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Rollcage Installation - Behind BarsPart 1: Competition Engineering helps us get the City Boy ready for action with a new 10-point rollcage From the June, 2011 issue of Circle Track By Justin Cesler Photography by Justin Cesler
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It's 1 in the morning on a Wednesday night and aside from the fact that I smell like an odd combination of sweat, welding gas, and that weird coating they cover mild-steel tubing in, I already have a great feeling about our first Mini Stock outing. I know, it's months away, and we've barely even scratched the surface of what needs to be completed in order to hit the track, but tonight, just hours before a looming deadline, we have the very beginnings of a solid foundation in place—the rollcage. Let's rewind a couple of days and see how we got this far. If you've been following the City Boy chronicles, you know that it was just a couple of months ago that we convinced (tricked) Editor Fisher into letting Pete Epple and I—two completely useless newbies—build a Mini Stock. And, much to the amusement of several staffers here at the Circle Track world headquarters, what we dragged home to start building wasn't much of a car to start with. So, as our first real assignment, Rob decided to see if we could handle a rollcage install, by ourselves. OK, I thought, how tough could welding some tubes be? To get us started, we called our friends at Competition Engineering by Moroso and ordered up a 10-point rollcage kit, which ships complete from the factory pre-bent and ready to install into a variety of chassis, including early body late-model Mustangs. Before getting into any fabrication... Before getting into any fabrication project, it’s paramount that you understand every detail on paper before you ever start cutting or welding. Competition Engineering supplies a nice set of instructions with its 10-point rollcage kit, so take the time to read it thoroughly. Why start with a kit? Why not? With a Mustang-specific main hoop, halo, and down bar, using the Competition Engineering kit saved us time, money, and aggravation, since we knew up front that all of the difficult bars were already taken care of and bent properly for our application. For an idiot and a half-decent fabricator, that convenience and expertise was essential. Of course, those of you familiar with Mini Stock rules will know that a 10-point 'cage doesn't consist of the four horizontal driver-side door bars, or the three horizontal passenger-side bars, but don't worry, we plan to cover that part of the install next month, once we have our new seat in hand. In regards to what Competition Engineering does provide, you must understand that it can't possibly send all of the tubing pre-notched, since every car is slightly different and each fabricator prefers to do things a little differently, so our next call was to Williams Lowbuck Tools, in Norco, California, to set us up with a "Lowbuck Tubing Notcher." With a solid game plan and... With a solid game plan and all of our supplies, it was time to get down to business. First up, we had to completely remove everything from the interior. That includes all of the plastics, the carpet and as much of the sound deadening and seam sealer as possible. There’s nothing fun about this part of the job! I'm going to be honest here, when I first pulled the Lowbuck Tubing Notcher out of the box, I really had my doubts. I mean, you should see this thing, it looks way too simple and easy to actually do anything productive, let alone notch a piece of 1 5⁄8-inch DOM steel. Nevertheless, it's what we had and we were determined to make it work...boy are we glad we did! Turns out, the Lowbuck Notcher works great and saved us a ton of time over a traditional hole saw-style machine. If you don't believe us, make sure you check out the rest of the story to see how easily it really did work. Anyway, enough about that; lets get on with the install! If you're going to try this at home, make sure you have a lot of experience welding and at least some fabrication skill. It isn't impossible to install a quality 'cage by yourself, but you do need to realize that the 'cage could one day be responsible for saving your life, and it isn't something to be taken lightly. On the flip side, however, we were able to pull it off—so you should have no problems if you take your time and make each weld count. OK, now seriously, on to the install!  These model Ford Mustangs...  These model Ford Mustangs have a coating over the floor to prevent rust and insulate the cabin, which obviously must be removed if you plan on welding anything to the chassis. We found a couple of blows with the hammer and some chiseling to be the fastest method of removal.  Once Pete got close to the...  Once Pete got close to the bare metal, he broke out the air-powered sanding wheel and a set of aggressive pads to remove the paint, rust, and leftover seam sealer. We’re not sure if sanding/melting seam sealer can cause you any harm, but it’s probably best to do this in a well-ventilated area.  With the area clean, Pete...  With the area clean, Pete placed the Competition Engineering 6x6-inch floor plate in position and tack welded it in place. On our Mustang, placing this in the corner of the driver seat gave us ample room to work and provided a perfect mounting location for the main rollbar hoop.  The main hoop slid easily...  The main hoop slid easily in place and, believe it or not, required no trimming at all to fit tightly against the floor and the roof. This is truly a testament to how much thought and engineering goes into this rollcage kit before it leaves Competition Engineering’s factory.  Looking into the Mustang from...  Looking into the Mustang from the rear hatch area, you can see how well the bar conforms to the B-pillar area. If you were running factory interior panels, the fit would be tighter, but since the rules dictate that all panels must be removed, we have the perfect amount of room.  This is a view from the floor...  