shortyboy

well,after spending sometime searching for a picture of a autopower bolt-in roll cage in a 944,i figured id post a thread for future references.i want to see if the side bars would interfere with going in and out of the car(safetey check here in HI).do the front bars go through the dash?what else is included with purchasing a bolt-in roll cage(bolts,plates,etc)?im purchasing a used unit and wanted to know whats missing.lastly,has anyone modded their side bars to swing out to make it easier to get in and out.this cage is going into a street car.the DOT in hawaii states that a rollbar/cage is legal on the streets just as long it doesnt interfere with ingree/egress(getting in/out of car).i was thinking of using pins instead of bolts but it might be kinda hard since the side bars are slip fitted.heres a kinda old pic of what im going to purchase(its the only pic the owner has).thanx in advance guys.



edit**though,it might be uncommon for a daily driven street car,this will see some SCCA events.i think i wont have issues with bumping my head as im only 5'5(im filipino!),but im sure to get some roll bar pads.thanx

edit2**btw,this is going in a 87' 951.its gonna be a street driven track car.(aka weekender)dont worry my other car is a porsche!

docwyte

Putting a full roll cage in a street car is beyond foolish. Unless you plan on wearing a helmet and 6 point harnesses *every* time you drive the car, I *strongly* suggest you just install the back half (bar) portion of the cage. You can very easily brain yourself in a minor impact by smacking your head on the upper header bar of the cage.

Mongo

I like it! But you better race that car or it's absolutely useless

Eyal 951

get SFI rated padding, that foam crap is worthless. I have autopower roll bar in my car, but not the full cage: (sorry, dont have a pic installed)

docwyte

Even with padding, a serious injury can occur.

tifosiman

Most full cages are really not the best thing to have in a street car, unless you plan on driving around with a helmet on.

Shorty you may be best off posting this question in the DE/Racing forum here on Renn. You'll get the ins/outs of your decision and questions there rather quickly and accurately.

shiners780

^^^Good advice on the streetability factor.

The Autopower cage is what it is. It's a $700 delivered cage, mounts to the floor boards, and lacks the custom cage fit and features. That being said, I got one to get me through until I get a custom cage built in a couple years.

It does not feed through the dash vents, the front extensions pass about 1" from the dash.

I see from your post that you're 5'5". I'm 5'6" and am experiencing some difficulty in fitment. My driving position is somewhat forward to allow me to reach the pedals at full extension. This position puts my head very close to the upper crossover bar that runs across the top of the windshield. In fact, with helmet on, I hit it easily. What I have done is custom fabbed a new seat bracket which lowers my seat about 1", and I also raked it back a bit which is more comfortable anyway with my seat. I am in the process of also moving the cage as far forward as it will go, cutting a bit of padding off the dash to allow it to be moved forward even more. This put the cage about 2" forward of it's original position, and my seat about 1" down and rearward of it's original position, giving me added head space. I now have to extend the rear cage extensions that attach to the rear wheelwells since the whole cage was moved forward. Not a huge deal, and I think it'll work out fine.

I see a seatback brace is already installed, which is a good thing (depending on what seat you use), and is that a camera mount?

You'll need backing plates and hardware which you could probably get from Autopower. A box of hardware and backing plates can't be that much $$$. You could make the backing plates yourself if you're ambitious and have the time.

Ingress/egress is limited by the sidebar and front extension. Moreso if you're seat is mounted to the floor like mine is (no sliders). With sliders you shouldn't have much difficulty. I see a quick-release steering wheel in my future.

Oh, and it takes a bit to get used to having bars everywhere ouch!

shortyboy

i mixed up the couplers and i cant seem to get any off them to match up.is there some sort of markings on couplers i should look out for?btw, how do you go about drilling the holes?test fit the whole cage and just mark the holes and drill?

shiners780

As I recall, the long collars (8"?) are used on the top connections, the short collars (4"?) are used on the door bars. Drilling the holes is a PITA, use small bits and work your way up. I broke probably 8-10 bits. Assemble the whole cage in the car, drill and bolt the feet first, then just start drilling and bolting the remaining parts. Watch how you angle the bolts around your head. I angled them so my helmet won't hit them in an impact. I'd rather hit the rounded bar then a relatively sharp bolt head which would probably penetrate the helmet.

Serge944

Pad the bars surrounding your head and side of your body with FIA approved padding. Much better than SFI, and at the same price.

In particular, the bars that extend along the doors (upper and lower), the bar coming down the a pillar and the bar going across the roof of the car, in front of you.