26 (edited by meistro 2016-07-09 01:38 PM)

Re: Please review my cage design

Making a little progress. Jim isn't much help. Probably gonna need to let him go today.


Little more Jim, bounce it Jim, a little more you tiny shit!!
Seems I'm officially losing my mind

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-07/IMG_20160709_151330149_zps7vyevdzb.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-07/IMG_20160709_150431197_zpsdf6dj1nc.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-07/IMG_20160709_141628271_HDR_zpsccifcxp0.jpg

Re: Please review my cage design

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-07/IMG_20160709_150443285_zpskhyx6ejb.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-07/IMG_20160708_202734771_zps3zp6qkk0.jpg

Re: Please review my cage design

I would guess the hardest part of cage building is notching and order of ssembly so you dont paint yourself into a corner ending up without 360 welds everywhere.  Think long and hard here but looks good to my untrained eye.

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita"  1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless) 2002 Jaguar x-type (Winner C-Class 2021 Sears Pointless)
Gone bye-bye
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)  1980 Rover SD1 (I Got Screwed 2014 Return of Lemonites)

Re: Please review my cage design

cheseroo wrote:

I would guess the hardest part of cage building is notching and order of ssembly so you dont paint yourself into a corner ending up without 360 welds everywhere.  Think long and hard here but looks good to my untrained eye.

Thanks. I guess "hard" would depend a lot on what tools you have to do any particular process. If all I had was a grinder, it would suck. I finally replaced my old pendulum style angle finder  with a magnetic digital type. Hard to think of using my old one now. I went from about 10 degrees to 9.46 degrees. So when I measured the angle I needed the cope at with digital precision and clamped the tube in the coper a t the precise angle, it fit the first time. Plus spending extra time getting dimensions as accurately as possible and producing parts as close as possible to those dimensions, Whaalaa, fits like a glove. Easier and less frustrating thus making it seem easy.

As far as order goes, I figure start with the piece that everything else ties in to. Like when we build buildings we start on the ground and go up. Of course nothing is fully welded until it's all fit together. My preference but it just makes sense to me.

30 (edited by meistro 2016-07-09 04:14 PM)

Re: Please review my cage design

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Re: Please review my cage design

I didn't see any mention of the seat.  We consider seat placement one of the most important parts of endurance racing fabrication.  You're going to be in that seat for hours and being comfortable is a necessity.  We like to install the seat before the cage.  Its a lot easier without the cage and that main hoop cross bar can be located without adding extra bar.

Instead of tacking everything, sometimes its just easier to just 360 the damn thing so you don't have to get in there again.  Some of the main cage can be welded before the door bars go in.  Also, where 3 bars come together, you're gonna have to weld 2 of them before the third goes in.

Some guys like to build from top to bottom.  They will cut a hole in the floor where the A pillar down bar goes.  That way they can drop the bar in hole and get the 360 on the halo to down bar.  Then raise it and slide the plate under.

We like to install the bar in a relaxed condition so as not to preload the chassis.  Don't force bar into position.

That halo to main hoop joint looks tight against the roof...let us know how you get the 360.

A secondary purpose of a cage is adding chassis stiffness so triangulate when you can.

Re: Please review my cage design

What I'm planning to do is get the A bars fit and tacked in to the halo. Also to help keep the heat from moving them around too much I'll fit the dash bar. Then I will pop the tacks to the main hoop and lean it out of the way to allow the halo to drop down to access the 360 welds at A bars. Then I'll put the main hoop back where it was and tack the halo back to it again. I'm planning to pop a couple holes to allow the main to drop through the floor but not where it will be permanently. It's sitting on a structural intersection. There's room to slide the whole thing back 4" where the holes in the floor won't compromise structural integrity. While it's slid back I can get the 360 welds for door bars too where they meet A bars.

We have an aluminum Kirkey seat. They provide details for seat back support placement but the spreader they show seems kinda small so I'm making one little larger with more surface area. I'm going to use 3/8 button head cap screws to fasten the seat down. Wherever the driver feels comfortable is where I'll pop the holes for that driver and weld a nut underneath the rectangular tube seat support. We won't need to mess with nuts when moving the seat between drivers and a T-handle Allen is all that's needed. Im aware of the 6" rule so seat back support will be adjustable. I'm also aware of restraints angles so depending on changing distance from seat there may need to be more than one attachment point for different seat location to maintain proper angle.

Of course this is just my thought process and could change as I go forward:)

Re: Please review my cage design

Forgot to add that I'll weld in the gussets too while doing the A bars.

Re: Please review my cage design

That seat reposition plan shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.  A slider would take about 1 second.

Re: Please review my cage design

rodknox2 wrote:

That seat reposition plan shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.  A slider would take about 1 second.

I hear ya. I don't have any money left for that luxury.

Re: Please review my cage design

meistro wrote:
rodknox2 wrote:

That seat reposition plan shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.  A slider would take about 1 second.

I hear ya. I don't have any money left for that luxury.

Volvo 240 sliders are $10 at the PNP and are double locking...and only about 3/4" thick.

Re: Please review my cage design

OnkelUdo wrote:

Volvo 240 sliders are $10 at the PNP and are double locking...and only about 3/4" thick.

No shit? I have a lunchtime mission. Autoparts City is 5 minutes from work. Will I need more than a handful of metric combination wrenches to remove?

