ian

I have been trying to think out where my car is going, and one of the things I would like is to run a full cage to make things that much safer at the track. But I also have been thinking about where I am going to put things like the Boost, Air Fuel and EGT Gauges. I had originaly thought that I would put them on the pillar for better line of site (two of them anyway) but I was just thinking about where my roll cage would go and it is right in front of the Pillar, am I right in thinking the two would not work together?

David Salama

Ian,

I think your right. The roll cage will interfere with your a-pillar gauges. By the way, I have started to look for an installer in the area for the cage. For reference, I contacted Autometrics in Charleston, (who I know does an awesome cage)and they quoted me 1500 to $1800 and about 2-3 weeks work. I called Stutgarthaus in Mooresville and they are goig to get back to me. I am going to a Mooresville race shop tomorrow evening to get a quote as well. I'll let you know. Perhaps we can get a good deal if several of us in the Charlotte area get the roll cage together. Please post if you are interested in getting a roll cage guys.
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TJ

I would be interested in getting a cage. I was thinking about installing a bolt in cage from Kirk racing, but if you think that we can get a good deal, let me know.
-TJ

ian

I'm sure we can do better than 1500 for the full cage. I'll call a guy I know up in Winston who builds them.

Can anyone on the board tell us what we should expect to pay, better yet can anyone in the area lead us to a good builder.

And Dave thanks for the ride in your car, it was quite the ride. More motivation for me to get my car back on the road. I am going to see when I can get strarted on the suspension, I think I am going to get started this weekend.....

keith

Dave - call 704-882-6466, and talk to Jim about getting a cage done.

dmoffitt

in regard to gauges vs cage - couldn't you just get "cups" for them and mount 'em on the a-pillar part of the roll cage?

ian

I guess the cups on the cage could work, I would like to see how that interferes with my line of sight though.

Hard to say until you do it sometimes, I figured someone on the board would have done it, but o-well someone has to be the first.

dmoffitt

i tried searching both on the boards and on google last night, didn't see any sort of photos where someone had done this... my thoughts are, pillar-mounted gauges are for street cars (like the install i'm going to do soon) whereas if you're getting serious enough to put a cage in the car, you might as well do a little weight reduction, remove the back seats, climate control, radio, etc etc and put in a custom gauge panel in the dash (i'd say you could get 4-6 in there easily, plus room for switches like fan, fuel, etc etc)... unless this is still a "weekend racer, daily driver" project (but who drives on the street w/ a cage? i'd love one for safety but the convenience woes.... )


btw, if you don't mind my asking, how much were the Leda coilovers, and how do you like 'em? I really want a suspension that's better than stock and doesn't break the bank (I had Tein HA coilovers, basically one step short of a full N1 race setup, on my rsx, and miss 'em)

ian

[quote]Originally posted by dmoffitt:
<strong>i tried searching both on the boards and on google last night, didn't see any sort of photos where someone had done this... my thoughts are, pillar-mounted gauges are for street cars (like the install i'm going to do soon) whereas if you're getting serious enough to put a cage in the car, you might as well do a little weight reduction, remove the back seats, climate control, radio, etc etc and put in a custom gauge panel in the dash (i'd say you could get 4-6 in there easily, plus room for switches like fan, fuel, etc etc)... unless this is still a "weekend racer, daily driver" project (but who drives on the street w/ a cage? i'd love one for safety but the convenience woes.... )


btw, if you don't mind my asking, how much were the Leda coilovers, and how do you like 'em? I really want a suspension that's better than stock and doesn't break the bank (I had Tein HA coilovers, basically one step short of a full N1 race setup, on my rsx, and miss 'em)</strong><hr></blockquote>

hum, who would drive a car on the street w/ a full cage?

Me...

I am one of those nutty few who would do this, it is my 2nd car and I just want it to be safe as possible for the trips I do make to the track, and as a long term goal I want to race this car, but that might have to wait till I have a third car.

I have thought about duing a custom gauge pannel with the tach right in the middle, and it may happen (or even better running a stack system). But the cost of this fabrication are a bit over what I'm willing to spend right now.

The Leda's:
I love them, I think they are great units and worth what you pay for them. You can get them set up anyway you want. Spring rates are anything you can think of from 150 too 1500 lb springs (maybe by hypercoil) I went with 300 in the front and 400 in the back, and I find it to be a good street set up when I dial back the shock stiffness (24 pt adjustable) and great for the track when I dial in some stiffness. Also Karl at racers edge is a great guy and is very helpful in picking a set up, he can be hard to get a hold of because he is a one man show, but he will get back to you.

Are you running replica 964 Turbo wheels or are those OEM with spacers? They will out your wheel arches quite well.

Last, you are from Rochester? I grew up there and actually miss it. Charlotte may be nice but it lacks the snow and pontillos pizzaria (I worked there for a couple years).

Steve Lavigne

Ian, what type of Leda's did you get. I'm hoping to get the oil adjustable dampers with gas provisioning sometime in the near future.

txhedg

FWIW I installed a single-pod boost guage on the rollcage of the 951 race car I used to own. It worked very well (was visible in my peripheral vision, but did not hurt line of site from car)and the install looked very clean.

A two or three-pod would have also looked fine IMHO. I don't think I have any pics, but I'll see what I can find.

On the cage issue, you guys in the southeast....home of neckcar....... are lucky. Those nascar guys build the best cages!

David Salama

Ian,

Great news. I got a good quote from a roll cage fabricator in Mooresville. It's called G and K Racecars. They said they would custom fabricate a light chromoly cage and weld it in for $600. I walked through their shop today. It is definitely a hole in the wall, but there's guys in their welding cages. I believe that is all they do. I don't believe I can pass on that price. If anyone has some good pictures of a 951 rollcage, I would be interested in them so I can take them to G and K for ideas. They said it would take about a week to install.
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keith

I'd caution you about a full cage in a street driven car - can you say head injury?

Not safe (unless you're going to wear a helmet.. )

David Salama

I don't think a helmet would be necessary, but I would think the harnesses are. They should prevent my head from reaching the bar.
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keith

come by the shop and sit in a full cage 951 and see where that upper side bar is in relation to your head - you may be ok with harnesses on...

- or you may be really short, I don't know...

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