Roll Cage - Who has them???

[dragonballspeed]

Hey guys been a while, I have a question about roll cages today. I've tried to use the search function to get the answers I'm looking for, but the results that come back are endless and I really dont have the time to go through each one. So I thought I would ask you guys straight out, who has a roll cage installed into their car whether it be weld-in or bolt-in ?

I know that Auto Weld Chassis and Autopower Industries both offer cages for our cars but I have neer seen a picture of the Auto Weld Chassis kits. They say that the fitmet is real tight while still allowing for interior trim, but does anyone actually have a pic of one of these cages? I have seen pictures of the Autopower bolt-in 4 point cage in a number of pictures, but does anyone have other pictures of the optional 6 or 8 point and how well or poorly it fits around the dash? How about any other kits that you know of?

If you've got pics, post them up. I'd love to see some examples and i'm sure others would as well.

Updates - Cage Installed 12/24/2011

Cage built by Lemco Motorsports in DFW, TX.

 

[sm76]

I had an Autopower roll bar and then I replaced that with a custom roll cage. I've never seen the Auto Weld Chassis or Autopower roll cages.

I have pictures of my roll cage on this page: http://www.breesmotorsports.com/08Season.html

 

[JDMJNKY]

Installed my autopower 6 point cage about two weeks ago.Still have full interior and back seats .I talked to autopower on the phone and they told me they dont make a 8 point cage for the protege.The bars by the dashboard are about 1/4" from the dash the door bars fit in between the seat and door panel with no problem's.You do have to drill the sleeve's and the bars pain in the ass and test fit it about five time's I had to trim the bar that goes along the front of the windsheild too long ( must have been the new guy ) The cage I have fit's both the p5 and sedan.Couple of shot's...

 

[dragonballspeed]

Installed my autopower 6 point cage about two weeks ago.Still have full interior and back seats .I talked to autopower on the phone and they told me they dont make a 8 point cage for the protege.The bars by the dashboard are about 1/4" from the dash the door bars fit in between the seat and door panel with no problem's.You do have to drill the sleeve's and the bars pain in the ass and test fit it about five time's I had to trim the bar that goes along the front of the windsheild too long ( must have been the new guy ) The cage I have fit's both the p5 and sedan.Couple of shot's...

Do you have any pictures of the rear plastics and how much you had to trim to make it work and also where eactly you had to mount the rear down bars?

 

[dragonballspeed]

I had an Autopower roll bar and then I replaced that with a custom roll cage. I've never seen the Auto Weld Chassis or Autopower roll cages.

I have pictures of my roll cage on this page: http://www.breesmotorsports.com/08Season.html

I was initially going to install a completely fabbed setup, but then the fabricator went MIA and haven't heard from him since. I I do have full capabilities to build one myself, just not the tools to complete the task at hand.

 

[sm76]

What are you planning on doing with the car that requires the cage? If you are just getting one for looks, then do the 4-point roll bar because you don't want bars near your head without a helmet on. Also, make sure you put good dense padding on any bars that a part of your body could hit in a crash.

As far as that Autopower cage, you will definitely want to add a bar behind the dash (not under it because you'll shatter your shins in a crash) to support the A-pillar down bars. I've seen a cage without that bar fold in the footwell and trap a drivers feet. Also, adding a straight bar below the door bar with stringers to support it will definitely help keep the door bar from intruding into the seat area.

 

[dragonballspeed]

What are you planning on doing with the car that requires the cage? If you are just getting one for looks, then do the 4-point roll bar because you don't want bars near your head without a helmet on. Also, make sure you put good dense padding on any bars that a part of your body could hit in a crash.

As far as that Autopower cage, you will definitely want to add a bar behind the dash (not under it because you'll shatter your shins in a crash) to support the A-pillar down bars. I've seen a cage without that bar fold in the footwell and trap a drivers feet. Also, adding a straight bar below the door bar with stringers to support it will definitely help keep the door bar from intruding into the seat area.

Well for the time being, a 4-point art the very is necessary for harnesses because my car has no factory seat belts left and hasn't since 06'. I was running a rudamentory harness setup for a short time while the car was still street driven, but the car has been off the road since 09' 100% due to a number of reasons.

When I start the major tear down last year I was planning on purpose building it for TT also, but things are slow to come so it's the biggest paperweight ever for now. I went a bit further than you when gutting by also removing ALL factory wiring except for what is needed to control the lights.

 

[sm76]

Well for the time being, a 4-point art the very is necessary for harnesses because my car has no factory seat belts left and hasn't since 06'. I was running a rudamentory harness setup for a short time while the car was still street driven, but the car has been off the road since 09' 100% due to a number of reasons.

