Topic: Need Roll Cage builder in DFW
I am looking for a roll cage building in DFW for Project: FUGLY RATSUN
Anyone have a recommendation?
Someone mentioned that the guys from Grapevine Automotive have built a couple of Lemons cars...
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → Need Roll Cage builder in DFW
I am looking for a roll cage building in DFW for Project: FUGLY RATSUN
Anyone have a recommendation?
Someone mentioned that the guys from Grapevine Automotive have built a couple of Lemons cars...
If you can't find anyone that meets your needs there, Richard Tomlin in Houston builds great cages at affordable prices.
We are working with a guy in Krum. He has done good work just need to make a few changes to be completely legal. He should have it down by the second cage. Price was pretty reasonable for a DOM cage.
We are working with a guy in Krum. He has done good work just need to make a few changes to be completely legal. He should have it down by the second cage. Price was pretty reasonable for a DOM cage.
James b?
Precision race craft is down around Crowley, they have done a few, and are reasonable.
Matt Lemons
matt@lemcomotorsports.com
Lemco Motorsports
659 Grigsby Way Ste C
Cedar Hill, TX 75104
972-293-6100
Just to add a side note. Matt started out in Lemons. He is now a Chump official.
Smiley's Racing in Mesquite.
103 Gross Rd # A
· Mesquite
· (972) 290-7000
Ask for Jordan (should be in the chassis shop), he has done plenty of Lemons cages and is an excellent welder.
It's not James, although I've heard from quite a few that he does good work.
We used Checkered Past Racecraft. Good work and quick turnaround. This was his first Lemons cage so we are having some rework. I have a thread in the new comers section outlining it. I think if someone were to use him they would probably have an easier time, second time is quicker. He's a good guy to work with too.
North Texas Performance
214-724-3246
Has built three Lemons cages
FYI, we recently got our car back from Smiley's chassis shop after it sat there over 3 weeks. They were still frantically welding the cage together the afternoon we picked it up, the seat mounting wasn't complete, and when I bolted it together at home I couldn't see over the steering wheel, my knees were very bent, and I felt like I was shifting an Ed Roth creation (I'm the tallest driver on our team at 6'). I had added a bracket to move the seat up an inch and a half but just noticed that put the shoulder belt mounts out of spec. I'm not sure how I'm gonna mount a seat in this car high enough that I can see out and still mount a shoulder harness that will pass tech inspection.
I'm gonna have to take the car somewhere else and fork out more money. I don't have time to haul it back to Mesquite for 3 weeks.
Jordan is a nice guy and Smiley's bends/welds a good looking cage. The spreaders and door bars are well done and the front/main hoops and connectors are tucked up very nicely. The rear stays are marginal, but I would guess they'll pass inspection. The rules and examples are a bit vague there and don't apply well to 4 door cars. Rules say you can run the stays to the floor, but examples say it can fail inspection if they don't run to the shock/strut towers. In most 4 door cars, you aren't gonna get a rear stay close to 45 degrees that runs to the strut towers.
I'd say some database of roll cage builders with reviews would help. maybe http://24hoursoflemonswiki.com/index.php/Roll_Cage ?
I personally can comment on one guy in the Chicago area who does very, very nice cage work but sometimes does not pick his phone for a week, while some other guy claims he is a pro cage builder but only has a 110v mig in his shop...
I'd make a couple additions to that Smiley's cage, but it looks nice. If you raise your seat you're going to need to fix your harness mounting points anyway, but that's not hard to do, you can add another harness bar pretty easily and it doesn't need to be full-width, just between the diagonal and the main hoop. But get your seat at a height you're happy with first. I like that they mount the seat to the cage (that's standard in circle-track stuff) so that the driver is always contained within the cage even if the floor is compromised. I've got a set of Kirkey aluminum side-mount seat brackets that I've never used, I'd sell them to you at cost if you want them and that should give you some easy height adjustment. At least with the seat mounted low like that you don't have to worry about not passing the 2" cage height rule.
Shoot me an email if you want to talk about the Kirkey seat mounts. I'm in North Dallas, not far from the Home Depot Racing Supply at Coit & Campbell.
