I thought I read somewhere a 2nd gen cage could be used in a 1st gen. Anyone try this is there any mods needed? Also I dont rember if I read the tread here or on another board. Thanks for any help.

 

I'd like to know this also as I've been thinking about getting a bolt in cage or roll bar sometime soon. 1st gen setups are scarce, and I see used 2nd gen ones all the time. Anybody have any experience?

Jamie

 

Yea plus 2nd gens can be had for around 250 for a bolt in.

 

If you check out the part numbers for the Autopower website, they list the same number for 1st gens & 2nd gens on 3 of 5 products (Street, Race, and Street-Sport Roll Bars). The cages have different part numbers, but the roll bars appear to be universal? Check the list below and share your thoughts.

http://www.autopowerindustries.com/applicationlist.asp

 

Do not know the answer to the fitment question - But - Be careful with cheap bolt in cages. They may not be built with any sort of specification in mind ........Hell, they may not even be made out of steel at that price.

-billy

 

Billy,

Autopower should be safe though, right?

Jamie

 

Safe....sure. The bolt down pads could be a bit bigger but they work.

My two concerns are: A main hoop made to fit a second gen and first gen may not fit either one of them very well. Second is the material. 1 3/4" x .120 wall is a hefty tube. Current SCCA standard for a fist gen is 1 1/2" x .090 wall.

General rule of thumb for bolt in cages and bars has always been,
Overbuilt and fairly safe (Although, I have seen mounting feet failures)
Never really fit the vehicle tightly. They compromise the fit.

A custom cage will be better than any bolt in cage in all respects of safety and fit.

-billy

 

what kinda price should i expect to pay for a good custom cage?

 

They range by area and time of year. It has been a while since I purchased DOM for cage and steel prices have risen 3 time in the last year.

I would say roughly 2K for a custom complete cage built to current specs. Add in "nascar" door bars and added bracing and you can see that jump a good bit.


I would say this would be needed for full race setups. If it is a street or autoX car I would go with just a bar. That can be had fully custom for about $500


-billy

 

TY billy thats what I thought.

 

the auto power cage is good, but it in a 1st gen in mounts to this big drain plug in the floor thats just take welded in. if you crash right, the cage just goes thru the floor.

it holds harnesses but thats about it

 

So could you reinforce the floor where the cage bolts in to fix this problem? I'm not familiar with the area of the floor pan that you are referring to. Is it those big drain plugs in the storage bins?

Jamie

 

I was thinking about ordering a custom weld in kit from Chassis Engineering. Where do you guys order your cage material from?

 

drain plugs:

 

The inherent problem with a bolt in is the fact you need access to the backside of the panel in order to through bolt it. This usually means they sit on the flat lower floor section. The weakest part when trying not to poke though the floor under a roll over. ANY custom built cage would be mounted on the cross structure at the beginning of the bin structure.

The mounting plates for custom cages should also hit a few vertical surfaces along with the flat main surface. The mounting plates should also be as large as possible. This is sometimes governed in the rule for the class.

This picture shows a good shot of a mounting plate. You can see how large the welded base plate is. You can also see added vertical part of the plate.
Picture is from Izzy's custom cages. http://www.izzyscustomcages.com



This next picture shows how the front down leg mounting plates were boxed up to sit on the inner rocker. Most bolt in cages are further inboard to sit on the flat floor. This causes them to take up valuable space where the driver left leg goes.



Any steel supplier can get it. They may not stock it in house, they could order it from a wholesaler.

 

Just wanted to let some of you know I just got off the phone with a local shop. Looks like I am getting a cage and cell install in hopes of getting my car ready for start of next season. Price is very reasonable and timelime is very flexable. Plus its local and there gonna come pick it up. All in all car will be SCCA and NASA legal and cost under $1500 parts and labor. Now I am off to look at cells so I can try and make up my mind on one os those.

 

Ok some info I just got from the company thats going to build my 4 point.

1.5" tubing.

We could do .095 or .120 wall thickness

Thats good right? I could go with 1.75 but they need a new die and wall thinkness could be less.

I might should post this question in the race section but I ll leave it here for now.

 

I have been reading the SCCA GCR and .095 is the min so I would go with the .120 wall thickness. In my opinion .095 just doesn't seem safe enough. Hey man where in Louisville are you located I would love to see your car when I come to visit my family this month?

 

I am in southern Indiana to be honest. But yea let us know a couple of us might be able to get together. I am gonna install the fuel cell first.