Roll Cages?

Had a close scrape today, no damage luckily (the me or the car) but it got me thinking, i should look into a cage, was thinking something lighter, 6 points or so, if anyone has caged there '71 skylark or knows a good cage that would fit im looking for ideas, thanks
 
You really need to consider how you will use the car before you do this. They are hard to remove once installed and are really several steps toward a race only vehicle. Passengers in the back will be at risk of hitting the bar during an accident. The driver without a helmet or front passenger can hit their head backwards on the bar as well. There is a restrictiveness in the five point safety harness that goes along with the roll bar. Then climbing over the front bars for access for you and your passengers or having to deal with swing out bars is more fun. I only drove to the track or had an occasional joyride once the car was caged. Imagine squeezing yourself into the cage and harness at the local Lowes along with your packages. The grocery getting phase is definitely over at that point!

Even with retro-fits, our cars fall well short of the safety standards of today because of their design. Newer cars have crumple zones, appropriate seat belts and multiple airbags, and safety is a major focus. We were just not aware of these safety improvements when our cars were designed and they can not be effectively re-engineered into them.
 
oh its nothing that serious, i was just thinking something simple like in the pic below (general idea)
 

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that's a simple 4 post cage with no door bars ( although i see one along the floor on the passenger side ) or front cross bar installed. you can find ( way more involved ) cages like this in any circle track supply catalog or bend your own.

although, to be frank, i don't know if you're going to gain all that much protection if you're just welding something like this to the belly pan. if you want to make these really sturdy, they need to be attached to the frame rails ... which means punching holes in the floor.

you get a hard hit in the door and that cage isn't tied down properly, it's just going to get punched out the other side of the car. and that assumes that whatever hits you / you hit doesn't just come straight through the door skin ( like an organ donor motorcycle going 150mph ) and turn you into red jelly.
 
tn. if you want to make these really sturdy, they need to be attached to the frame rails ... which means punching holes in the floor.

Yes, and too each other with cross bracing as well. This all gets pretty busy inside the cabin when done to sanctioning body standards, but they have learned a few hard lessens over the years developing them. I still say you have to imagine your passenger or yourself hitting the front hoop with out a helmet. No amount of padding is going to help you there.
 
I still say you have to imagine your passenger or yourself hitting the front hoop with out a helmet.


i have hit a crossbar ... while wearing a helmet.

i still got a helicopter ride into the Halifax medical center.
 
We put a 6 point in our 70 and could forget about back seat at that point. And had solid bars at doors which made it hard to get in and out. Safety first, but for a street car, I would find something more friendly. Both of my cars are now faster than track allows without bar. I may just put a single loop bar behind the front seat.
 
My phone is acting up or I would post more pics but here is the setup I had in my skylark that I sold. I will post pics tomorrow of my current skylark

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Awsome!

That's exactly what i had in mind! minus the cross bar behind the seats but i suppose that would undermine the whole thing, thanks for the pics thats some good insight into what id be going for.
 
A few more pics of my old cars setup:

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And here is my current car its a more simple roll bar:

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And my Chevy step side project which is getting a single turbo Buick 350:

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And my Buick Appolo:

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Its actually an Olds Omega with a Buick front clip... But close enough..



ahh, i see.

you meant to type "Opollo". :clonk:



Like the step side truck??


not a Ferd, not a Ram ... but at least it's not a Chevy so i guess it'll do.

interesting that that halo crossbar goes back to a half circle rather than being welded directly to the rear halo bar.

i get that they're doing that to spread impact and help stiffen the halo bar .... but seriously? if you've fucked the cage up that bad that a simple T-intersection weld can't take it? i'm not sure you're walking away from this anyways. i think i'd rather have more clearance around my head.

which you could accomplish with a triangle made with two short sections of straight pipe ... although i suppose that makes the three way joint a bit complex.


i do like the integrated grab bars on the A-pillars, that's a nice touch.
 
You may consider pro-street door bars for ease of entering and exiting. They won't pass tech, but I am not building a strip car.......
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