TweakGames

iTrader: (3)

This is most likely pointed mostly towards JTP.

In the rule book it says:


7.4. ROLL CAGES
7.4.1. BASIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
7.4.1.1. The basic purpose of the roll cage is to protect the occupant if the car turns over,
runs into an obstacle, or is struck by another car. It shall be designed to withstand compression forces from the weight of the car coming down on the rollover
structure and to take fore/aft and lateral loads resulting from the car skidding along on its rollover structure.
7.4.1.2. Forward braces and portions of the main hoop subject to contact by the
occupant’s helmet (as seated normally and restrained by seatbelt/shoulder harness) shall be padded with non-resilient material. Ethafoam® or Ensolite®, or other similar material with a minimum thickness of one-half (1/2) inch and conforming to SFI spec 45.1 is required
7.4.2. GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
7.4.2.1. All roll cages must be based on a single Main Hoop of one (1) continuous length
of tubing with smooth continuous bends and no evidence of crimping or wall failure. The radius of bends in the roll cage hoop (measured at centerline of tubing) shall not be less than three (3) times the diameter of the tubing. Welding shall conform to American Welding Society D1.1:2002, Structural Welding Code, Steel Chapter 10, Tubular Structures. Whenever D1.1 refers to “the Engineer” this shall be interpreted to be the owner of the vehicle. Welds shall be continuous around the entire tubular structure. All welds shall be visually inspected and shall be acceptable if the following conditions are satisfied:
7.4.2.1.1. The weld shall have no cracks.
7.4.2.1.2. Thorough fusion shall exist between weld metal and base metal.
7.4.2.1.3. All craters shall be filled to the cross section of the weld.
7.4.2.1.4. Undercut shall be no more than 0.01 inch deep.
7.4.2.1.5. Aluminum bronze or silicon bronze welding technique is permitted, but
extreme care shall be used in preparation of parts before bronze welding and in the design of the attaching joints.
7.4.2.1.6. No portion of the cage may permeate the firewall and shall be fully
contained within the occupant’s compartment.
7.4.3. ROLL CAGE MATERIAL
7.4.3.1. Seamless SAE 1020 or 1025, etc. mild steel tubing (DOM) is the preferred
material for Roll Cage construction. Please contact FORMULA DRIFT for approval if any alloy material will be used. An approved supplier MUST construct alloy steel cages. ERW tubing is not permitted.
7.4.4. TUBE SIZING
7.4.4.1. Roll Cage tubing must conform to the table below and is determined by the
vehicle weight as raced without fuel and driver. The minus tolerance for wall thickness should not be less than .010" below the nominal thickness. Vehicle Weight Alloy or DOM O.D. x wall thickness (inches)
FORMULA DRIFT Championship
2012 PRO Rules and Regulations
22
Up to 3500 lbs
1.500 x .095
7.4.4.2. Vehicles weighing over 3500 lbs. must petition FORMULA DRIFT for approval of
the roll cage prior to entering an event.
7.4.4.3. INSPECTION HOLE:
An inspection hole at least 3/16 inch diameter, but no greater than 1/4 inch diameter, shall be drilled in a non-critical area of all tubes to facilitate verification of wall thickness.
7.4.5. MAIN HOOP:
7.4.5.1. The main roll hoop (behind the driver) shall extend the full width of the
driver/passenger compartment and shall be as near the roof as possible with a maximum of 4 bends, totaling 180 degrees ± 10degrees. The roll cage main hoop should start from the floor of the car and be attached to the chassis/unibody via base plates as described in 7.4.11.
7.4.5.2. A diagonal lateral brace of tubing equal to the roll bar to prevent lateral
distortion of the hoop. This brace must attach to the driver side upper corner of the main hoop, not more than six (6) inches from the radius, and to the opposing leg, not more than six (6) inches from the base plate.
7.4.5.3. A horizontal brace of a tubing equal to the roll bar, installed behind the driver’s
