Okay i have a question about cages. Is it possible to keep the interior with an 8 point cage like this one? I know it's probably not possible to keep the door panels with the side bars, but what about the bins, roof liner dash (semi hacked) and pretty much everything else?

ex: this picture minus the lower X bar that covers the bin area...

http://rx-sevenandahalf.com/misc/RRRX7-2.jpg
http://rx-sevenandahalf.com/misc/RRRX7-3.jpg
actually is it possible to keep the door panels with a side bar?

Here are a few pics of an Rx8 I did recently.

Pics of my EP FC. BTW this chassis is for sale $2500

A Spec Miata I did...

Why would you put a cage in the back seat and leave the seats in? The seats are totally functionless.

Scrub,

I kept the door pannels with mine, but not much else. My side bars are not the nascar style so they did not take up much room at all.

ill post up the pics when i get home

-bobby

I am guessing it is running in Show room stock, where interior has to stay in. I dunno!

thanks bobby.

I drive my car often and would like it to still have interior, but I will be taking to tracks once in a while also. If possible I'd like to keep all the interior with the exception of the A-pillar covers, and maybe the rear strut covers.

Yes, it is possible to do a cage with the 3rd Gen interior in the car. There is a little trimming of the plastic in back. Looks pretty cool when done right.

The RX8 runs in T2 SCCA. Not completly showroom stock but close. In most cases the requirement to use most of the stock interior increases the cost also. Stupid rule...

Eprod,

What does the cost of an average chromoly cage for an FD run? Say a 6pt.

Do you have a shop or website?

Thanks

Anthony

Anthony,
Really depends on what you want to do with the car. I don't do a lot of CM mostly due to cost. Most of the cars I am doing end up ballasting up to min weight so CM tubing is not really cost effective. Also it is difficult to work with and anneal after welding. Basically if you are not pushing some huge power and low ET's it might not be worth the extra money. This is especially true in a tub car. Remember the cage is only as strong as what it is welded to...

Actually here in the west coast, 4130 is only about 25-35% more than 1020 DOM.

4130 does not need to be heat treated in the material thinkness is under .125". Most applications need to be heat treated in a professional kiln any ways. To easy to screw it up using a torch, needs to be brought up to temp and a controlled decrease in heat until reaches room temp.

Thin wall tubing (< 0.120" wall) applications do not typically require the normal 300ºF to 400ºF pre-heat to obtain acceptable results. However, tubing should be at room temperature (70ºF) or above before welding. ER80S-D2 filler material is capable of producing welds that is approximate to the strength of 4130.

4130 filler typically is used for applications where the weld will be heat treated. Due to its higher hardness and reduced elongation, it is not recommended for sporting applications such as experimental airplanes, race car frames, roll cages, etc.

Does require good tig welding skills and proper planning of cage fab and install to get all the joints completely welded. If you are building a Road Course cage, stay with 1020 DOM. Your cage will be approx 30% stronger, but the extra cost tends to steer most people to 1020. Plus the additional time to tig weld adds to the cost also.

nice info, thanks cagedruss.

I've always wondered how you can powder coat a cage and then install it in the car without messing up the coating.

THere has to be more members out there that has not posted pictures of their cars yet. Come on, I need to see them. This is what I live for, I know it is not much, but it is what I enjoy!

sorry, im waiting to get better pics. All of the ones i have are through various stages of the build.

-bobby

im drag racer so im shooting for less wieght although i opted not to put in a moly cage TOO MUCH OF A PAIN IN THE ASS..
i do have some ?? for the other guys with 2nd gen cars ,,.
i mounted my main hoop infront of the pretend rear seats because that is where the floor pan/front frame rails and rear frame supports meet.. i aslo ran subframe connectors tying the front down bars and main hoop together... in the front of the driver, the thick part of the body steel starts verry far forward under the dash i made sure my down bars landed sqarely on this section.
also ran a low mount 1"///2" box tubing going from the bottom of the main hoop to the drivers side down bar..(in hope of the passenger side of the car to collapse and driver side to stay intact in the event of a frontal crash)..
and i see your cages are mounted to the strut towers instead of the rear frame rails ...i would think the rear down bars should go to the rear frame rails ,,.and then maybe a supprort off that .......
i completed a 14 point cage all notched and ready but its a little intimidating for the weekend warrior ..if ya get what i mean...
http://sites.vwsport.com/turbobluerabbit/100_0456.jpg
http://sites.vwsport.com/turbobluerabbit/100_0449.jpg
http://sites.vwsport.com/turbobluerabbit/100_0496.jpg

For Cage pics please go here. I am not going to resize and loose all the detail!

http://www.nopistons.com/forums/inde...ic=45820&st=75

The finished pics start at the end of page 4. Also check out the rest of the thread, lots of cool shit in there :)

As for the cage, it is very easy to get in and out of, and there is actually ample head room when I am sitting in my driving position. The cage is molloy, 6 point, legal to 8.50 nhra. I have a removeable window net as well that is not pictured.

-bobby

Here is the last cage I finished last week. Sorry, its a Supra. But a paying job is good, even Toyotas. 4130 roll cage, 1 5/8"x.083", 1 1/4" Horizontal bar, ChassisWorks swing out door bar kit. Fabricated the Shute mount also out of 4130.

Is that Chris' car?

did you look at my cage? I want some feedback!

Yep, had it delivered Tuesday to HorsePower Freaks. How do you know Chris?

Nice job! 3rd gens are very cramped inside. You should be proud of it. Good luck at the track!

i ran into problems because afer 05 swingouts are no longer leagal and i needed my bar to go from shoulder to elbo with the down bars(no geater than a 45* angle downwards) on the side down bars..in order for me to make the car easy to get into the down bars wouldve had to have landed too far forward in the driver compartment to have hit any thing structural and i didnt want the hassle of building box tubing out off the subframe connectors to tie into the bar...so now the car is a pain to climb into ..
a qeuston..
why do all of the cages you have posted go to the strut towers??not the rear frame in drag racing according to etown and atco tech the prefer them landing on the frame rails??is it an auto x thing????in the event of an accident wouldnt the frame rails provide better support that the strut towers ...im no pro cage builder i just read the track tech books??

FB circle track cage
 

I just completed installing a CSC racing model 501-2 cage kit in my FB. It's a basic stockcar style cage... not as fancy as some I've seen here, but should keep my driver in one piece if he gets T-boned. The kit cost $400 delivered. Then add about $50 for welding wire & gas, and about 4 weeks of evenings to install it. Cheers!