I'd make a couple additions to that Smiley's cage, but it looks nice. If you raise your seat you're going to need to fix your harness mounting points anyway, but that's not hard to do, you can add another harness bar pretty easily and it doesn't need to be full-width, just between the diagonal and the main hoop. But get your seat at a height you're happy with first. I like that they mount the seat to the cage (that's standard in circle-track stuff) so that the driver is always contained within the cage even if the floor is compromised. I've got a set of Kirkey aluminum side-mount seat brackets that I've never used, I'd sell them to you at cost if you want them and that should give you some easy height adjustment. At least with the seat mounted low like that you don't have to worry about not passing the 2" cage height rule.
Shoot me an email if you want to talk about the Kirkey seat mounts. I'm in North Dallas, not far from the Home Depot Racing Supply at Coit & Campbell.
Oops, I think the guys at Smiley's misread that rule. They must have thought it was 2' not 2" :-)
We were doing offroad cages for Jeeps and rockcrawlers for many years. Our 'business' closed it's doors but I still have the shop and equipment. We built our car/cage and it ran for the first time in February at TWS - one of the judges comments was "these guys obviously read the rules!" There is no reason a cage should fail (if built by an experienced fabricator) - the rules are pretty darn clear - no room for interpretation.
We've gotten a few calls for Lemons cages and I don't mind telling everyone what we've quoted. This is for a "Lemons Mandatory Components" roll cage:
Custom Cage built from 1 5/8" HREW tube - $1,500
Custom Cage built from 1 3/4 DOM tube - $1,800
I think these prices are competitive but you guys are welcome to chime in and straighten me out if you disagree - I'm happy to raise the price but any cheaper and it's just not worth my time. Building a cage is easy if you know what you are doing... but it is VERY TIME CONSUMING if you are going to do it right.
We were doing offroad cages for Jeeps and rockcrawlers for many years. Our 'business' closed it's doors but I still have the shop and equipment. We built our car/cage and it ran for the first time in February at TWS - one of the judges comments was "these guys obviously read the rules!" There is no reason a cage should fail (if built by an experienced fabricator) - the rules are pretty darn clear - no room for interpretation.
We've gotten a few calls for Lemons cages and I don't mind telling everyone what we've quoted. This is for a "Lemons Mandatory Components" roll cage:
Custom Cage built from 1 5/8" HREW tube - $1,500
Custom Cage built from 1 3/4 DOM tube - $1,800I think these prices are competitive but you guys are welcome to chime in and straighten me out if you disagree - I'm happy to raise the price but any cheaper and it's just not worth my time. Building a cage is easy if you know what you are doing... but it is VERY TIME CONSUMING if you are going to do it right.
That is competitive with the few quotes I got in the DFW area.
If you've done previous Lemons cars that passed tech no problems, you are more than worth the premium. We had to go back to have rework and may still have more to come.
I'd say some database of roll cage builders with reviews would help. maybe http://24hoursoflemonswiki.com/index.php/Roll_Cage ?
I personally can comment on one guy in the Chicago area who does very, very nice cage work but sometimes does not pick his phone for a week, while some other guy claims he is a pro cage builder but only has a 110v mig in his shop...
Is Ed the guy who doesn't answer the phone for a week or is there another one that doesn't answer the phone in Chicago too.
Thanks for the vote, Troy!
Lemco Motorsports is happy to serve the DFW metroplex! Site has been recently updated with tons of builds, you won't find build galleries like these anywhere else.
Oh, and four door cages, sure we do those, check out the new Blue Goose car we did...RAudi
Holy crap that's awesome! A 4-passenger fully caged race car! Of course the back seats aren't very well protected, what with being behind the main hoop, but it's still awesome.
+1 for Matt at Lemco Motorsports in Cedar Hill, TX
My car is the red Z on his website, did an awesome job and passed tech in 5 minutes no questioning the cage quality at all.
Racefab Inc in Rusk Texas builds really nice cages 903 683 1599
Pop's fabrication Midlothian Texas 30 years ago cage building has done a lot of lemon and chump cars very reasonabe prices tight fit roll cages 469 765 5006
Pop's fabrication 469 765 5006
Buckaroo Racing builds nice Ratsun cages......I mean if we are gonna resurrect a thread.....
Anyone have updated info for DFW cage builders?
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