- Thread starter Alistair
- Start date
it will be more for looks rather than incase of a crash (i hope!!) want it to be lightweight though... any ideas?? its for a 1967 beetle.recoverybuilder
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what info are you after fella . one thing you'll want is a tube notcher
Alistair
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as much info as you can give pleased, im restoring a vw beetle and am going for the race look, powder blue paint job, black alloys and on the inside it will only have 2 bucket seats a race steering wheel, all the original guages are to be replaced with modern ones, and i want a roll cage to fasten the harnesses to. if im honest i have no idea what goes into the construction of a cage ie bends or cut outs, what material to use ect ect. any help mate would be a bonus.
Hello Ali,
if it is for show then select what diameter you fancy, buy some ready made bends and make it to the shape you want, with whatever tube you fancy. You can just use an angle grinder to shape the tubes where they intersect.
As long as you never test it out for real then it will do what you want.
Real cages use seamless tube and no weld in bends.
Good luck.
Alec
if it is for show then select what diameter you fancy, buy some ready made bends and make it to the shape you want, with whatever tube you fancy. You can just use an angle grinder to shape the tubes where they intersect.
As long as you never test it out for real then it will do what you want.
Real cages use seamless tube and no weld in bends.
Good luck.
Alec
recoverybuilder
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There is alot of things to think about in cages to be honest hard to get my head round sometimes and i do them for a living lol.
first off at least you want to make it out of cds tube.To bend it really u want a proper tube bender and not a pipe bender but you can sometimes get good results out of a pipe bender if you pack the tube with sand.As you want a "show" cage you could get away with that. to join the tubes you really want a tube notcher (they make life so much easier)
If your going to run harnesses off it id be inclined to really put some thought into it and make sure ts done properly as you dont want to be playing around with your life
first off at least you want to make it out of cds tube.To bend it really u want a proper tube bender and not a pipe bender but you can sometimes get good results out of a pipe bender if you pack the tube with sand.As you want a "show" cage you could get away with that. to join the tubes you really want a tube notcher (they make life so much easier)
If your going to run harnesses off it id be inclined to really put some thought into it and make sure ts done properly as you dont want to be playing around with your life
malcolm
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I would seek out the FIA MSA standards and work to them. From memory 45mm tube with 3mm wall thickness is the thing, and there might also be advice for mounting it.
The mountings will make it look more authentic, and if you sell the car to someone who wants to race it'll be a bonus for them.
Don't forget insurance companies will charge a premium for road going cars fitted with roll cages (they see it as a sign that you know something they don't
).
The mountings will make it look more authentic, and if you sell the car to someone who wants to race it'll be a bonus for them.
Don't forget insurance companies will charge a premium for road going cars fitted with roll cages (they see it as a sign that you know something they don't
).recoverybuilder
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FIA specs are
45mmx2.5mm or 50mmx2mm for the main roll bar or the lateral roll bars
38mmx2.5 or 40mmx2mm for lateral half roll bars and any other section of the cage
45mmx2.5mm or 50mmx2mm for the main roll bar or the lateral roll bars
38mmx2.5 or 40mmx2mm for lateral half roll bars and any other section of the cage
Alistair
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cool, dont suppose anyone knows the difference in weight between a cage that functions and a cage thats for show do they?? big ask i know. as for insurance yeh there always going to sting me.. maybe shouldnt of swapped the 1.3 for a 2 lt haha!! havnt had a quote yet as its still early stages of the project but im not looking forward to it!! its capped at 1000 miles a year which helps a bit. does any one know where i can buy pre formed bends? thanks for your help guys this forum is ace for advice.
roll cage
YOU Must visit the ( RAC/MSA) sight about roll cage spefications you cannot
use preformed bends ? Think roll cage
floor to floor u shape 1 front 1 rear then 2 diagnals then 2 tubes from front to rear then 2 rear stays pluss other tubes it needs flat plate think 4/6mm to mount to body,,,YOU CAN NOT USE SEAMED TUBE in thr RAC blue book it gives you all the details you need to use on the track to pass scrutineering as built my own for 4x4off road racing,,,The tube used to be called BLUE BAND but think its changed now?????
