73 vega roll cage

[Sirshredalot]

AWESOME!...Proper grammar?...sweet
You are correct ...it is indeed our selfs and not ourselves.

I just happened to notice.
God bless
-Shred

[Caveman]

Thanks, writing has never been my strong suit.

[NixVegaGT]

How did you bend the plate? Do you have a roller or something?

[Sirshredalot]

Roller?.....we dont need no stinkin' rollers...

I just use a BFH and a "shaping" pipe....

Modifibrication at its finest.

God bless
-Shred

[NixVegaGT]

Like in a vice? I've never tried shaping metal before.

[Sirshredalot]

Just depends on what kinda shape youre going for and what kinda metal youre "shaping".

For angular bends, I draw a line right where i want the angle and put it an a table vice and clamp it as close to the center for theline as possible...I then take a piece of bar stock steel with a good straight edge on it and set it against the piece and the vice on the opposite side that I want the bend to take....The I grab the trusty ole BFH (big friggin hammer) and pound on the bar stock until it gets to the angle I want it...
-Dont start hammering to high away from the vice or the sheet will take a curvature that will be hard to work out....
Youd be suprised how well a pair of bench vices, angle iron, and 2x4's, can work as a sheet metal brake...break?...I dunno...angle maker...there we go.
\
Thats good for sheet metal and thinner stuff.

For round bends i get a breaker pipe or any random piece of steel heavy tubing....smaller tubes for tighter rounded edges and bigger tubes for larger smoother edges....I put the pipe in the vice and lay the piece that i want shaped on the pipe with the line that i went the bend to follow even with the highest ridge in the pipe and then "massage" it with a hammer until it gets close enough...Then if its thin enough metal you can lay it on your leg/knee and work it with your hands unitl youget it perfect.

This is how i made my shet metal dash and shifter console.
I cut out the gauge holes with a bi-material hole saw from lowes then worked the hole with a rat tail file to get the gauge to a perfect fit.

I know it sounds pretty redneck/hillbilly but I never claimed to not be one.,..hehe...im just a really pretty one.
Plus this is what car guys live for...thats why God invented them...to fabricate stuff.

God bless
-Shred

[Caveman]

I can't add much to that. I will add pictures. Oh, that is all of the tools we used to fabricate the roll cage on the right. No welder picture, sorry.

[Sirshredalot]

EXACTLY!!!

Youre awesome....Thats just what i was explaining...maybe Im not so hillbilly after all...or maybe theres just more out there like me.

God bless
-Shred

[barebonesracecars]

That's how you do fabrication when you can't justify expensive benders & brakes. I'll join that club.

I've got the same Jegs kit in mine, and it also had that bent crossbar. It also was a smaller diameter than the main hoop....still can't figure that one out.
I didn't like it, so I bought extra tubing and made mine straight. I'm only 5'8", so seat room is not a problem.
Also, since I did subframe connectors, I eliminated the 2 short bars running from the hoop/crossbar intersection to the driveshaft hump, instead triangulating the entire hoop.

[NixVegaGT]

That's what I needed! Thanks guys!

[Stivan]

OK. . . . If the main roll hoop was 6" closer to the door support, where it usually is mounted, the bent cross bar will give you clearance, for the seat angle to position your head pretty close to directly underneath the roll hoop. . . .where it should belong. . . . .. OK ???

[Caveman]

Yes, you are correct, it would give some room. But, I want to move the seat back all the way and be able to recline it. I think the roll bar will still help in an accident and strengthen the car as well. I' am aware that it probably will not certify at the track but, that's okay because, I will dally drive the car so, the track is not as important to me.
Thanks
John

[ratrace]

Thanks for your reply NixVegaGT

The roll cage came with six inch by six inch flat plates total of six. I think it should have came with eight because, I ordered an eight point cage. My friend that owns the car went to a local metal shop and picked up a plate of sheet metal of the same gauge. We cut some more six by six plates for the bars that came with the kit and for the other bars that we added. Any thing that you see that is bent, we did it our self's. The two bars that go over the shocks, are the only ones that used the plates out of the box.

Any other questions please let me know.

Thanks again!

[grumpy d-bone]

caveman, awsome roll cage looking to install one like it in my 72 gt, what size rear rims and tires will you be using? and did you narrow your rearend? thanks

[gt350fme]

Hey Grumpy, I own this Vega, caveman is my wrenching buddy, Caveman has been busy with another cool project lately so I will answer your question, haven't made much progress lately because of $$$ issues and the cooler weather but will start again soon. We have the 15x7 weld racing prostar rims in the rear on 225-50-15s, we have the a limited slip third member with 3-23 gears but no housing yet, seriously thinking about the ford 9 inch Auto-weld unit that comes with all the brackets already welded in the right places, don't know what the flange to flange measurement will be yet, sorry, just need to get around to it before I order it. The roolbar came out nice, but because I insisted on making room for reclining seats, and to be able to be comfortable in the cab, our setup probably will not meet track rules below 11.5 seconds, for us this will not mater for this will be a street car first, track car second, if you place your main hoop at the B pillar you will be fine, good luck!