it's been a while since i posted any updates on the miata, and major work has been done since my last thread. the rollcage is in. custom built weld-in job that absolutely maximizes headroom so that i can run without a hardtop. overall i'm very happy with it, especially since it only cost me $800. i also have ordered the suspesion, and wheels and tires will be ordered in the next couple of days. i also got all the required markings on the car outside of number and classification (i don't know what my number is yet). i got my race suit, and it's getting embroidered as we speak. i still have a bunch of work to do, but the end is at least in sight now.

and of course.....pictures (that didn't turn out well). let me know if you think i taped off too much of the taillights, i kinda feel like i did.

 

I love seeing you guys build up various cars for competition. Good stuff.

I think you taped up too much of the tail lights. Maybe just tape up the turn signals, leaving the full brake lights showing?

 

well, i know you can tape part or the taillights, i just think i went a bit too far.

oh yeah, forgot to mention/get pictures......the sparco steering wheel is in as well, and makes a noticeable difference in legroom.

 

why did you paint the dash white? just wondering.. as i would think it could cause alot of glare.

note: nice spec miata otherwise


Modified by AmginE at 9:03 PM 8/31/2003

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AmginE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">why did you paint the dash white? just wondering.. as i would think it could cause alot of glare.

note: nice spec miata otherwise


Modified by AmginE at 9:03 PM 8/31/2003</TD></TR></TABLE>

why? because i was bored.

and it does cause a lot of glare, it will be returned to black eventually.

 

Hi. I just finally got a new cage in mine in the last 6 weeks and one of the major reasons I replaced it was that I didn't like the idea of the door bars NOT hitting the hoop. Seems like that's a BAD idea to me. It looks like from your pictures that there is no possible way your door bars hit the hoop, since the hoop stops where my old cage's hoop did... I was also under (the perhaps false) impression that my cage would never have passed tech now because of it's design (but since it had a logbook it was grandfathered). I'm totally not trying to **** on your parade here, and I far from know all the rules on cage design, but my questions are these:

(1) Will it pass tech that way?
(2) Even if it does, doesn't it bother you that the doorbars don't hit the hoop?

The cage in my car was the cage it had in it years ago when it was Showroom Stock racing. The other part of it that bothered me was that the hoop wasn't "straight" down, it curved in behind the seats... this may be the feature that would have made it not pass tech, however question 2 still stands.

Nice looking car. And yeah, I think you did too much of the taillights... the people that don't just cover with clear I've seen mostly do vertical tape strips (not horizontal). Might try that for more brake light exposure.

 

[QUOTE=r2x]
(1) Will it pass tech that way?
(2) Even if it does, doesn't it bother you that the doorbars don't hit the hoop?
[QUOTE]

1) i don't know, i'm not a tech inspector. but i think it will. i printed out the rules for roll cages and brought them to the builder. he usually builds drag cages, but knows the SCCA's chief of tech, and said he was going to talk to him about a couple things.

2) what do you mean the door bar doesn't "hit" the main hoop? like is the door bar welded to the main hoop? because it is. look at picture 2 and 3.

 

Lookin good travis!

Have any pics of what it looks like in the trunk?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tnord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">(2) what do you mean the door bar doesn't "hit" the main hoop? like is the door bar welded to the main hoop? because it is. look at picture 2 and 3.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, ok..

In picture 2, I see the hoop ending on the shelf on the passenger side, and I see no evidence of a door bar of any kind. But then in picture 4, I see what has to be the passenger side of the car footwell with what must be a doorbar?... but where the heck does the other end go given we see no bar in picture 2? I'm just all confused. Oh, wait a minute... I think I see it behind the roof bar... just the angle has it mostly covered up. My bad.

In picture 3, I see a 3rd tube that hits the plate of the (I have to now assume) hoop on the "shelf" behind the driver. Actually, I've just been to look at my car since I couldn't remember anything on that shelf I'd really want my hoop welded to if it was ending there. It looks like the seat belt things were cut down to provide a welding location? Anyway, new question on picture 3... what's the bar that appears (from the perspective on the picture) to bend towards the back of the car from what must be the doorbar? And the one that's at a 45degree angle to what must be the doorbar?

Oh ****, I get it... The 3rd picture is still the passenger side of the car, but the picture is rotated so the front of the car is up. OK. Is the driver's side put together the same way? Must be? No NASCAR bars huh?

r2x ~ who's about to give up on figuring out how this was put together since she obviously can't figure out the perspective on the pictures.

 

yeah..........i did a shitty job of labeling pics and getting good ones........i'll have better stuff once everything is done.

 

I'll be dambed... it actually is looking like a race car!

I will admit cage ignorance here. BTW: if you HAD a hardtop, would it fit?

I was out in San Francisco/San Jose this weekend for a wedding and saw three SM's being trailered while driving around on free ways. Good stuff.

 

is it legal to run without a hardtop? I was under the impression that in almost all regions it is required.

Its also faster, I hear that the hardtop is worth 5mph at the end of a straight.

 

I believe they have been pondering a change that would allow no hard tops nationally... Currently (or last I knew anyway) the only region that allowed no hard top was Colorado. Personally, I want that top there if I'm racing. I'm guessing he has one, it's just not on the car at the moment.

And yes, they are faster (more aerodynamic) with the hard top on.

And surprisingy, a Miata with just a rollbar stiffens considerably (torsional rigidity, I think it's called...) if you've got the hard top on. It was noticible to me anyway when I took the top off the black car one pretty day as a student. Amazing the difference it made.

 

Wow.. nice to see it comming along! You'll be posting action pics in no time, I'm sure.

 

I've seen a few spec Miata races, but I can't recall ever seeing one run without a hardtop. Looks like it's coming along good though!

(Might wanna take a little tape off of them taillights)

 

Mark: it was built to maximize headroom WHILE still allowing me to run with a hardtop. i have a ultra-shield seat bolted to the floor, with the humps removed, and a roll cage to maximize headroom. if there's anyway i could fit in the car, it has been done.

no i do not have a hardtop........yet. i will not be running with one next weekend either. the hardtop is one of those expensive items i just don't have the money for or need right away. remember, i don't run with SCCA. Midwestern Council does not require hardtops. I am aware that top speeds are higher with the hardtop, but who am i kidding? i'm not going to be near the front for quite some time.

and about the rigidity thing........i concur. without a doubt, there was a noticeable difference in stiffness, AND handling after i got the cage installed.