Louis M

hmmmm elmers could work... let me try it out and crash and see if it'll hold... think it will?

TrentO

Cages aren't that hard to build. The poster above is correct about the load paths. Also think about likely crush points and ensure you aren't located in any. Whatevery sanctioning body you are building for will have rules which specify most of the cage structure. I race in the WCMA and the rules state the thickness of the cage material, the diameter of the tubing and the layout of the major tubes. From there you don't have too much more to do. Buy a good name brand welder and do a few test welds on so sections of tubing. cut your welds in half and look for good penetration and any flaws. Do a weld with the heat down low and cut it apart, you'll be amazed, it can look good but there is no joining of the tubes, in fact it's all just surface globbing.

hope this helps,
-Trent

EProdRx7

Line em up it's time to start building cages!
http://interserv.casualracing.com:9999/DSC01304.JPG

banzaitoyota

What is your welding experience?

What welder are you using?

A good welding reference:
http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/
http://www.weldingweb.com/
http://www.chaski.com/ubb/postlist.p...&Board=welding

YOU need to be able to do compotant welds in ALL postions befoer you begin!

Another alternitive is to cut and fit/tack the cage yourself and take it to a more experienced(and equipped) welder and have them to the final welding.

I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Carrol Smith Series of Books

EProdRx7

Thanks for your concern. I've been doing cages for about ten years now and these two will be numbers 3 and 4 of this year alone. I'm self taught in the welding department and have been checked out by some professional welders that seemed to like what they saw. If you are in the NE and attend a SCCA race check out some of the ITS cars, I've worked on most of them or my EP rx7. For mig welding I use a LE 255 and for TIG I have a miller sd180. I had to repair a plow frame at 2:00 am in the snow for a landscaper buddy of mine. It was 1/2 in. bar and was by far the thickest thing I've had to weld to date. MIG handled it just fine. As for being competent in all positions I would rather be crafty in how I assemble. I always weld 360* and have never cut a hole in the top of a car to do it. Here's a link to some of the work I've done. I hope you enjoy it.
http://tnoms.thenyceone.com:9999/john/

Silkworm

Eprod, I think he was talking to the original poster

We know you know what you're doing :LOL:

EProdRx7

Silkworm,
Now that I think about it, I think your right. I can be a bit of a stooge sometimes.
JW

Travis R

Here is the most recent "cage" I welded.

EProdRx7

That's cool. Is it a Fomula SAE car?

M's

how much does your chasis wheigh? welds look pretty good.

Your chasis is totally different from ours. see you at comp

Travis R

Yes it's for Formula SAE.
I don't really know what the projected frame weight is. It's still missing a couple of tubes... the front bulkhead will be triangulated back to the middle horiz. tube that just stops.
The whole car should weigh less than 475lbs when we're all done. Our last couple of chassis have been very stiff. We could make them lighter, but at what cost?
That's what I like about FSAE, the cars are quite a bit different when you really start to look at them.

Louis M

damn eprod hat has to be one of the most beautiul race cars... damn

EProdRx7

Thanks Luis, Here's a link to the cars I'm working on now. http://www.casualracing.com/

skunks

dont mig weld chrome moly, tig only please

jfslenes

If you haven't built the cage yet, get a copy of the most recent SCCA specs for cages. A well built and save cage is designed for around 2G's of hammering in any direction. SCCA requres certain thickness steel of certain kind with stated guage depending upon weight of vehicle. Used to require smooth bends, one piece of tube for entire length of main hoop, inspection hole, etc..
They also have standards for chassis attachment, bracing, door bars, and more. As I recall, they also require full penetration welds and seemless tubing. Good luck with the project! Visit NM and race at Sandia Motor Speedway with Southwest Motorsports.

EProdRx7

If any of you guys are interested there are some pictures of the RX8 cage at this link, www.casualracing.com What do you you think?