AT THE END OF THE DAY ITS YOUR LIFE AT RISK,,,,,,
YOU Must visit the ( RAC/MSA) sight about roll cage spefications you cannot
use preformed bends ? Think roll cage
floor to floor u shape 1 front 1 rear then 2 diagnals then 2 tubes from front to rear then 2 rear stays pluss other tubes it needs flat plate think 4/6mm to mount to body,,,YOU CAN NOT USE SEAMED TUBE in thr RAC blue book it gives you all the details you need to use on the track to pass scrutineering as built my own for 4x4off road racing,,,The tube used to be called BLUE BAND but think its changed now?????
AT THE END OF THE DAY ITS YOUR LIFE AT RISK,,,,,,
Alistair
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john its not for rally use or anything like that, as i said at the begining of the thread its purely for aesthetics purpose. it just has to look the part not stand up to anything other than my 9stone mastiff chewing on it on days out to the seaside 
recoverybuilder
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john its not for rally use or anything like that, as i said at the begining of the thread its purely for aesthetics purpose. it just has to look the part not stand up to anything other than my 9stone mastiff chewing on it on days out to the seaside
if you need any more help fella just drop me a pm
Luke
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john its not for rally use or anything like that, as i said at the begining of the thread its purely for aesthetics purpose. it just has to look the part not stand up to anything other than my 9stone mastiff chewing on it on days out to the seaside
Hang on a minute, didn't you say you're going to mount your harnesses to it?
That means it really isn't for aesthetic purposes!!
Unless of course you're not bothered about your aesthetics being ruined by the windscreen as you travel through it...
Alistair
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it wont be a fully functional cage luke but surely if its welded to the car body in numerous places that would be strong enough to hold a harness?? if im wrong then i will gladly change my plans as a trip through the windscreen is really not what i had in mind!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello Ali,
certainly as long as it is competently welded.
Competition roll cages are designed to stand huge forces, hence the need for seamless tube and no welded bends (as the integrity of the welding cannot be judged by a scrutineer.) The load on a seat belt mounting is far less. As a point, I'm assuming you are fitting four point harnesses, the rear attachments want to be as far back as possible, to keep the straps at as large and angle as possible between your shoulder and the attachment point. I.e., don't take them straight down over the back of the seat.
Alec
certainly as long as it is competently welded.
Competition roll cages are designed to stand huge forces, hence the need for seamless tube and no welded bends (as the integrity of the welding cannot be judged by a scrutineer.) The load on a seat belt mounting is far less. As a point, I'm assuming you are fitting four point harnesses, the rear attachments want to be as far back as possible, to keep the straps at as large and angle as possible between your shoulder and the attachment point. I.e., don't take them straight down over the back of the seat.
Alec
Aren't there off the shelf ones from Safety Devices and the like? Maybe there's something out there for Beetles. (quick Google says there is or was).
Some shops charge per bend, or per mount point for a cage, Robinson Race Cars and those sorts of places.
If yr thinking of a "for show" one made out of exhaust tube or similar for the sake of weight, each to his own, but in a smack they might just turn into spears whipping around the inside...
Have come across insurance co's who won't contemplate a cage (because of the head/tube interface sort of thing presumably or past incidents with exh tube "cages" and such).
Some shops charge per bend, or per mount point for a cage, Robinson Race Cars and those sorts of places.
If yr thinking of a "for show" one made out of exhaust tube or similar for the sake of weight, each to his own, but in a smack they might just turn into spears whipping around the inside...
Have come across insurance co's who won't contemplate a cage (because of the head/tube interface sort of thing presumably or past incidents with exh tube "cages" and such).
