travisnd

Starting the prep for my cage install. Due to my height I will be getting a bit more invovled than most in that I will be removing the roof and cutting out the factory main hoop. I'm also gutting the doors and losing the windows and everything associated with them.

I'd appreciate pics of your gutted door shell so I can see where you cut and what items you retained if any.

Any tips/tricks would be much appreciated.

rasrboy

Here is a few I had, hope this helps.

Got rid of it all in the doors except handle and rods.

Aaron

travisnd

Thanks Aaron... it looks like you kept a good bit of material around the door handles. Was that done for any particular reason i.e. to maintain structural support?

Did you remove the factory door beam, can't tell from the pics?

Thanks!

sperkins

Easiest thing to do is to pull the doors before you take it to the cage builder. Then hang the door and cut it to fit or mark it with a sharpie, pull it back off and then cut it.

My door bars are a lot higher than Aaron's and some others I've seen (like Phoenix cages). I didn't specify to my builder what height to put them at, but I'm glad he did it the way he did. Not that I'm gonna be hit by an F150 in the door while on track, but it's always possible that a car could get slightly airborne right before it t-bones me.
Climbing out isn't an issue since the door would likely be closed anyway.

sperkins

Also you should call Mark about the way he had his seat mounts done. They're sweet.

travisnd

Mark's seat mounts are too high for me... I have to sit on the floor to have any chance of fitting.

Did you keep your factory inner door handle? I think I need to pre-gut the door because I want the door bars to extend out as far as possible to make getting in/out as easy as can be.

sperkins

He changed it when the cage went in. There's no way any mount could be any lower. The only thing that's between his **** and the fiberglass floorpan is the 1/8" plastic of the seat bottom.

rasrboy

Scott, I like your door bars better up higher, more protection. If and when I build a C6, the cage will be just like yours.

Travis, Thats just how it was cut around handles. T1 rules at that time we were close on weight and couldn't afford to cut more weight out.

The door beams were not allowed to be removed per T1 rules also. My buddy cut his out and SCCA tech put him on the trailer.

drivinhard

the bottom of my seat is 1/2" off the top of the hardbar mount. to even get it that low, I had to shave the bottom of the seat itself. To go 1/2" lower I'd just have to ditch the hardbar rails and sit it on the floor and weld up a mount to fit the seat mount bolt holes.

I just need to be about 5' 6"

racerwannabe

I'm kinda tall also,we took out the floor under the seat and modified the mount so the bottom of the Kirkey is slightly lower than the original floor..I have a phoenix cage ,so the rest looks like Aaron's car..used to...

johnny

travisnd

Yeah I'm considering cutting out the OEM floor under the seat so I can get it that extra 1/2" lower.

Anyone cutout the entire inner door shell other than the vertical and lower horizontal part i.e. the part that holds the weatherstrip? Most I see keep some part of the upper part of the inner shell, but messing with my doors tonight I think you could cut that all out and the main door bar.

Sure it'll be flimsy, many race cars have flimsy shells for doors... you just can't use them to get in/out of the car.

96solo

Here's mine professionally built Roll Cage by Precision Chassis Works, Gilbert AZ. Great welds, precision cutting, everything got a purpose and light weight. Windshield aluminum frame and Corvette's dash bar incorporated in the cage.



Driver Side







Passenger side



Welded directly to the frame in mulitple places.



Welded directly to underdash factory cross member.

NV MY C5

davidfarmer

96solo, I really like the CLEAN design of your cage....wish I had the patience and skills to do that.

I agree with many above, the door skins get really flimsy without some of the inner facing left in tact. One bump up with a competitor can leave you without a door at all, as well. You might find yourself replacing them soon than you want to.

clubracer6

96Solo, what series class do you run that car in?

travisnd

96Solo.... your cage work is beautiful, but I'm 6'4" 240 with wide shoulders. I couldn't sit in your car with your main hoop like that.

For my setup I'm removing the roof and cutting out the factory main hoop, then removing the inner roof support rips to free up as much room as possible.

96solo

Believe it or not, but your car has been on track with me when Darrell Rayburn owned it.

When the car is finally completed is will run in NASA TTS/ST2 classes. Precision Chassis Works is now one of the NASA-Az inspectors. I love to get the work done right the first time.

96solo

Thanks David, That's a heck of a compliment from you. The roll cage is very well designed using what Chevrolet had to start with. Well, after this long of time, patience my a$$ I want to race someone!

D. J. Covert

96solo

I'm 6'1" and 225lbs. so I am a little shorter. I did have to use a removable steering wheel and the Corbeau Sliders have to go. I can't see through mirror to the rear. So the seat is being lowered to the floor.

maxattack

Hey D.J., what is attaching that square foot of the main hoop to the floor? I see they have it boxed to the sill and b-pillar, looks great.