MarkDFW

For those of you racing with NASA or SCCA, I'm curious what it cost you to put a full cage in your C6? And for those of you like me who aren't mechanics did you have someone local do it or ship it off to someone in particular?

I'm looking at converting to a dedicated track car next year and want to know what I should budge for this. I will need something that can pass NASA/SCCA inspection. I'm not planning on going with the cheapest cage, but don't exactly have the budget to send it off to Pratt and Miller.

CHJ In Virginia

It really depends on how much of the prep / finish work you do yourself. Are you going to strip the interior and dash area or do you want the builder to do it ? Are you going to perform the painting or have the cage builder do it ? Is your car a Z06 with an aluminum frame ? Low end if you strip and paint $3500-4000. If the builder does it all $6000 and a few bucks more if the car is a Z06 due to the extra bracing required.

MarkDFW

I would have the builder do it all. It is a 2012 grand sport.

$6000 isn't too bad based on a few other threads I read, but those threads were a few years back, so wasn't sure what recent costs would really be.

Curious if the cage stiffens things up enough that the car is actually faster? I know a guy who said something about connecting the cage to the firewall frame rails making a difference. Goes over my head how exactly that would help.

2 GTOs

Had my C5 done last year and it was just over 6k with nets and kill switch. Included full paint. Would imagine a C6 is similar.

pkincy

Whatever class you run will have rules on the cage and your fabricator needs to be very familiar with those rules and specs.

But yes, $6k should do it. I would go to the NASA or SCCA tech inspectors next event you attend and ask them for recommendations in your area. After all they are the ones that have to look critically at all the cages run in either NASA or SCCA.

MarkDFW

That's part of the plan. The next NASA time trial event I will be able to make is in early November, and I will ask around then. I wanted a reasonable ballpark to budget for when I eventually go wheel to wheel.

I read older threads with people talking 10-12k and that just seemed really high. 6k isn't so bad.

2 GTOs

I'm told the 10-12k number is what it costs for a C6z06 cage due to the aluminum frame. I could also see spending what you mention if "putting in a cage" means converting a stock car to a race cage. eg cage, nets, kill switch, seat, seat mounts, harness, fire system, steering wheel, yadda yadda. You could easily get from 6k to 10k in the click of a mouse.

redtopz

I think $6k sounds about right. Maybe more including a seat and all the safety equipment. The cage rules are different from one series to the next. ST2 allows more cage options than T1 for example. And yes, a cage will definitely stiffen the chassis of the car making it handle better. I doubt your builder will put bars through the firewall and they aren't really needed.

pkincy

I think the lower number is putting in a cage for a relatively stock class. You can pay Pratt & Miller over a $100,000 to turn your chassis into a C6R tube chassis race car. Take a look at the thread Corvette Customer Cars to see pictures of one of those builds.

But if you are going to run in T1 or one of NASAs spec classes you should be in the single digit big bux range for the cage itself.

Another thing to think about. If you are going to drive on the street you have a problem. I had my fabricator build me a cage for a car I was using for HPDE and he did the hoop and door bars and back braces but wouldn't put in the Halo. His reasoning was that no matter how much padding the Halo had, if I had a crash on the street without a helmet I would be in a world of hurt.

So be ready to go "all track" with the car when you cage it.

5280Racer

Hey Mark, call up to Denver and talk with Hank of Hanksville Hotrods. He did the cage in my 8.50 cert diesel drag truck and also is a NASA and SCCA tech inspector for the Rocky Mountain region. He does every porsche in the state and around! great guy and does amazing work.

If you call him tell him Michael referred you and he'll take care of ya.


http://www.hanksvillehotrods.com

skxf430

Mark,

You are in the DFW area, so you should drive over to LG Motorsports and talk to them about the cage. I am sure they can get you setup.

Are you planning to race with an automatic tranny?

MarkDFW

Yep. I bought my car as a fun daily driver and had never been on a track before in my life. That all changed last February with a hpde and now I am hooked. I have done too much to sell it and buy a c6z. I am going to daily drive my car a while longer, then buy a truck, and convert the grand sport to a track only car.

I already have seat and harness. I need cage, aero, probably spherical bearings, and I am on my way.

Captain Buddha

Mark...come over to the dark side...get an ASA/GTA car!

mbeckers

Mark, why destroy a fairly new street car? If you want a full time track car buy one already built or as Captain suggests buy an ASA/GTA car. It is much cheaper to buy one already built than doing it yourself.

MarkDFW

I agree and hindsight is 20-20. But at this point, I am maybe 6k away from having a highly competitive car in NASA TT2 (I recently started time trials). 6k or thereabouts should get me aero (wing, splitter, vented hood) and poly control arm from Pfadt all installed by a local shop. This and Hooiser A6 (vs. the Kumho V710 I ran) should have me running up front. Once I'm ready, another 6k for the cage if I go W2W.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have done many things differently. Like I said, I really stumbled in to our mutual addiction. I didn't grow up a car guy, like most of you did.

Also, there aren't many ASA/GTA cars in the Texas area that I can really drive and compete against. If we had a decent sized ASA/GTA time trial or W2W series, it would make more sense.

Charley Hoyt

That seems like a lot to invest in a car that will still be an automatic. No offense but I think it would be hard to be competitive with an automatic. If it is going to be a duel use car having an automatic is alright.... But, if you are going to make a dedicated track car IMHO you would be much better off buying or building something different....either buy a manual Corvette and transfer your track parts over.... Or buy a track car that is already built.

I am speaking from experience....having a convertible track car is worse than an automatic track car.

MarkDFW

I hear you. FWIW I put it in sport/competitive mode to turn off the nanny's and use the paddles. The only cars faster than me in HPDE (advanced/instructor group) or NASA Time trials have better weight/power ratios and/or aero and then some. The last several HPDE I have participated in, I've been the fastest car in advanced/instructor group by a comfortable margin.

Aero + poly/spherical control arm mod + hoosier A6 (vs. Kumho V710 I used) and I'm running with the fastest TT2 guys in Texas. Anyone who has been on the track with me would validate this statement.

And don't forget.... ALMS...F1....Australian V8 Supercar, etc...etc... use paddle shifters/sequential now.

The NASA TT2 track record at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson on the 3.1 mile is a 2:18.353 as shown here:

http://www.nasa-tt.com/Texas_Track_R...6_articleid/11

Here I am running a 2:22.8 starting about :31 seconds in to this video. I have no aero whatsoever, stock control arms, and several other mods that could be done with no point hit per NASA rules. You think aero+spherical bearings are worth a few seconds on this track? I'll bet they are.


I have a total of 12 HPDE/Time trial track days under my belt. No other track experience. I can run with these guys in my lowly automatic. Just give me a few more mods.

Charley Hoyt

I am not trying to knock your car or questioning your ability… But just think how much faster you would be with a manual transmission. You are right that most of the top racing series use paddle or sequential shifters…but, those are still manual transmissions that are actuated by paddles, compared to the Corvette that has an automatic transmission, torque converter, and shift lag. It’s your money build the car you want.

Captain Buddha

There's no doubt that Mark can DRIVE the wheels off of his auto GS...I've used my wife's auto GS for a track day...and it got HOTTTTT quick...and then the auto went into "will you stop abusing me!" mode until it cooled off...that was a REAL buzzkill!

I know that Mark has additional/upgraded cooling...my question though: how will that work going wheel to wheel, ie - for an extended amount of time, not just a few hot laps?

moespeeds

Resale on an automatic race car is gonna be dicey...

Just throwing that out there.