tubes near the a-pillar. Something about that bend just before it meets the "halo" reminds me of where our cage flexed in a roll three years ago. Heck, even the halo looks rather low to me. When you sit in the car, with the seat in and helmet on, is your helmet above the halo by chance?

Also curious as to why the rear downtubes are not tied into the suspension.

 

the proper way to put the diagnol is right into the bend look at any wrc cage. There is NOTHING wrong with that diagonal as far as safety goes. Intersecting one straight tube into an unsupported tube is not the right way to do it. Boxes are wrong as well. Boxes flex on top of a flexable floor, no good. the box above isn't even above the rail it angles out over the floor. That cage right above above doesn't even have a cross tube in the main hoop.


Your cage is fine just redo the door bars and you are good I would think. also are you tall? If your seat is low I think the harness bar might be too high, you can just add another harness bar under it's no big deal.