Junior Member
Roll cages
I am a past ITA RX-3 guy. Been out of racing for about 7 years. I am currently thinking about building a RX-7 for either Spec 7 or ITA. With the RX-3's, I had to have custom cages built. I managed to total one car. My question is are Autopower cages any good, does any one have any better recommendation, or is a custom cage better. Thanks for the help.
Junior Member
SOPAC Spec7 rules specifically call for the Autopower cage... so I'd check your regions rules first. I'm happy to report that I've not yet tested the cage in my car <<knock-knock>>, so I can't really attest to it's strength. I'm hoping my ignorance in that area continues. :-D
Senior Member
Welcome back!
I have an ITA RX-7. I would consider a few things before making your decision.
1: Driver Size: your size, and the size of any other drivers, or future buyers.
The Autopower cage will soak up some valuable space in your interior. A custom cage will be easier to get out of, especially when you're in a rush.
2: Safety: The farther away the cage is away from you, the better, generally speaking. There is no choosing where the bars go on a kit cage.
3: Performance: A custom cage can take advantage of a number of things. It can be mounted better, utilizing the rockers and other boxed areas. It can also be put right against the cars interior, and while it's not legal to attach it in more than 8 places, it is perfectly legal to touch in all the right places. This can help to stiffen the chassis, which can help to make a better handling platform.
Obviously, I went with a custom cage, and did it myself as well. Including lots of gunk removal and interior gutting, it took me about 100 hours to design, cut, weld and paint my cage and interior. (I won't give up my day job!) The materials, including tools were about $200. In the end it took longer than bolting in a kit cage (I've never done a kit cage, so I can't say how long the comparable install takes) but it saved me cash, and the result is better.
Check out some of the guys on this site, they have web sites with lots of cage pictures.
Good luck!
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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
Member
Jake,
What were the tools you needed to build your cage and where did you get them. Also, did you do your own welding and already know how to weld or did you learn to weld to build the cage.
I have a wire feed welder but I don't think it is big enough to weld the cage and I am not a very experienced welder.
I was just wondering what your approch was.
Michael
Senior Member
Hey Michael... Check out our website for pics of our cage... maybe we can help you out. Shoot us an email or give us a call! St. Louis isn't that far of a tow!
www.pfmracing.com
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Scott
It's not what you build...
it's how you build it
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Lightweight Replica Blocks!
Senior Member
Well, remember, I am an HACKER compared to guys like my buddy John Weisberg who does this sort of thing for a living!Originally posted by ilateapex:
Jake,
What were the tools you needed to build your cage and where did you get them. Also, did you do your own welding and already know how to weld or did you learn to weld to build the cage.
I have a wire feed welder but I don't think it is big enough to weld the cage and I am not a very experienced welder.
I was just wondering what your approch was.
Michael
You will need:
A good welder. The biggest 120volt one is really on the light side, but maybe you can borrow something from a pal over the weekend(s).
Space, if you get they typical bender, your roll hoop will start life as a 12 foot straight tube, and the bender (which needs to mount to the floor (get out your masonry bits and your hammer drill!), will swing that stick through a large arc. It will hit your car and break glass if you give it the chance!
A bender. Aa I mentioned, you can bolt this unit to the floor. Bolt it well, as the forces it sees are high. There is also a vertical unit and hydraulic versions which make life much nicer.
A tubing notcher, also known as a fish mouth cutter. You can borrow again, or buy out of the back of lots of catalogs. They run from $100 and up, I think.
Hole saws: You'll go through a bunch, probably. And cutting oil never hurts.
A strong drill, like the vaunted Milwaulkee Holeshooter.
Compressed air, and every grinder and attachment you can think of.
Measuring tapes, cardboard and cutters, and a good eye, with a good spatial capability.
Can you do it yourself? Depends a lot on your skills and approach.
Before you start, you should be confident welding. You will be trying to weld upside down and backwards! With your head crammed up under the brake pedal. And this is where you'll wish you hadn't skimped on the welding apron when the guy at the welding store suggested it and you thought he was just going for a bigger comission!
To my mind, the entire point of the exercise is to create a better mousetrap. If you can't execute the elements of your design that give it the uniqueness and strength, then there's no reason to kill yourself.
Before you make your decision, try to think about every step. Trust me, the guys who do this 9 to 5 can do this in their sleep, but a first time must think this out carefully, or there will be mistakes that cost big time. How will you weld the tops of your joints? Trust me...the techs look there before they even look at your paperwork! How will you get a roll bar into the car after you bent it and it's bigger than the interior? (Just a little, like it should be!) These are typical issues, and there are different solutions, but everthing affects everything else, so be thorough!
Good luck!
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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
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