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8 pt. roll cage

2K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Pony 
#1 ·
I would like info on installing an 8 pt. cage in a 73 vette. Can the interior remain close to stock, etc. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
the one tip i have is practice practice practice....well i guess thats three tips...

do you have a bender already????if so which one?

ive been bending for 2 years and still learning on every cage i do...

you can keep all the interior if you want...building a cage is a give and take many times...sacrificing comfort over strength and reverse ya know...welding with the headliner is no biggie...just get some high dollar welding blankets.
 
#3 ·
I'v got the body off my 74 stingray now as I had to replace the frame and am rebuilding as necessary while it's apart. I studied the roll bar problem quite a bit as I would like one too! Big problem = If you weld it in you can't take the body off without cutting the cage out. I suspect your car is primarily a street machine like mine, as racers cut the insides out and replace it with and aluminum interior kit. I'm thinking if I do it of: using a 4 point cage, having the rear tubes bent to point down 4" at back end of tube, weld 4 tubes aprox 3" high (that the cage tubes would fit snugly into) to my frame, cut floor pan to clear tubes, make grommets out of rubber tubing sliced open, seal it with silicone, install cage into tubes when installing body and weld up cage, then securing cage into tubes with 2 ea 1/2" grade 8 thru bolts. I'm thinking that it would handle a roll over ok and anyway Corvette owners usually get killed by fiberglass poisoning from the exploding body. :rolleyes:
 
#5 ·
Look for a prefit kit. It will save you lots of headache. They are not a perfect fit, but they are close. If you plan on racing, look up and NHRA rule book on the net so you make sure an get it in properly. Before you start completely gut the interior. Also remember welding spackle will ruin the glass and paint. Plan carfully, or you could really regret it. If you have any more questions about the process let us know.

Chris
 
#7 ·
I used a Jegs prefit 10 point kit for my S-10 and modified it to use the X brace for the rear drops for added resistance to flex. I also added some 1" bracing to stiffen things up as well along with a dash bar.

Basically you get prebent tubes for th main hoop, top hoop and back brace and a bunch of tubing. I believe there were two tube ends prenotched and the rest had to be done. That I could handle, but I did not want to have to buy a bender so it worked for me.

Chris
 
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