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- Brake, Chassis and Suspension Tech (http://www.njfboa.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=28)

- - roll bar bracing/strengthening (http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=49067)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pampered-Z (Post 671816)

he he he, A good freind of mine is a welder/engineer and was going to put it in his car, then changed his mind. But he still wanted to install one, so I was his guinea pig installing it as he had planned for his car, back rails into the trunk well, the door bars mount into the front, this resulted in them not being very rigid as the weight would actually flex the floor pan so additional plates and riser supports were added up front as well.

It a basic S+W (8-point W/swing outs) with Steve's modifications. I bought it from him for what he paid for it and then I paid for the wire and gas for the welding. (Plus some beer and pizza). So let say i paid a 1/4 of what most people would pay!

It was a fun experience. We actually measured all the door gaps and such, put the car up on stands, let it sit for a week to see if any changed, then proceeded to weld everything in. Took us two weeks working mostly just the weekends.

Steve also did N2ODave's 12 point cage (same cage as mine with the added bars)

http://community.webshots.com/album/263592745zjeYOD

Just remember once you go under 10's you need allot more stuff: Suit, nets, chutes, chassy cert., NHRA license.. Allot of money for parts that expire every couple years. Plus, if the car isn't allot faster then 9.90, once you add all the saftey requires you could be heavy enough to back in a 10.0 car! And Cromoly is also far more dollars for the material and the install. (I always get this backwards?) Steel-MIG, CM-TIG? I CM cage will be near double a Steel one in most cases.

The weight is a big reason to go chromoly and if you ever have to sell the car, chromoly is more attractive come resale time. I would build with the idea that you will go deep nines and keep in mind that you might not have this thing forever. CM=TIG

http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/10-158-134/

http://secure.chassisshop.com/partdetail/41-158-083/

There is 0.75lb/ft difference in weight between 1-5/8 0.083 wall chromoly versus the same size mild steel. Now consider that if you start with 1-3/4 mild steel because you have a bar as a jumping off point versus a cage and the difference becomes greater.

Some quick math says that if you had 100ft of tubing in the car, which is very possible on a full cage (with door bars etc.) your 75lbs lighter if its chromoly. Racing is all about hp/weight.

In the hands of a capable welder and fabricator, either would fit your purpose. I'm just saying that chromoly is lighter for a given length and probably adds value (versus mild steel) if you ever have to sell. Downside is the upfront cost of material and having to TIG weld it.

Another plus for chromoly is the smaller cross-section which is quite noticeable believe it or not. Space starts to become precious once all those bars start getting routed and padding is put on.

Either way get it certified and be safe.

explained like that, i feel like an ass for not going with chromoly :lol:

man i have some reconsidering to do. its all for the better though :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider (Post 671895)

explained like that, i feel like an ass for not going with chromoly :lol:

man i have some reconsidering to do. its all for the better though :)

Maybe you could compromise on the situation. Sell the wolf bar you have now and just a have a mild steel cage built. At least that way it could all be 1-5/8ths?

I'm not busting nuts either. I have a 70 Nova that I put an S&W 8pt bar into. Its not a work of art, its functional. But after seeing my buddies 3rd gen camaro with a cage done with 1-5/8th chromoly, its no comparison. Jealous doesn't begin to describe it and for me to do it now, I'd have to start completely over, which is just as troubling. That's my experience.

Do your homework, figure out where it is your headed, get a plan, then move forward. Look at some cars, talk to people and you'll quickly see the difference in a well executed deal versus and not so well executed deal. The money is gonna be spent one way or the other, might as well spend it once, get it right and end up with something that can grow with the car versus building a bastardized cage that if it had to be upgraded would probably have to ripped out and rebuilt from scratch.

Chris

Sweetbmxrider, my last comments:

Think ahead and determine what want vrs need vrs can afford. I don't know what your budget is, but always look at what you can afford compared to your goals. Maybe what you have now is enough?

You've started out with an inexpensive bolt in bar and now you’re looking at probably $1,500+ (If you’re not installing yourself) bar/cage hybrid. There is allot of labor in installing a bar right. We spent most of the first day alone just prepping the floor and such. I don't think we even did much with the welder other than a few tacks until late into day two. Even though the bars came notched we had to adjust almost all of them a bit and installing the swingours was time consuming.

If your planning on going 9's and will require a chassis cert then that cage better be installed right.

thanks for the additional comments, i am definitely going to think about this one for a bit.