seat. This tube shall be no higher than shoulder height and continue the full width of the main hoop, attached to both legs.
7.4.5.4. Either the diagonal brace or the horizontal brace must be one continuous piece of
tube, with the other attaching to it.
7.4.5.5. Any number of additional reinforcing bars, gussets or supports is permitted within
the structure of the cage.
7.4.6. FRONT/SIDE HOOPS:
7.4.6.1. The front hoops, side hoops, or down tubes shall begin at the floor.
Several configurations are allowed:
7.4.6.2. Side Hoop Configuration: Side Hoops connect directly from the floor of the
occupant’s compartment and continue, in one piece, to connect to the Main Hoop. If Side Hoops are used, they are to be connected together by a single horizontal tube across the top of the windshield with a maximum of 4 bends totaling 90 degrees ± 10 degrees.
7.4.6.3. Front Hoop Configuration: A front hoop connected to the floor on both sides of
the occupant compartment and following the line of the front pillars in one continuous piece may be used. A front hoop must be connected at the top by horizontal bars running back to the main hoop on each side, above the doors with a maximum of 4 bends, totaling 180 degrees ± 10degrees.
7.4.6.4. HALO Configuration: A top “halo” hoop following the roof line in one continuous piece from each side of the main hoop along the tops of the doors and windshield. A HALO must be connected to the floor with forward “down tubes” following the line of the front pillars with a maximum of 4 bends, totaling 180 degrees ± 10degrees and a maximum of 2 bends allowed on the down tubes.
7.4.6.5. The front, side or down hoops may extend through the dash pad, including the
forward part of the door panel if it is an extension of the dash panel.
7.4.6.6. One (1) “Knee” bar is recommended in a horizontal plane between forward cage
braces in the dash area for all configurations.
7.4.7. REAR HOOP SUPPORTS:
7.4.7.1. The main roll hoop shall have two braces extending to the rear attaching to the
frame or chassis.
7.4.7.2. Braces shall be attached as near as possible to the top of the main hoop not more
than six (6) inches below the top and at an included angle of at least thirty (30) degrees.
7.4.7.3. No bends are allowed on rear braces. On cars where the rear window/bulkhead
prohibits the installation of rear braces, the main hoop shall be attached to the body by plates welded to the cage and bolted to the stock shoulder harness mounting points.
7.4.8. BOLT IN ROLL CAGES
Bolt in roll cages are not allowed.
7.4.9. SUPPLEMENTAL BRACING
Supplemental bracing is allowed.
7.4.10. SIDE PROTECTION
7.4.10.1. All cars shall have a minimum of two (2) door bars across each front door
opening. The door bars may run parallel, or in the shape of an “X”. If the two door bars do not intersect as they do when forming an “X”, then a minimum of two vertical tube sections shall connect the upper and lower door bars.
7.4.10.2. Teams may also choose to install a second row of double horizontal door bars
that run parallel to the inner bars and extend into the outer door skin, these are also known as “NASCAR-STYLE” bars. In this configuration, the outer bars must also have a minimum of two (2) vertical tube sections connecting the upper and lower bars. The inner door panel and door internals may be removed.
7.4.11. MOUNTING PLATES
7.4.11.1. Each mounting plate shall be at least 0.08” thick
7.4.11.2. Mounting plates must be fully welded to the structure of the vehicle
7.4.11.3. Each mounting plate shall not be greater than 100 square inches and shall be no
greater than twelve (12) inches or less than two (2) inches on a side. The mounting plate may be multi-angled but must not exceed these dimensions in a flat plane
7.4.11.4. Whenever possible, mounting plates shall extend onto a vertical section of the
structure (such as a rocker box or door pillar)
7.4.11.5. Any number of tubes may attach to a single plate or to each other.



