LeMons is all about cutting corners, be it in build quality or literally in driving technique. I’ll admit that the cage I put in The Uberbird was very much My First Rollcage® grade fabrication, likely to help in the event of a big crash, but not something you really really trust. Which, of course, defeats the whole purpose.
After seeing a Volvo P1800 take a K-rail to the driver’s door at last year’s Thunderhill with an unscathed driver inside, I knew who I wanted to make my cage. John, Grant and crew, at Evil Genius Racing in Sacramento didn’t just slap some tubes in there and call it a day. They added an extra lower-rear bar connecting the back of the hoop that tied into transmission tunnel, some of the last remaining good original metal in the car. The floor plates are all double or triple oversize to met spec, but it was necessary to distribute load and tie into something solid. It’s built from 1.75″ tubing, which is over-spec for the weight of the car, but again, this thing can use all the stiffness it can get. To quote John “there’s just no car to weld to!”
Was it cheap? No. However, the difference between this (arguably the best possible cage I could get) and a cheaper shop or DIY option is really only a few hundred bucks. For all the cash spent to construct a car, why skimp there?
Wrench Scramble 2015: Don't Do Cage Me In
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6 responses to “Wrench Scramble 2015: Don't Do Cage Me In”
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I was spectating at a race at Sears Point a few years back, and I remember the SouthWorst Mustang getting dragged into the pits on a flatbed. It had flipped over and landed on its roof. One, that roof was bashed in but good. Two: the Evil Genius cage seemed to be completely intact (I was only able to give it a cursory inspection). Three: the EGR guys came running over to make sure everything was Ok, and to see what they could learn from the crash. They are definitely the shop to talk to for a cage, particularly if you’re in California or Nevada.
This is top of the list for not-stupid decisions made during this ordeal. It is, admittedly, a shorter list than its complement. -
“…a Volvo P1800….”
Even the estimable Judge Phil calls it that, but this much-lamented 1800 was in fact an 1800E. -
Hmmm…$175 TR7 shell. This would be an excellent LeMons starting point, no? (A: “NO!”) …But it would certainly need a good cage to
hold it together in one pieceprotect the occupant.
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5309038721.html
http://images.craigslist.org/01515_iIfUG6JQlyS_600x450.jpg-
Hm, with you on the wheel, a couple of motorbike engines strewn around that cage would make for an interesting 2×2 wheel ride…
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Ought to handle a bit better now, too! And the few hundred bucks price difference is cheaper than the ambulance ride off the track. Seriously, you can’t break a finger without it costs $200 – $500, nevermind a femur or an ulna.
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The cage is going to be a huge help for handling. Particularly how much metal isn’t between the passenger compartment and the rear cage stays. (Some that was never there, and some that is no longer there…)
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