Re: Please review my cage design

meistro wrote:
OnkelUdo wrote:

Volvo 240 sliders are $10 at the PNP and are double locking...and only about 3/4" thick.

No shit? I have a lunchtime mission. Autoparts City is 5 minutes from work. Will I need more than a handful of metric combination wrenches to remove?

If I remember correctly it is 13 or 14 mm and the ones in front need a socket while the ones in the rear you could use about anything.  Not on the height adjuster to slider but they were the same size head on the nuts.

Re: Please review my cage design

Just ran over there to scope it out. Didn't bring any sockets lol but Brian offered to grab it for me tomorrow. Thanks Brian!!!!!!

I just wanna say thanks for not letting me stray off to 5 minute seat adjustment stupidness!!!! only 11 days left!! While I was there I spotted a Lemons car from Chicago 2010. Anyone recognize this Lemon? The results only go back to 2011.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160711_121439535_HDR_zpsmp67qo2u.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160711_121449054_zpsqyo98eit.jpg

Re: Please review my cage design

That tube bender looks sweet!, Where did you get such a finely crafted machine?

Re: Please review my cage design

beags86 wrote:

That tube bender looks sweet!, Where did you get such a finely crafted machine?

You did great!! It works great!!

Re: Please review my cage design

OnkelUdo wrote:
meistro wrote:
rodknox2 wrote:

That seat reposition plan shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.  A slider would take about 1 second.

I hear ya. I don't have any money left for that luxury.

Volvo 240 sliders are $10 at the PNP and are double locking...and only about 3/4" thick.

Great tip on the 240 slider. Picked one at a local yard today for 16 bucks. Thanks.

Re: Please review my cage design

meistro wrote:

Just ran over there to scope it out. Didn't bring any sockets lol but Brian offered to grab it for me tomorrow. Thanks Brian!!!!!!

I just wanna say thanks for not letting me stray off to 5 minute seat adjustment stupidness!!!! only 11 days left!! While I was there I spotted a Lemons car from Chicago 2010. Anyone recognize this Lemon? The results only go back to 2011.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160711_121439535_HDR_zpsmp67qo2u.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160711_121449054_zpsqyo98eit.jpg

See bottom of this article. Apparently raced only once.

http://bangshift.com/general-news/junkyard-exploration/

Re: Please review my cage design

I may just have to see if that amc rambler is still there...

Re: Please review my cage design

So.. finally back at it again.

Is there a real benefit to gusseting the dash bar?

Seems to me like it would help by gusseting downwards to the A bars. I have the dash bar right where the bend starts and even  if I were to place gusset at 6" it would in no way be in leg space.

Thanks

Re: Please review my cage design

I would worry about gusseting the main hoop and halo first, then if time allows worry about a dash bar

Re: Please review my cage design

Update:....I'll agree with all posts about seat suckness!!! design measure fab test remove scream re-design fit fab test Hooray!! The halo bar is as far away as it can get so doing the seat first wouldn't have made a difference. My stomach twisted 3 1/2 times when another driver climbed in. His head was too close. Lessons learned. I have full range of adjustment forward/back & 5" of up down toward rear. My tallest driver has a good 6" from his head to any cage tube. 5 Days left and I'm thinking I should have taken this whole week off work.

Here's A bars welded to halo
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160717_154339889_zps78sqcjfn.jpg

Door bars not what I had in mind at first but they exceed minimum. Main hoop slid back 4" into holes to get welds on top. Little red paint on the front there so it looks cooler from the front lol. Surprised how well that primer/paint in one worked.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160717_214022837_zps774wm0wj.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160717_214005504_zpsuyl5pva8.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160717_154402004_zpsd4p7nby2.jpg

Front seat mount
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160716_220623547_zpscjl7y5fr.jpg

Back
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160716_220613802_zpsc3dkhdje.jpg

All those holes are exact fit. No slop at all. Wherever the seat is moved to, it doesn't wobble around and is tight. Need to wrap up the welding for all that. All hardware is grade 8 and all nuts are lock nuts.

Re: Please review my cage design

Heading home from Joliet. Best damn time I ever had playing with cars. Didn't make Friday tech. Thankfully Lemons teched us Saturday morning and the only issue was my dumb ass had the distributor connected to wrong side of kill switch. Easy fix. Cage did what it was supposed to do and the door bars kept other cars out of my driver's laps. Sorry to the two guys we got sideways in front of.

Anyways I'm extremely thankful for tips and input from you guys. I'm pretty happy with how my cage turned out even though I ran out of time for the cooler door bars design I'm leaving the cage alone to work out other details like shitty shift linkage, gauges , and actual theme we intended etc. Etc.. Vr6 ran pretty well but 2nd gear bummed me out.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/meistro57/IMG_20160723_142432508_zpsvielomwy.jpg

See you at gingerman!!

Mark

Re: Please review my cage design

Glad to hear you guys had a good time. Again, sorry for bumping into you when you spun. Hopefully you'll have the issues sorted out for Gingerman.

Fourteen time loser. You'd think I'd know better by now.

Re: Please review my cage design

Maverick74 wrote:

Glad to hear you guys had a good time. Again, sorry for bumping into you when you spun. Hopefully you'll have the issues sorted out for Gingerman.

We had a blast. No worries.. I shouldn't have been sideways in the first place. smile We learned a lot and hope to fit in and be a part of Lemons for years to come.