After measuring the distance...
After measuring the distance between the main hoop and the A-pillar down bar, Pete jumped over to the band saw and started cutting. As always, remember to measure twice and cut once!
Wondering how we went from installing a really nice and pre-bent Competition Engineering 'cage kit to bending our own hoops? Enter Lowbuck Tools and the company's awesome Lowbuck Hydraulic Tubing Bender.
Built for anyone looking to bend tubing without the hassle and expense of a gigantic setup (that would be us!), the Lowbuck bender comes pre-assembled and ready to work right out of the box.
To use it, Pete literally pulled it out of the box, placed in on the floor of our makeshift chassis shop, and started bending. At $510, it certainly lived up to its name and, along with the Lowbuck notcher that we showed you last time and a band saw that we borrowed from a friend (thanks Marc), we were able to bend, notch, cut, and weld almost anything we can think of, without having to shell out our hard-earned, and much needed, cash to a real chassis shop. Anyway, enough about the cool stuff, let's get to work!
With the bar cut, Pete and...
With the bar cut, Pete and Editor Fisher positioned the end of the tube into our Lowbuck Tools’ tubing notcher and put the squeeze on the mild steel. It may look too good to be true, but the Lowbuck notcher works great with just a tiny bit of elbow grease.
After tacking the driver-side...
After tacking the driver-side lower bar in place, Pete cut two additional bars for the passenger side and tacked them in as well. Notice how Pete uses a ratchet strap to hold the tubes tight before tacking them for a quality fit and finish.
Time to break out the Lowbuck...
Time to break out the Lowbuck Tools’ tubing bender, which is a self-contained, super-simple tubing bender that can handle 90-degree bends with ease. Like the Lowbuck tubing notcher, the simple looks can be deceiving…
…but the Lowbuck Tools’ bender...
…but the Lowbuck Tools’ bender works like a charm. We didn’t even have to bolt it down to anything to make it work, which makes this the perfect tool for anyone working in small spaces or on borrowed time at someone else’s shop.
All that bending, which was,...
All that bending, which was, as we said, super simple, resulted in this 90-degree bar, which we are going to use as the base of our seat mount. The side closest to you will weld to our lower horizontal door bar, while the opposite end attaches to the factory rear seat bulkhead.
Using a piece of cardboard,...
Using a piece of cardboard, Pete built a template for the reinforcement plate, which will weld to the bulkhead and give the lower seat mount a solid and safe foundation.
Here is the plate in metal....
Here is the plate in metal. Luckily, we had a couple of extra 6x6-inch plates left over from the Competition Engineering ’cage kit, so it was as easy as cutting the plate, forming it to fit over the existing metal, and tack welding everything in place.
Next, Pete hung the seat over...
Next, Pete hung the seat over the new framework and measured to find the correct height and distance from the main hoop and the steering wheel. Remember, you want to be comfortable in the seat but also far enough away from the ’cage to keep you safe in the event of an accident.
A quick trip to Home Depot...
A quick trip to Home Depot took care of our 1x1-inch square bar problem (HD has a decent selection in a pinch, you know), and we were ready to make our first lower seat mount.