This is a view from the floor of the Mustang, looking up at the roofline and main hoop. The main hoop comes up right at the roofline and fits snug, exactly how you want it for maximum headroom, visibility, and safety.  With the main hoop tacked...  With the main hoop tacked in place, Pete turned his attention to fitting the rear strut bars. According to Competition Engineering, the rear strut bars “connect the main hoop with the rear frame at the upper spring mounts. Typically, these rear strut bars would run to a set of 6x6-inch plates but we had other ideas.  Using an extra piece of tubing,...  Using an extra piece of tubing, Pete fabricated this trick strut bar, which will weld to each strut mount and provide a base for our rear strut bars. By tying the struts together, we create a stiffer chassis and give the main hoop extra bracing, in the event that we do ever have to rely on it for safety.  Competition Engineering provides...  Competition Engineering provides extra long rear strut bars, which must be cut to length for your specific application. By shipping the kit this way, it gives builders the chance to make changes on the fly, like we did, which is a nice option to have.  After measuring twice and...  After measuring twice and cutting once, Pete slid the rear strut bars in place and tacked them in to position. To find the perfect distance for each bar from the strut mount, we actually sat in the Mustang and found the centerline of our heads, placing the driver-side upper strut bar directly behind the head, to help protect us in a rollover situation.  Next up, Pete lifted the top...  Next up, Pete lifted the top hoop into place and marked it for some trimming. When installing the top hoop, you want it “to be installed so that the front is level and pushed as high into the roof as possible.” In our Mustang, we couldn’t get the bar completely horizontal without major roof modifications, so a slight 2- or 3-degree incline will have to do.  If you’re installing the top...  If you’re installing the top hoop yourself, or you happen to be working with a completely useless photographer who refuses to help, you can use a ratchet-strap to keep the front in place while you measure, check clearance, and tack the hoop in place.  The front down struts were...  The front down struts were next and these gave us the most trouble. According to Competition Engineering “their position has a direct relationship on the driver’s visibility so space them as far apart as possible and as close to the windshield posts as possible.” Right, but that is much easier said than done. After what seemed like 100 test fits and several trips to the bandsaw, we had them close to the right location.  Just like the main hoop 6x6...  Just like the main hoop 6x6 plates, it’s important to grind away any paint, seam sealer, or rust that is present in the area and then tack weld the plate in place. In order to spread the bars as far as possible from each other, Pete positioned the front down strut against the doorsill and threw down a couple of tacks.  Again, you can see how nicely...  Again, you can see how nicely the pre-notched tubes are in the kit. You may notice a little gap between the front down strut and the top hoop, but that is actually a crucial part of getting a clean and strong weld. If the connection is too tight, it may be hard to penetrate the metal, resulting in a much weaker weld.  With both front down struts...  With both front down struts in place, Pete slid an extra piece of tube in place and measured it for proper fitment. This bar will serve as a front strut crossbrace and, like the main hoop crossbrace, serves to strengthen the ’cage and add rigidity to the entire structure.  Wondering how we have been...  Wondering how we have been notching all of these custom tubes? Check out the Williams Lowbuck Tubing Notcher. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering where the rest of the tool is and how in the world that little thing could actually notch a piece of 0.095-wall tubing. Well, it’s actually quite ingenious and simple.  To use the Lowbuck notcher,...  To use the Lowbuck notcher, you simply slide the tubing in place and pull down on the handle. The case-hardened cutting die, which is rated at 62 Rockwell or “2 points harder than the back of Superman’s head,” slices through tubing in less than 6 seconds and, believe it or not, makes for one fine cut...  ...but, don’t take my word...  ...but, don’t take my word for it—check out these fish mouth cuts! Not only do they look great, but they require no after-cut grinding and we didn’t have to watch our toes for flying sparks or hot metal.  With most of the ’cage complete...  With most of the ’cage complete and the crossbar notched and in place, I jumped up on the engine and admired my—I mean Pete’s—handiwork. The ’cage isn’t finished, or even perfect, but it came together well and, once fully welded, will be safe and reliable for years to come.  Gussets, like these from Competition...  Gussets, like these from Competition Engineering, must be welded anywhere two tubes connect. This greatly increases the ’cage’s rigidity and, most importantly, keeps us within the rules for competition. Once we get everything welded and the rest of the bars in place, we’ll show you exactly how these fit.  After four days of late nights,...  After four days of late nights, frustration, and sweat, the main portion of our 10-point rollcage is complete. To meet Mini Stock rules, we still have to weld in horizontal door bars, the main hoop crossbrace, and the gussets, but we can’t really do any of that until we have a seat made for the City Boy, which we will make sure to document in the next chapter of the City Boy story.
 | Two city boys, no racing experience, and a stock four-cylinder Mustang: We’re building a Mini Stock! |  | We tear into the Mini Stock to show you what to look for when building your first race car. Demolition is so much fun! |  | Project City Boy gets a new seat and several more safety upgrades as the boys prepare to finish the rollcage install |  | City Boy's engine takes a trip south to get some much needed power from Race Engineering |  | Building a safe and legal fuel-cell mount for our Mini Stock Mustang |
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