I would like to build little boxes like these so I can drop the cage after it's all tacked and weld the top.



But it says it has to be mounted to the floor, and that it has to be plates. Are the boxes considered plates and does that main hoop mounting spot count as the floor? If not, I don't see how I am going to be able to get a bar across behind the seat, it's already close.

Thanks,
~Tweak

I fc3SLIDE

iTrader: (2)

i need to start attempting to make my cage :/

stevensimon

iTrader: (11)

yes that is ok. thats exactly how my car is done. and youre right, there is no way to burn in the halo if you cant box it like that. the rear one seems a bit extreme but still. the front box is identical to mine.

AwesomeGabriel

Sweet! Thank you for posting this, I was looking for it.

Sticky?

theshdwconspracy

the answer to your question was in the quote you posted. You can build boxes for sure just gotta make sure you don't exceed the bolded dimensions

7.4.11.1. Each mounting plate shall be at least 0.08” thick
7.4.11.2. Mounting plates must be fully welded to the structure of the vehicle
7.4.11.3. Each mounting plate shall not be greater than 100 square inches and shall be no
greater than twelve (12) inches or less than two (2) inches on a side. The mounting plate may be multi-angled but must not exceed these dimensions in a flat plane
7.4.11.4. Whenever possible, mounting plates shall extend onto a vertical section of the
structure (such as a rocker box or door pillar)

TweakGames

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, I saw that and I had a feeling that the boxes could fall under that, but I want to make sure. Would prefer to only do this cage once.

driftfcbuckey

iTrader: (8)

when we did mine i boxed the front, but only plated the rear hoop to the storage bin/trans cross brace. i wouldnt do a box on the rear, only the front so you can drop it down.

post pics as you go man!

EPD

iTrader: (8)

Make sure your diagonal bar in the main hoop is going the correct way. In the shot you posted it looks backwards!

mannykiller

iTrader: (93)

^ +1

driftfcbuckey

iTrader: (8)

also seeing that photo - i've seen cars get turned away at tech for having the unibody hole-sawed to allow the tubing through the chassis.

i'm assuming that photo is of a RHD car hence the diag bar being towards the right side, and it not being red like your car.

if notching the unibody for cage is allowed - i would like to know so i can redo my door bars..

J.T.P.

iTrader: (13)

you can actually make plates for the main hoop and after everything is tacked together just pull the a-pillar bars together and slide the main hoop forward, dropping it down into the floor pan to get to the tops of the halo/a-pillars etc..

TweakGames

iTrader: (3)

Awesome JTP, thank you very much!

13btAE86

Good info, thank you

My$800S14

A question that bugs me,is it concidered acceptible to re-use a cage in a different chassis? I have purchased a cage that is FD legal to put into my car.

TweakGames

iTrader: (3)

O.o

stevensimon

iTrader: (11)

that sounds like a lot of work to do a half assed job that will never look decent or be cost effective.

My$800S14

are you reffering to my question? i bought the cage for $400 which is extremely cost effective, concidering the guy had just payed $1200 for it and it was in the car for about a week before the car was tboned in the front, which pushed in the shock tower some, checked out the cage, and everything was strait, my friend cut the roof off of the car and removed the cage all in 1 piece, for me to do what i please with it, idk how thats not cost effective, or half assed, but everyone has their opinions so its cool, also another question, is it legal to have tubing running along the rocker panel on the interior of the car, and attached to the same plate as the down tube? i was thinking about adding that additional to the nascar bars, any help is appreciated, and thank you for your input stevensimon, i hope you dont still feel the same way, but if so oh well
also what about tieing the rear of the car in with the rest of the cage, attaching a rear tubular back to the rest of the cage, and the rear shock towers? i will post pictures of what i am reffering to later

My$800S14

i realize the cross bar on this is not legal, but i am asking abuot how the cage extends into the rear hatch section, and ties in with the back of the strut tower, is this legal?

and if you look closely here you will see a bar running along the floor board

D.Adams

Here is my Fd legal cage i built for a 91 240sx hatch
All certified us 1.5'' .120 wall dom

I built the boxes first then once the cage was all tacked in i pulled the boxes and welded the whole cage up. some people drop the cage through the floor but its not needed.






Rear box mount is 4.5'x4.5''x4'' tall


front boxes are the same 4.5'' but mounted in a 45deg angle


here is the link to my flickr i have the full buld pics there
http://www.flickr.com/photos/s13phocker/

TheGoldenSB

iTrader: (1)

Heres my setup. Goes to the strut towers in the back just really low.

My$800S14

nice

Dedeauxracer69

could the bars that form an X to the strut towers form a V and be legal

eidk

iTrader: (3)

good info here

joshuaput

the x is unneeded extra. so i guess it could form a v. even though that in my opinion would be ugly.

Dedeauxracer69

IMO this FDs is super clean and if you just lowered the X cross point to the the strut and do with out the lower half then it wouldnt look to different. I am also looking to mount the NOS just like this so that is my reasoning for the question. Thank you for the in put. Much appreciated