Cage Builders Near Atlanta?

#1

Hey guys, looking at getting my car cage in the upcoming months. Who do you recommend around the Atlanta area? I’ve heard a few names tossed around, Robinson quoted me $2000 in labor + $450 in materials, is this about what I should expect?

#2

Email julio palacio, robert patton, steve devinney, and chuck taylor. Should be able to get that info via the Members link.

#3

'Preciate it!

#4

I had mine done by Kirk in Birmingham and was a little less than that cost with full NASCAR both sides. Had to wait a few weeks to get in queue but one week to do the job. Very happy with result.

Locally in Atlanta I would also recommend BJ. Fisher at http://www.genesisoneauto.com/ but he was booked up with something else when I was building.

I can post a link to some cage pix if you want.

#5

3 kirk cages for Group3racing, two of which withstood the test:woohoo:
Before moving forward look at multiple design features and don’t cheap out on foot bars, Nascar bars and dash bar. David Walsh is a good contact as well for info on pricing and safety. Our facebook site should have build photos of #490. Group three racing

#6

So for a newbie, what are the important features I need to be sure to have? Foot bars, Nascar Bars, and a dash bar, anything else?

#7

If you can, install your race seat so you can make sure the cage fits around the seat, (especially if you are tall) and have the harness bar at the proper height.

Think about extras such as a kill switch mounting bracket if that’s in your plans. As a newb, stay away from inexperienced cage builders. There’s a few really funky cages out there, nice welding but odd designs. Stick to someone with a well-established design and track record.

Buy the window net and mounting hardware ahead of time so the cage guy can weld on the brackets for you.

#8

good advice Chuck, think through window net hardware, door handle position and consider mounting plate for ECU. Don’t allow wiring to be pinched between bar and body, you may need to trace a wire (ABS) or something.

#9

Also, definitely remove the sunroof cassette before doing the cage. There’s a great write up on R3Vlimited and not that hard if you are patient and have a helper. Aside from the weight savings, gives you a ton more headroom. If you are not a welder, worth asking your cage guy to weld in the sunroof panel. (Kirk didn’t though)

#10

Actually that’s one of the things I’ve already done! I skinned the sunroof itself so it’s very light. The only problem now, is that the roof skin is somewhat deformed from the heat of the welding (it was welded all the way around, not just tabs). I need to figure out a way to bang out the dents but I’ve never done any body work before. Any tips??

Seats - I currently have Sparco floor mount adapters, do most people run some sort of weld in solution, or will I be ok to keep that?

#11

Where do you live in Atlanta?

No doubt you’ll need help in other areas and this internet correspondence will make your head spin off.

Fellow racer Michael Harness can build you a good cage. Sandro’s buddies build good cages. (But they can’t read the rule book to fabricate correctly.) Joel Barber builds nice cars and cages. The Kirk cages are nice, Harry builds great stuff, BJ Fisher is a good friend, etc, etc, blah, blah ,blah.All will be priced in the range that Harry quoted, maybe a little less.

Find a mentor and trust in their advise. Introduce yourself. What is your background? There is not a one size-fits-all cage guy for all of the many cars that we have built.

770-886-2500

RP

#12

[quote=“Patton” post=76160]Where do you live in Atlanta?

No doubt you’ll need help in other areas and this internet correspondence will make your head spin off.

Fellow racer Michael Harness can build you a good cage. Sandro’s buddies build good cages. (But they can’t read the rule book to fabricate correctly.) Joel Barber builds nice cars and cages. The Kirk cages are nice, Harry builds great stuff, BJ Fisher is a good friend, etc, etc, blah, blah ,blah.All will be priced in the range that Harry quoted, maybe a little less.

Find a mentor and trust in their advise. Introduce yourself. What is your background? There is not a one size-fits-all cage guy for all of the many cars that we have built.

770-886-2500

RP[/quote]

I think it would do us some good to be more organized about mentoring. Like maybe we could encourage those looking to enter the series to show up at an event and introduce themselves at a driver’s meeting. Then based on where they live and who’s present and volunteering, we could link them up with a mentor.

ecrawshaw, you going to be at Road Atlanta the weekend of 15Mar? Even if you don’t actually participate in the event, download the schedule when it becomes available and try to be there for a driver’s meeting. Be prepared to talk up your well-stocked beer fridge in your garage.

