Roll Cage Help!

#21

“We” built two cars with welded cages “we” assembled from Kirk kits. I put “we” in quotations because I didn’t do any welding…it’s not one of my skills, and this isn’t a place I wanted to start learning. A little 110 MIG isn’t going to do it, so you need a good welder with some power. Building the cage was an excellent educational experience and good, ‘manly’ work. Having done one, though, I’d pay someone to do it next time. It’s just too much work. My time is more valuable than the money I saved. There was enough other work to do with the build to keep me happy.

#22

In the hands of an experienced (certified) welder, there is a slight advantage to TIG. But for all practical purposes an experienced cage builder can get essentially equal results with MIG.

#23

I understand my comments were a little naive, but I have the unfortunate conditioning of taking any warning or honest caution as a personal attack of my skills or as coming off discouraging. I then have to prove, well nobody, (maybe the imaginary voice inside my head), wrong. Thanks Dad! :laugh:

Thanks for all the feedback. I initially came here mainly because I knew everyone here would have dealt with putting in a roll cage one way or another an they would take it seriously. I know it’s a big deal and very important to get right and I might not even use the first cage we crank out, but more as a building block. Fabrication and roll cages are an area that I want to invest my time and money and I have an e30 in my driveway awaiting a cage.

My buddy is a welder, he has a mig, we’re getting the jd2 hydraulic bender, the notch master, the whole thing. We’ll have the equipment. I’ve welded in a pre bent cage in the last car we ran at lemons, it was a piece of shit and in no way legal to race seriously. This time around I just wanted it to be a little more useable. I think I get the picture of the discretion which must be employed.

I believe being naive can be an asset to approaching things you would have never thought to do if you knew how demanding or terrifying it was. I appreciate the honest help and foresight. If anyone has some specific first hand experience they would like to add that maybe you would do next time or wish you would have done…well that would be cool.

Pink

#24

Pink wrote:

Have you been reading Ranger’s threads?

#25

As soon as I read that statement, I immediately thought that this guy and Ranger must be long lost brothers.

#26

Pink wrote:

I read that and thought “SOUL BROTHER”. Then I read the posts that followed and couldn’t help but laugh.

Naivete’, one of the pillars of optimism.

[size=2]The other two pillars are:
-Underestimating difficulty.
-Credit cards.[/size]

#27

To paraphrase something that may apply here.

There are old and there are bad but there are no old, bad …

#28

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Pink wrote:

I read that and thought “SOUL BROTHER”. Then I read the posts that followed and couldn’t help but laugh.

Naivete’, one of the pillars of optimism.

[size=2]The other two pillars are:
-Underestimating difficulty.
-Credit cards.[/size][/quote]

You forgot the 4th element: a loaded gun.