cage started

[driftstyre]

I finally started the cage on my car last night. The body is completely seam welded and the tubing is .083 4130, 1.625. The cage looks wierd now but when it is done it will look right!
Washing before Cage
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSCF0001.jpg
Cage
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSCF0008.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSCF0011.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSCF0009.jpg

[YoungRookie]

I demand more pictures!! Work looks A+++

[*NismoS13*]

Wow that looks really good so far. What color will it be painted? And what purpose is the car being built for? I look forward to seeing more progress being made! Keep us updated!

[420sx]

your taking that shit seriously. i cant wait to see more

[driftstyre]

The car will be all white to begin with and will be used for hillclimb/time attack mainly but I'll probably do a few drift events as I love going sideways. This has been a 3 year project collecting parts and 5 months stripping/lightening and seam welding so I am not cutting corners anywhere. Suspension has and will be fabricated, raychem harness and a bunch of other stupid things that few would ever do to a 16 year old car but that I've been obsessing about for too long and really can't turn back now. I'm aiming for 2200 lbs dry with ~350whp. I'll keep updating.

[420sx]

nice..... im sorry if i missed ur previous threads, what suspension/engine u gonna run? turbo? n/a domestic? hehe 350 is a nice number for a 2200lbs car....

[driftstyre]

For the money, weight and reliability an SR is hands down the best motor for me. Our shop 318 is powered by a SR and I will replicate the specs but with GTiR throttle bodies.

[*NismoS13*]

Sounds like your aiming at a very nice setup! (It reminds me of my own) This might be a bit off-topic, but what car do I spy in the background of your pictures? Subaru? Have any more pics?

-Adam

[driftstyre]

That is a GC8 open class subaru rallycar. Adam, is your car in the works yet?

[*NismoS13*]

That is a GC8 open class subaru rallycar. Adam, is your car in the works yet?

Sounds awesome.

Right now my car is in the works for sure. I have an SR with just about every bolt-on and other modifications ready to be installed. My 240 currently sits engineless and it basically a sitting shell. The entire interior has been stripped completely for weight saving purposes (this car is being built for time attack/weekend fun car and will in no means be a daily driver). Right now I'm working on having some exterior dents and repairs made, and looking at my roll cage options before having the interior and enginebay all repainted.

Looks like our cars are future best friends :)

Do you own a shop in Boston? That's not too far from Delaware...

-Adam

[driftstyre]

Adam, that sounds awesome. I really wanted to make my own cage as there was not really anything more than a 6 Pt and that was mild steel. I've been planning the cage forever so it is nice to finally make it happen. I co-own a shop outside of boston, in Norwood. You can check out our site www.dentsport.com . Alex's hillclimb car is finished if you care to check that out www.dentsport.com/bn450 . If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I probably put 100 hrs+ into the shell already and I have 50+ left.
http://www.dentsport.com/bill240/driver_x.jpg

[pignosecoupe]

Looks like it is going to be really nice when it is finially complete. Keep us posted, and keep the pictures comming!

[mrmephistopheles]

That's hot shit, Bill. Keep it up.

[SR240DET]

question.... how come the car and cage look like brass??!?.. haha

[CAMFabrication]

If I wasn't mistaken that looks alot like DOM. You sure you got the right stuff? 99.9% of chromoly is ALWAYS coated thus making it look black. Just wondering if you have any shots that show the identifications on the tube.

[driftstyre]

We order DOM and 4130 pretty often from a well known distributor and I'm positive its 4130. I hate that black stuff they coat it with so I usually just clean it with acetone and then lightly brush it. Do you have a website CAM? I love tube frame desert trucks if thats what you do and would love to see some photos.

[KarateBoy]

Is the car being held up by engine stands in the first pic?

[*NismoS13*]

Nice job with the cage so far, Bill. I'm really impressed, it looks great! Definitely keep us updated with your progress...

-Adam

[Johny5]

rofl @ engine stands, its a rotiserrie (sp) for rotating and freestanding basically stripped to all shit car chassis like such. nice cage dude!

[SochBAT]

I think i just exploded in my pants.

Balls out. Nice work. MORE PICTURES!!!

[Flybert]

Whoever is doing the welding is doing a pretty good job. Nicely beaded chromoly tig welds kick ass. I can't stand sloppy mig welded DOM cages with sludge everywhere. Keep up the good work. BTW, when you guys were making the cage, did you cut out the floor and raise up the cage to meet the roof? I'm going to be making my cage soon and needed some tips.

[blu808]

I love the work. It is very nice to see dedication, and patience in a build.

