mdb4879
09-05-2014, 09:41 PM
First off, hey everyone. I'm Matt and am pretty new to the forum. I've lurked in the shadows before, but now I need some opinions on what to do with my my most recent project.
I've got my S13 hatch pretty much stripped. The only thing left on the inside is the steering column and pedals. Up to this point I was set on a cage, but now I'm having second thoughts. The primary reason I wanted a cage was to stiffen the chassis (I know the main function of a cage is for safety, but added rigidity is a secondary benefit I could exploit). Now I'm thinking I should do more spot welding and save the weight. So would the advantages of the cage outweigh the added weight? (I'm guessing a little over 100lbs) I'm already going to some extremes to save weight, otherwise I wouldn't care.
The only things that will be functional on the car are the lights and wipers. I'm removing any unnecessary wiring from the body harness and there will be no HVAC. The car will only be used for fun, but able to drive on the street. Performance is my main concern, so cost and functionality on the street can be tossed aside.
I don't really plan on any high level competition, so I'm not sure if the cage will ever be necessary for me. But if it's ever going to get a cage, now would be the time to do it. My plan for the cage was to have bars cross from the harness bar to to strut tower, bars cross from the top corners of the roll bar to the back ends of the frame rails, have to door bars cross each other then after they reached the front hoops continue to the firewall. I intended to double the spot welds around the door frame and the entire strut towers, and possibly lay down fiberglass on the wheel wells and the spare tire well.
If I decide to go without a cage I'll keep the factory dash bar, have a harness bar, and either a triangulated rear strut brace or a cross bar between the strut towers and C-pillars. Plus all the spot welding and other stiffening measures.
So what do y'all think? Should I cage the car or just spot weld the rest of the chassis? If I cage the car what should I spot weld if anything? Should I still glass on the wheel wells and spare tire well? What about foaming the rocker panels?
I've got my S13 hatch pretty much stripped. The only thing left on the inside is the steering column and pedals. Up to this point I was set on a cage, but now I'm having second thoughts. The primary reason I wanted a cage was to stiffen the chassis (I know the main function of a cage is for safety, but added rigidity is a secondary benefit I could exploit). Now I'm thinking I should do more spot welding and save the weight. So would the advantages of the cage outweigh the added weight? (I'm guessing a little over 100lbs) I'm already going to some extremes to save weight, otherwise I wouldn't care.
The only things that will be functional on the car are the lights and wipers. I'm removing any unnecessary wiring from the body harness and there will be no HVAC. The car will only be used for fun, but able to drive on the street. Performance is my main concern, so cost and functionality on the street can be tossed aside.
I don't really plan on any high level competition, so I'm not sure if the cage will ever be necessary for me. But if it's ever going to get a cage, now would be the time to do it. My plan for the cage was to have bars cross from the harness bar to to strut tower, bars cross from the top corners of the roll bar to the back ends of the frame rails, have to door bars cross each other then after they reached the front hoops continue to the firewall. I intended to double the spot welds around the door frame and the entire strut towers, and possibly lay down fiberglass on the wheel wells and the spare tire well.
If I decide to go without a cage I'll keep the factory dash bar, have a harness bar, and either a triangulated rear strut brace or a cross bar between the strut towers and C-pillars. Plus all the spot welding and other stiffening measures.
So what do y'all think? Should I cage the car or just spot weld the rest of the chassis? If I cage the car what should I spot weld if anything? Should I still glass on the wheel wells and spare tire well? What about foaming the rocker panels?