When I start the major tear down last year I was planning on purpose building it for TT also, but things are slow to come so it's the biggest paperweight ever for now. I went a bit further than you when gutting by also removing ALL factory wiring except for what is needed to control the lights.

Nice! I'd like to see more TT Proteges. If it is Track only, then I would suggest the full cage, but with nascar bars and the a-pillar bars pushed all the way to the firewall. The more room you have between the cage and you the better you are (as long as you're not adding to many bends to get there). I would suggest against the X across the rear window like I have because it blocks rear vision more than I would like. If I were to do it again, I'd do an inverted v with the point in the center of the main hoop and the other ends on the rear down bars. I also added the nascar bars on the passenger side because I used to take my wife out on track sometimes. If you aren't going to have passengers, a simple x across the passenger door is a lighter way to go. If you have the skills, the tools aren't that expensive. I used a bottle jack based tube bender and a harbor freight tubing notcher. Then you just need the welder, chop saw, grinder, and magnets to hold it in position. The tools are several hundred bucks and the tubing about $250. In my opinion, you will be way better off with a custom cage, because all of the AWR stuff is made to fit with the interior because some classes require that to stay. By going custom you can move all the bars out towards the shell of the car rather than having a big gap between the cage and the shell.

I didn't worry about the wiring because I had to add ballast anyway, but now that I'm running at a lower weight I'll probably pull some out. I weighed 2660 with me in the car this weekend. I have a minimum weight of 2625 so I could lose 25 lbs and still be safe.

 

[dragonballspeed]

Nice! I'd like to see more TT Proteges.

See pic above as the biggest obstacles...lol I had originally put so much work into making this a show and go that it literally kills me to hack everything that I've done so far. However, since the car is no longer OBDII because of stand alone and engine swap it opens up a world of possibilities.

So if I can unload major items left such as amps, sub encloser, & wheels, then it might make more more apt to go true track car. As I stated before, my main goal right now is saftety for me and my passenger, and to get the car up and running again. Then I can start deciding the next level of torturefor this car.

What's even more funny is that when I originally started looking for cage ideas I came across your website and a few others as a starting point for possible ideas.

 

[mazdaspeedp]

nice roll cage im gonna need one soon

 

[dragonballspeed]

Thread updated with Pics

 

[sm76]

I'm not sure if those are finished product pictures or not, but you have some bars misssing that are required by most racing organizations. I am sure for NASA and probably for SCCA you will need a diagonal bar running from the top of the main hoop above the driver's head to the base of the passenger side. Also, most organizations will require at least two door bars. Looking pretty good so far though!

 

[dragonballspeed]

The diagonal bar for the class I may run was listed as optional by 2010 rules, but recommended, athough I see this changed for 2011, and door bars are not a requirement for now. I had to be realistic with this first step of the project, because I know I would be at the track enough to be a dedicated track car. Right now I am working toward open track days, and the occasional Cars & Coffee meets that happen about once a month. As you know, it is always a work in progress.

As more is needed down the road, addtional bars can always be added, but I am happy with where it is at for now.

 

[sm76]

I can't believe your cage builder didn't tell you to go with the diagonal and door bars over all that extraneous bracing for the rear of the car that has nothing to do with safety. Well, I guess all I can say is to be careful and try to get the safety related parts of the cage added as soon as you can. T-bone accidents happen quite often so the door bars are important and the diagonal makes a huge difference in the stability of the cage in a roll-over. The only high level racing I know of that doesn't use diagonals are rally cars and they use diamond shapes and a lot of other bracing for the main hoop.
What is the organization you are running with?

 

[dragonballspeed]

Your focus is much different than mine, so I understand where you are coming from. I had a choice to build the way I want so I could still enjoy it from time to time, or build it all out race and never get to drive because I'm not a member of any organization right now. I had to consider my circumstance at this point in life. I have plans to have a couple of other additions done a bit later, but for now this is it. Hell, I still have to get the motor finished so it's not like im going out tomorrow for a fun run.

 

[sm76]

My only concern is for your safety, even when just doing track days crazy accidents can happen and the more safety equipment you have, the better off you will be.
The other side of the coin is that your current cage won't pass tech for most organizations so you will be very limited on what events you will be able to attend. But, like you say, you can address those aspects of the cage when you are ready to start going to the track (although it would be easier now before the paint is finished or any interior is installed).

 

[Lewis7789]

Subbing to learn more about cages. Thank you for posting all this info, guys!

 

[719prottege]

sub. my friend is going to make me a custom half cage