The rotisary of the chassis is a classis trait of a well built car. My only question is why such thick tubing? Maybe hill climb has other rules? I know that in formula d there is no advantage in doing a cromoly cage except for weld quality. All cage metals have to be the same thickness.

Also why did you change the upper angles on the door bars? just wondering..


Good luck, and if you need any info on gusseting the rear subframe let me know.
[email protected]

[Ian]

Chromoly is lighter isnt it?

[driftstyre]

Chromoly isn't any lighter than mild steel, just stronger. This allows thinner wall and ends up being 1/3 the weight. Formula D should have SCCA rules which would allow 4130 The angles in the cage will make more sense once it is further along. The cage is also designed around a 6'7" person.

[driftstyre]

Flybert,
To answer your question, I will weld the door Xs, roof and then cut ~3" off the bottom of the main hoop and a pillars and drop it down to weld over top, then raise it up and box to the chassis with 1/8 steel. I think this is the most common practice without removing the roof.

[Johny5]

holy shit i'm sorry to threadjack but i have a question about rollcages and my rollcage real quick. up to this day i thought my cusco 6pt was not formula D legal due to its chromoly build, is it JUST because its bolted together? can i threoretically take it to my rollcage builder and have him weld the cage together and put a harness bar in and have it legalised? i was not aware chromoly was as strong as you guys are saying it is!

[driftstyre]

Well, chromoly is a stronger metal but when welded the temperature difference from the welded area to non welded area makes the metal brittle. Therefore for a cage to be SCCA legal (or any major sanctioning body) it would have to be annealled (heat treated in an oven). T45 on the other hand, which is expensive and hard to find in the US, has the strength of 4130 and does not have to be heat treated.
Also, the cusco cages are designed with minimal crash protection and mostly chassis rigidity in mind. Those A-pillar bars collapse like accordians when put to the test. I'm not trying to knock it or anything, just putting it out there as I have seen an evo III with the roof at a 45 degree angle and the cusco a-pillar bar compressed.

[snatch13]

damn nice work... definately keep adding pictures as i would love to stay updated!

[Mervyn]

Wow nice. Keep up the good work man!

[Flybert]

holy shit i'm sorry to threadjack but i have a question about rollcages and my rollcage real quick. up to this day i thought my cusco 6pt was not formula D legal due to its chromoly build, is it JUST because its bolted together? can i threoretically take it to my rollcage builder and have him weld the cage together and put a harness bar in and have it legalised? i was not aware chromoly was as strong as you guys are saying it is!

A-pillars are illegal. As for the bar dimensions, I don't think they meet the minimum diameter or gauge. The Formula D rules are on their webpage in a PDF file and you can design your cage based off of that.

[Ian]

Cusco dosent meet most standards when it comes to the size of the bars they use, they also have that stupid bend which dosent meet most racing standards either...not to mention cuscos arent meant to protect in a rollover...they're meant for chassis stiffening

did you ever notice they dont come w/ any door bars?

[driftstyre]

Here are a couple more pics. The main cage is done, now i need to tie in the F/R towers, rear subframe mounts and box the lower A/B pillars and brace with 1" tubing in certain areas.
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSCF0021.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSCF0020.jpg

[Ian]

mmm...bars

[driftstyre]

http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSC00815.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/DSC00817.jpg
And the bismo threw a rod this weekend at the Okemo mountain hillclimb :( Looks like stock SR rods can't rev to 8000.
http://www.dentsport.com/bismo_motor.jpg

[supportTHEezln]

Taken from Formula D rule book off drifting.com :
Vehicle Weight Mild Steel Alloy Steel
Up to 1500 Ibs. 1.375x.095 1.375x.080
1501 to 2499 Ibs. 1.500x.095 1.500x.095
2500 lbs. & Up 1.750x.095 1.750x.095

Showing that for cars around our weight, according to this page http://www.drifting.com/Formula_Drift.php means that there is no weight advantage anymore to use chromoly in Formula D. If I'm not mistaken, previously it was like any other motorsport where you could use lighter tubing if it was chromoly, but alas, no longer.

[driftstyre]

http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/rear_wide.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/rear_tower.jpg

[*NismoS13*]

Wow, I'm really loving the cage Bill! Did you cut the bottom out on the back on the car for a fuel cell or something?

-Adam

[driftstyre]

Thanks Adam. The radiator will be in the rear where the opening is, fuel cell will be on the rear bulkhead right where it steps up.
-Bill

[BlackS14]

WOw......that cage is sex. And I love the fact that you're doing a complete offbody build of the car. That is my dream project do to the same type of build on my S14......throw that bitch on a rotissary and have at it. Can't wait to see future pics mna...keep up the good work!!!

