Topic: Rookie Ft Collins, CO team looking for help- cage builder and advice

Hi
We have a couple of options for cars within the pricing rules and we need to estimate roll cage costs, to select the car we are going to go with for the HPR race scheduled in Sept.

VW Jetta
Saturn something
'98 cadillac

Can we find one from an old race car remove it and install it in our car, or does it have to be made specifically for the car,  "Professionally made"?

Any advice on what this runs and how long it takes to have made ?

Re: Rookie Ft Collins, CO team looking for help- cage builder and advice

Um, even the skilled teams (as in fabrication geniuses) rarely rehome a cage and that is only when the shells are the same.  The cage is a big deal.  You reasonably have three options:

Buy a recently passed tech Lemons car (cheapest by far...$1500-3000 for a tech worthy car with spares)
Buy a pre-bent cage from Roll Cage Components (about $750 shipped) and have an expert welder install it $?
Pay for a full custom cage from a cage builder that will follow the rules in "How not to Fail Tech" which normally means no dirttrack oval fabricators ($2500-3500 in most areas)

There are literally a ton of threads in this section on what it cost to get to your first race and unlike Facebook, they do not disappear.  You likely looking at $5-7K to get a car prepped without including entry fees or personal safety gear.  If you have done a few cars, you can get that down to about $3K but never on your first car.

REALLY print out a copy or 3 of "How not to Fail Tech" and give one to anyone touching the car, keep one in the bathroom and one in the beer fridge.

Re: Rookie Ft Collins, CO team looking for help- cage builder and advice

Can we find one from an old race car remove it and install it in our car,

NO

or does it have to be made specifically for the car,  "Professionally made"?
YES

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: Rookie Ft Collins, CO team looking for help- cage builder and advice

Can we find one from an old race car remove it and install it in our car,

NO

or does it have to be made specifically for the car,  "Professionally made"?
YES

Former Captain
1996 Crown Vic. #55
Team Racing Cosmo

Re: Rookie Ft Collins, CO team looking for help- cage builder and advice

I just tried my first (and last) cage and it was 10x harder then i thought. I even went the easiest  route with a pre bent kit that was really nice. I just had to tac it together and a friend that is a pro is going to complete the welding.  Just pay a pro for the whole deal.  If there is a next time thats what i am going to do.