Hey Rich,
Over the course of last winter I put a ten point cage in my Big Block
74'. Other than the main hoop, I did my own bending. (It looks like it
too!) I just plain like the look of a big hoop so I made it out of 2" mild
steel .120 wall. The rest is out of 1.750" tubing and I made a lot of
little bends in order to get as much room inside the cage as possible. In
order to get it to fit as tightly as possible, I bent up all the pieces and
then tacked them into place. I cut holes in the body just big enough to get
in a do what welding I needed to from the inside. Then I put a sling on the
body and lifted it up (many times) far enough to get to the frame areas from
under/beside/around and through, from the outside of the car. Then after
lowering the body I fully welded the rest of the joints from the inside. I
used a 1/8" sheet of rubber material, with a slit on one side, to form a
seal with a round hole and then aluminum sheet, with a slit 180 degrees from
the other one, to go over it and then riveted it all (with lots of
weatherstrip adheasive) to seal the holes around the tubes. It wasn't easy
welding it up. Actually, it was a pain in the ass. I also had the rear
window out and all the interior pieces out. You have to lift the body again
a bit to get the interior pieces in.
I am a certified welder (at least I was years ago) and the weld job
looks a little gob-job but they are sound. I bought Alison parts for the
swing out side bars. Nicely machined stuff, but spendy. The most critical
area is the tube running down from the top of the windshield on the drivers
side to the frame. I have a T&T column and I get about 2 1/2" - 3" of
clearance between the wheel and the tube. My hand doesn't hit the tube, but
it's close. The left arm space is really tight, in making a hard left I
have to hand over hand because with the Kirky seat there is no place for the
left arm to go back into.
If I had to do it all over again, I would cut the whole floor out, set
the body on and bend & tack and then lift the body off to do the welding.
It would just be a better weld job and probably be faster. It was a lot of
work doing it the way I did. The main hoop is on top of the frame as is the
rear supports. There are front diagonel supports that tie into the corner
piece (inside the frame) just behind the door. The top hoops tie in just at
the front of the door on the inside of the frame and the swing out side bars
tie in from the main hoop just above the front diagonals down to and through
the roof/windsheild line hoops by the front of the door and into the frame
just beyond the firewall. Ten points. By the way, weld the lateral and
diagonal bars on the main hoop before you put it in. That's the first time
you lift the body, to get the main hoop in. Save yourself the hassle and
gut the car before you start. Mine is a T-top and that is about the only
way to get the upper welds done. It has to be close to the roof or you will
end up with a permanent bend in you neck because your head wants to be right
where the bar is.
I don't think I can make the WOS. $$$$ seems to be the issue, I need
too many parts yet. BUT, watch out next year.............................
Good Luck
Gene H
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