-a fellow "Bill"..lmao

[driftstyre]

Bill,
don't think about it, just do it. I want to have this car done for under 10K. Granted I have bought parts one by one over a few years but it can be done if you can do the work yourself. It helps owning a motorsport fabrication business but you can do it if you really want to. Good luck!

[Var]

And the bismo threw a rod this weekend at the Okemo mountain hillclimb :( Looks like stock SR rods can't rev to 8000.

Sorry to hear. :-/

Are you sure it was the rpm and not oil starvation? How can one tell after they break the engine down for inspection?

[driftstyre]

We're not positive it was the rods yet. I can't seem to find anyone who has safely taken the motor past 8K on stock rods though. A few weeks before we ran the car for 10+ runs up another mountain and it was flawless. We raised the limit from 7500 to 8000 and the car was really great but on a straight it just started ticking and then went bang. It sounds like rod failure to us but once we get the engine apart we'll post some more info. The car has a baffled pan also and was full of new oil.

[Tygma]

Nice to see some Irish flags on that Impreza. Irish drivers own.

[Drunk Bastard]

any idea how much the bare chassis with cage weighs?

[*NismoS13*]

We're not positive it was the rods yet. I can't seem to find anyone who has safely taken the motor past 8K on stock rods though. A few weeks before we ran the car for 10+ runs up another mountain and it was flawless. We raised the limit from 7500 to 8000 and the car was really great but on a straight it just started ticking and then went bang. It sounds like rod failure to us but once we get the engine apart we'll post some more info. The car has a baffled pan also and was full of new oil.

I think you're right with your thrown rod assumption. A buddy of mine just threw a rod in his SR when his father was checking out the car and over-revved it!

-Adam

[driftstyre]

http://www.dentsport.com/front_tower.jpg

[Irukandji]

keep up the goodwork.... whoever welded your car has some mad skills

[driftstyre]

I welded everything and will probably die early from the amount of smoke I inhaled seam welding this 15 year old chassis. I'm getting there, just a few more bars and then a shiet load of gussetts.

[SaintlyCharBoy]

i'm loving the treatment the front strut tower got, it's defenitely an often neglected connection on these cars (granted it's illegal in some circles)

are you bracing the strut towers to the front "frame rails" as well?

the chassis is looking sweet.

[tak-]

It helps owning a motorsport fabrication business but you can do it if you really want to. Good luck!

im sure it helps just a lil ;]

that thing is sexy man, best of luck to you

[[email protected]]

dude thats freaking awesome... i bet it would cost a grip.

[that180guy]

that is sum serious shit in the making. cant wait to see more and the end results in action. keep it up.

[Drunk Bastard]

progress looks great!

[driftstyre]

Thanks guys. I'll keep the updates coming, hopefully sooner rather than later.
-Bill

[*NismoS13*]

I'm still jealous, Bill! Keep up the good work and I already look forward to the next update...

-Adam

[driftstyre]

http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/front_tower_gusset.jpg

[DriftGirl]

wow....

Looking forward to final product :)

[Silvia_S13]

http://www.dentsport.com/front_tower.jpg


ur gonna hate ur self as u try to reinstall the brake cylinder/clutch cylinder. awesome fuckin job none the less...

[agrabau]

He's using remote reservoirs and a bias adjustable pedal box from Tilton or wilwood so it won't be a problem. That hole will be a blank out for bulkhead feedthroughs to the reservoirs.

-Alex

dentsport

[driftstyre]

Like big Al said, similar to the Bismo but...

I have twin AP short cylinders mated with BNR32 GTR calipers F/R with IS300 rotors, Afco box(with AP adjuster) which will be moved about 14" back from the firewall as the driver position is moved back about that much as well. Need to mount it soon and will update that as it goes.
-Bill

[GoldWatchKid]

Looking good bro

[Edgar]

Thats looks good :)

[240mph]

Lovin' the work. keep up with the pics.

[driftstyre]

http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/front_wide.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/cage_primered.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/front_gusset.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/under_paint.jpg
http://www.dentsport.com/Bill240/paint_test.jpg

[ThatGuy]

Ummm, somebody stole your roof, dude. :rofl: :rofl:

Cage is looking nice. Way more then what I'm looking for, but awesome work.

[smellslikecurry]

that cage looks like the playground at my old elementary school...crazy shit man...i wish i was that talented...

[kaioken]

Nice Work Bill,

I too will have my hands full with something very similar. Any day now am I pickup up a s13 coupe shell down in FL that is rust free. Im going to start striping the under coat and sound deading. Then it will go back down to FL where my buddy is opening a Stock car Chassis Fab business, He just picked up a UNIJIG Pro. And has asked me to move down and help him out.

LMFAO another Bill

whats that makes three of us now.

L8r Bill