Roll Cage

[iamadirtdude]

I'm currently a tractor mechanic and fabricator for a living and know i am definatly capable of building a cage for my track car (s-14 silvia) what i want to ask is what size(diameter, thickness, and type) of steel should i use? im going to be using the model4 tube bender by medford which is a great bender.... also knock on wood if i hit a wall id like to run some sort of engine cage too but i have never seen one yet on a 240/silvia so pictures would be a big help thanks alot guys

[neverlift]

find the rule book for whatever class you plan to run then go thicker,thats just my opinion tho your safety is key. As for the engine cage that will more then likely be custom so get to it take lots of pic and do a big *** write up

[Chaotic_Warlord]

As for the engine cage that will more then likely be custom so get to it take lots of pic and do a big *** write up

I would definately want to know this because I want to put in a full body cage in my S14. I am just wondering how much weight it would all add to the car and what I would need to remove to even out the weight gain. I don't want to gut the car at least not completely.

[iamadirtdude]

well i know the rule book but cant find the thickness or type of steel when i do get done ill email out to whoever wants it at the time.... i'm not a newbie but i am learning and seems like everytime i post there atleast one person being an *** so i wont post it up but ill email to who needs it

[ISUJinX]

Most regulations require either 2.5 or 2.75 diameter tubing, based on weight class of the car. The thickness is determined by the type of tubing (seam welded or DOM) and material. You will need thinner tube if you go with chromoly, but that has to be annealed when you are done welding. Regular mild steel doesn't need to be annealed, but you will use thicker tubing. Chromoly is harder to weld, needs (or really really should) be TIG welded, where as the mild can be either TIG or MIG. Chromoly is a tad bit lighter - on the order of 40-50 lbs less when talking about a full 12pt. cage

As far as safety concerns, the cage specs of all sanctioning bodies will give you number of mounting points, base pad dimensions and thickness. You really don't need to go thicker than what the rule book states. They did a lot of research and testing for cage integrity to maximize safety.

[mrzabala]

DOM Tubing - vehicle weight determines tube size:

-Under 3000 Pounds - 1.50" x .120" -3001-4000 Pounds - 1.75" x .120" -Vehicle weight is determined by taking the race weight not including driver or gas.

Also the rule book will give you an idea of where it should be mounted and how. Certified cage/bar builders will know the locations and or have the available information.

[USsil80]

go to the nhra web site and download there rule book... all your questions will be awnsered there

[onosqv]

well i know the rule book but cant find the thickness or type of steel when i do get done ill email out to whoever wants it at the time.... i'm not a newbie but i am learning and seems like everytime i post there atleast one person being an *** so i wont post it up but ill email to who needs it

What kind of track will your car be seeing? NHRA? NASA? SCCA?

Each of those rule books (at least NASA & SCCA) state the full technical specs of the requirements for roll bars & roll cages in their specified sections.

Most likely, you will end up w/ minimal 1.75" x .120" or 1.75" x .095" (depends on organization and type of event you will be doing) for roll bars/cages.

[iamadirtdude]

most likely drift

[onosqv]

most likely drift

NASA (Dukeboy informed me that US Drift bases their rulebook off NASA) : section 15.6 covers all the info for roll cages (http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/ccr.pdf)

There is also the SCCA rule book, which is very similar with regards to roll cage specs. You can visit scca.com for that.

For more info on any specifics for your roll cage, you need to know what organization you will be running with/competing in - they will have the specific rules for you, or at least let you know if they follow SCCA, NASA, or other guidelines.

Good luck.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

I'd suggest you check all sanctioning bodies and build around the one with the largest minimum specs, you can't be fined or scolded for having higher than minimum specs if you decide to compete in any form of motorsports. I think SCCA is the strictest since they run everything from drift to autox to F1 and rallyx.

I think some tracks have some say as to what specs a car should have to run on there courses. If you are looking to do drift competetions then check with the Formula D, I'm pretty sure they have set guidelines and they are controlled by the SCCA

[iamadirtdude]

well ive done alot of research on d1 specs and have talked to the tech so i know d1 specs i hear nopi is going to start drift too so anyone got a link to where there drift specs are also i dont know much about time attack but i figure that if anything ill try and fall back onto time attack where would be the best link for their cage specs thanks for the help ive been researching and it seems hard to find the exact info i need

[sr20goofus]

the NASA CCr will have teh most information you will need, if you build it to their specs your cage will pass tech. everywhere else. Anything from 1.50"-1.75" OD with a Wall thickness of 0.091"-0.120" will be good for your application, look at several different design of real race car to get ideas, not the bolt in designs. Many cage pics in teh road race section of the http://www.sr20forum.com, they shoudl help guide you in the right direction.