ROLL CAGE RESEARCH..............
Ever since I picked up the shell I've had it in my head I want to build something special. I don't want the car to be 'as it was', I want it faster, stronger and lighter....and ultimately....better. I know it was a nice car, don't get me wrong, and if I hadn't had the accident it would still take pride of place in my garage and the trophy shelf would probably be a bit fuller......but that wasn't the case, so the evolution needs to happen.
First thing on the to do list (and the expense list!) is the roll cage. I'm still unsure exactly what to do with this as I still have the old cage from the car (minus the harness bar as that met an angle grinder and ended up in the now sold puma) so that could go straight in.....I even kept the plates from the floor and arches!.
But seeing as I want to take the car stage rallying and compete in the HRCR Minisport Cup, I think I'd like something a bit more substantial around me and because this is kind of the first thing that needs doing, this is why the build has really failed to gain any sort of momentum.
A few things I have learnt doing my research - homologated or certificated cages are not actually needed and a bit of a red herring. If you follow the MSA Blue Book by the letter and build the cage to the exacting specs written in black and white, then the car can go and get it's MSA Logbook (soon to become Passport) no problem and compete on stage events simple as. Obviously cage manufacturers don't want you to know that, but after some digging it really makes sense. Where a homologated cage comes into it's own is if the rules change in the future - then you can still by right use that homologated cage without issue....whereas if I was in that situation with a 'home brew' cage, i'd have to change it to comply with the new rules.* This is very relevant now as the rules about roof and windscreen supports will change as of 2019 making it mandatory in some cases to have a diagonal or a cross in the roof - something my SD bolt in cage does not have. There will also be the need to have an extra diagonal placed in the cage from the very top of the A pillar bend to the base of that leg triangulating that section and making it stronger....this is dependant on cage design and a few other things so check out the Blue Book and tinterweb for exacting details.
*This is how I understand the rules and what I have been told by Safety Devices and the MSA Technical bods....please do not treat this as gospel.
Even with that information, i'm still no closer to deciding what I actually want from my future cage. The multipoint bolt in SD cage seems a good option, but I hate the door bar arrangement and it's a heavy cage (as cages go). The SD bolt in 6 pointer I have isn't sufficient so will be shelved for a future project. The SD weld in cage (pictured below) is an option and is a good price. It's CDS rather than T45 so is heavier, but does cover a few bases. The only thing with homologated cages like this one, is if I choose to change the cage and put in pukka X door bars then the homologation is void so I might as well build my own cage........ Correct??? Again i'm not a fan of the SD door bar option here.....yes i'm fussy!
Next up is the Custom cages offerings. I'm going to focus on the one they call their 'historic' cage pictured below.
I quite like this cage and it's the one that Endaf Owens fits to all those snazzy FIA appendix K historic mini race cars you see blatting around Goodwood. The only niggle I have with it is it's expensive (Near as dam it a grand) and I have heard some sketchy rumours of CC, but I will stress, this was hearsay and by no means fact or even my opinion, but it did come from 2 completely separate sources so maybe there is something in it. Another advantage to this cage is it's homologated and because I wouldn't need to change anything i'd be good for everything in theory.
Some photo's I've found online of the same CC cage installed.........
Then there was this white shelled cage I found.....unsure what this cage is as it seems to be a mixed bag of details, but thought i'd share it because it's quite a neat setup and I might 'borrow' a few details from it.
Then this photo popped up on my Facebook feed from Harry Hockley Motorsport. It's a cage they have installed for a customer. I have never seen a cage where the B pillar roll over hoop sits in front of the rear companion bins. Nice neat cage although i'd want a higher harness bar for HANS device compatibility I think and i'm unsure why the door bars are mounted the way they are (bolted) but certainly something to use as research.....
Thoughts peeps..........??????