#13

[quote=“Ranger” post=76161][quote=“Patton” post=76160]Where do you live in Atlanta?

No doubt you’ll need help in other areas and this internet correspondence will make your head spin off.

Fellow racer Michael Harness can build you a good cage. Sandro’s buddies build good cages. (But they can’t read the rule book to fabricate correctly.) Joel Barber builds nice cars and cages. The Kirk cages are nice, Harry builds great stuff, BJ Fisher is a good friend, etc, etc, blah, blah ,blah.All will be priced in the range that Harry quoted, maybe a little less.

Find a mentor and trust in their advise. Introduce yourself. What is your background? There is not a one size-fits-all cage guy for all of the many cars that we have built.

770-886-2500

RP[/quote]

I think it would do us some good to be more organized about mentoring. Like maybe we could encourage those looking to enter the series to show up at an event and introduce themselves at a driver’s meeting. Then based on where they live and who’s present and volunteering, we could link them up with a mentor.

ecrawshaw, you going to be at Road Atlanta the weekend of 15Mar? Even if you don’t actually participate in the event, download the schedule when it becomes available and try to be there for a driver’s meeting. Be prepared to talk up your well-stocked beer fridge in your garage.[/quote]

Yep.Ditto. 10-4. All of the above.

RP

#14

I live in the Chamblee/Brookhaven area. Having a mentor sounds like a great idea, one of you volunteering? My background - been in Atlanta since 2005, came here from Houston to attend Georgia Tech. Started as a mechanical engineer, graduated industrial engineering. Currently work for Home Depot Corporate. Mechanical competency is pretty good but lack of experience and proper tools can be an issue. I’ve done all the work on my E30 so far that doesn’t involve welding.

I’ve signed up for BMWCCA at RA March 8-9, so I hadn’t planned on attending the NASA event, however I think showing up to say hi and get to know people is sound advice. Next up? Never been to CMP, considering the NASA event there in May.

Beer fridge? I’ve got a few of 'em, my stock got cleaned out a good bit during snowpocalyps. Quite a few homebrews left however… perhaps that says something about my brewing abilities? haha

#15

I may not be your best mentor as I am fairly new to the racing game (8 races now), but I do live in Vinings. Very close to the HD Corporate Headquarters. I’m actually at Georgia Tech right now working on a second undergrad degree in Aerospace Engineering. You’re welcome to drop by anytime and check out the car. My friend and I built my cage in the garage. It wasn’t our first cage, but there’s always room for improvement and I continue to make small modifications. It can certainly be done on a budget if you’re willing to invest the time, tools, and headaches. I spent around $450 for ~100ft of tube and maybe another couple hundred dollars in consumables: grinding disks, welding wire, gas, floor plates, paint, etc.

Chris Harkins
770-653-4063

#16

Back for more torture? What was your first degree in? I’d take you up on seeing what you’ve done with your car, will you be around this weekend?

#17

Chris, you’ve got mail!

Thanks for helping Eric. This is how the hobby works.

RP

#18

My first degree is from UGA in Finance! I’ll be around all weekend.

#19

We are going to be at Rd. Atlanta this Sunday and John Clark and Mark Issa are going to have their E30’s there, both of those cages are built right. If you want to come up. Jay and I are taking the 335’s, but might pick up the E30’s since they are next door, my cage is fixed, but I haven’t seen it, Jay’s cage was built by Forged in Marietta. Mine is the first one we sent to Zintars contact and hopefully he learned from those mistakes, we’ll see Sunday.

Yall come up and have some fun, registration is still open. We are remembering Davis Gregor, he was part of Tracks Unlimited!

Tracksunlimited.net

#20

Robinson has built two cages for me. In my opinion (and that of everyone who ever looked at my cage) their work is absolute tops in design and execution. If you need a shop to scale and set up your car after the cage is in, I highly recommend OPM.