I removed most of the interior - best time to install a roll cage

How does the Jeg's cage fit ? Anybody installed it ? Photos ??

Edit:
found some info using the search function, the Jegs cage seems to be a 'cut and weld to fit' deal.

I'd appreciate more info/photos of the installation, where to cut the fiberglass and so on....

TIA

 

 

I had been warned away from those types of cages. Was told that they were all over the place (too tight in some spots, etc.). If you are good at welding, I'd have some chromoly bent up and do it yourself. You can get it just the way you like it. Too bad my bud doesn't have his shop anymore. I think he did a great job on mine and at a pretty fair price.

 

I had one that I ended up cutting out and throwing away. Look for a local race car builder. A good one can do amazing fabrication and you'll be much happier with the result.

 

I installed the jegs 4-point about a year and a half ago.........It was an absolute PITA....I did finally get it to work but it turned out "just ok". In the jegs picture they show it going in behind the seats on the floor(and the main bars are long enough to reach). Problem is: when you put it behind the seats on the floor your seat wont go all the way back---you lose like 4 inches!!----and at 6'1" that just aint gonna happen. Second the main hoop was to wide to fit snug in the upper part of the roofline. I ended up having to cut a piece out of the middle and weld it back together. If you do this be really carefull because if you cut it too narrow the seatback hits the bar at the top of the seat and wont sit back all the way.

If I had to do it all over again, would find a shop and have it custom bent.

On the other hand If you are looking for a challenging project you can really save some money by going with the jegs bar.

Good Luck

btw; I ended up with my main hoop welded to the frame rails above the rear wheels and the rear part of the bar goes to the seat belt mounting area. I had to cut lots of fiberglass...Thats real fun.

 

Thanks

It would have surprised me if that $150 cage fit...... "if a deal seems to be too good to be true it likely isn't"

 

I'm not a fan of "pre-fab" cages... They rarely fit vehicles like Novas, Chevelles, and Mustangs much less the cramped quarters of a Vette. You will always be miles ahead to have a good chassis shop do your cage. I do a lot of fabrication work and have done cages in the past; but I have a friend who's a chassis builder of some significant note and would defer ALL to him. He knows how to make a car work and the cage is integral to that. Plus he puts everything so close without TOUCHING anywhere that you have to LOOK to see the cage. Just my $.02. Here's some pics of a cage that he did in a 1970 BBC I built for a customer. It's just a 1.75" mild steel 6-point with swing out door bars that's good to 10.00's but the quality of it is the same as in his full on 25.5 chromoly cages (like I have in my C4).
-Jeb

 

well,

i'm gonna critique this one and say he didn't get it high enough and its too close to the driver and passenger's head. The lower cross bar should be diagonal. If you gonna pay for all the custom bends and work, why not go with a really good chromoly steel?

If you're leaving room to put all the plastic panels back on.....well thats just not right at all. Unless you are doing it just for looks.

 

Actually it sits OVER and BEHIND the head just as it should. Can't tell from two-dimensional photos. We had a person of the same height as the owner (who was out of state from us) sit in the seat with a helmet on and the main hoop was formed to that. The seat brace DOES NOT need to be diagonal (triangulation is good, though); it is the pick up point for the shoulder harnesses and must be at such a height as the shoulder belts are parallel to the shoulders. If it is below the shoulders and you have a wreck it will break your collarbone and compress your spine. If it is above your shoulders you run the risk of breaking your ribs or slipping out of the shoulder harness (if you aren't using a submarine belt). Pure NHRA regs; of which this guy is intimately familiar as he can make one call and get a cage certified. Now, having said that, this is a street bruiser, not an NHRA certified stocker, Super Stocker, or other sanctioned race car. Simply it's a 550 rwhp 496" pump gas big block with a T56 and no power ANYTHING. At minimum it needed this little 6-pt setup.
-Jeb
PS- As for chromoly, the owner didn't want to spend the additional 40% over on chromoly... Mine, however, is full chromoly...

 

Custom is the only way to go as far as I'm concerned. This is especially true with anything more than 6 points. Also be careful if you have aftermarket seats (or plan on installing some), there isn't a whole lot of room between the seat and the door/body-ask me how I know this .

ltlevil

 

I had mine custom made by a local race car builder... Paid $750 for a 6-point lightweight chromoly bar.. (with swing out kit)