I need either photos or plans for C4 roll cage. I would like to build myself but these cars are different.. I am removing all of the original dash and interior so that clearance is of no concern.
Thanks
bob

 

Here you go, dude... Dial up beware! These are pics of the cage in my 1990 Vette (Outlaw Drag Radial car).
-Jeb

 

Part deux...
-Jeb

 

And the final three..
-Jeb

 

Jeb,
Very nice cage. Would that be considered an 8-point? What time will this cage allow your car to run legally in NHRA classes?

Again, very nice work.
Aaron

 

No, more than 8... Before 12/30/05 this cage would be legal to 7.50 and fortunately I had it built and certified before then. On January 1, 2006 the "25.5" chassis rule went into affect and this particular cage will only certify to 8.50 now (and when I have it recertified). The only difference between the 25.5 and this setup is a funny car loop around the driver and x'd door bars; everything else is the same.

I didn't build this cage... That's one area I leave to someone else. I'm fairly certain that I have the skills to fabricate a very good and safe cage; however I'm NOT a chassis builder. My friend Bobby Shahan of Shahan Race Cars built this cage for me... He's a chassis builder of pretty significant note in the Street Legal drag racing arena and he knows better than anyone I've ever been involved with how to make a car "work." And the cage is integral to that...
-Jeb
PS- If you look real closely on the first pic in "Part Deux" you can see Bobby's 7 second FULL-WEIGHT Chevelle sitting on the chassis jig... Note the 25.5 in progress here, you can make out the funny car hoop around the driver. If given the opportunity I'll take some pics of it; you would be floored at the detail and fabrication involved with this one! Everytime I look at it I'm inspired! Bobby is the inspiration for every bit of fabrication I try/do... He's a rare individual and his skills are the BEST I've EVER seen (and that includes visiting chassis shops all over the country)!

 

Jeb,
How many points is that cage. I was including the 2 rear frame ties, the 4 ties in the driver's area, and the two front suspension ties. Maybe it is something to do with the diagonal braces across the passenger compartment????

That is a nice looking cage.
Aaron

 

I think it's considered a 12 or 14 in total... I just know it's currently certified to 7.50; but would only be certified to 8.50 with the new rules.
-Jeb

 

Glad to see you kept the wipers

What did you do along the door sills? Is the diagonal bar from the front floor to the rear shoulder area enough?

 

Everything is NHRA legal... The door bar runs halfway between my shoulder and elbow as mandated in the NHRA chassis certification book. The only other thing I could do would be to 'x' it which is part of the 25.5 chassis rule. Other than that I don't guess I know what you're asking about the door sills... The frame runs through the body in the door sill are and you're actually sitting below the frame. Not being a road race car additional tubing along this area is not needed (other than the aforementioned 'x').

Yeah...I kept the wipers...It IS a street car, you know! Actually it looks like I'm probably going to have to '86 them; my big-*** valve covers hit the wiper motor and as you know I'd rather have big power than wipers!
-Jeb

 

I appreciate the warning to us dial up guys, but it comes a little late. We have already selected the thread and signed on for the wait, before we know it exists. With THAT many pictures, would it be asking too much to link, rather than post them? Thank you for keeping the width down. They aren't sig width legal, but they aren't so big as to cause a constant "pan and scan" situation. That helps minimize the pain.

RACE ON!!!

 

Unbelievable…… I was really enjoining reading this thread until I read this Bone-Head reply.

Save your whining and get an ISP that will let you “RACE ON”



Great cage Jeb!!!

 

Awesome cage! I suspect ther little "flexing" in that frame.

Now...how the hell do you get in/out of that thing?

 

Actually, Jeb's cage looks very driver friendly. This is one of the few C4 cages that I have seen that I think I could actually live with on the street.

Most cages that I have seen have the funny car hoops and the "x" at the door, which makes it very difficult to traverse as a street car. Not to mention that single bar going overhead to in between the miss's legs doesn't go over well.

Awesome cage.
Aaron

 

S & W racecars has a mild steel "kit" for C4's, I asked them about it and Scott Weney(owner) actually sent me some pics of kit he was doing on one of his customers' vette. I understand it was a proto-type version or a template test car, one of the 1st ones he did for a C4 (????)










That's one way of doing it. It ties into the 3 bolts from the bracket that holds the dogbones on the other side. Also the back braces don't tie into anything solid where they are bolted down. I don't happen to agree with doing the C4 cage this way, but like I said, it is one way to do it.

It's been on the back burner for a while now, but slowly I am doing a chrome moly 10 point cage. I'll take pics of the install as I go along.

 

Yeah...I don't really care for that one. It really is serving little with respect to chassis rididity. A proper cage should be tied into the frame (directly) and should connect all four corners; preferably with the down tubes connecting directly to, or above the suspension/shock mounts. Look at the rear tubes on mine and how they pick up directly on top of the rear shock mounts. Then look at the front snout bars and where they attach to the frame and you get an idea on how to "tie" a chassis together.

The car is actually fairly easy to get in and out of (only marginally harder than a non-caged C4 ); but that's largely due to the fact that I have a removable steering wheel too... Once I do the 25.5 upgrade (before my next recertification) it will be a major PITA! The halo bar gives you something nice to hold on to to swing yourself in and out of the car.
-Jeb

 

Care to move out of 1998?


Pics of my cage.

 

i dunno why im so concerned about keeping my interior intact...since some of those gutted pics look so well done it looks better than my factory 84 interior does! lol...

you guys make me wanna bone strip this thing SO BAD it's insane!!

 

Just to inform you self righteous geniuses, there are still areas where high speed is not available or practical. Also, someone may have not have the resources for such a luxury. So unless you know someone's situation, keep your pie-holes shut.

 

Cry me a river.