Mikelly

Xactly!

Once I commit to gutting the 996TT, I'll install a full cage, probably with Piper, and build something that is rwd, and a true P-car track terror...

Until then I'll just finish the Zcar and use the OTHER cage Piper built for me!

Mike

schwank

My custom built cage was 1800 out the door. It's damn burly with plenty of rear bracing and a dash bar.

JoeMag

as someone else said. i'd do x brace on passanger side. ...better for tors stiffness than nascar bars (modeled it). ...may want to think about adding bar from top door bar back to shock towers, and didn't see anything going to front shock towers.

only real gauge i have on cost is local guy (did brant's car too), who charges $50 per bar. ...don't recall main hoop price. He does KILLER tight cages (several pro cars).

Mark in Baltimore

The extra tubing that NASCAR-style door bars would add is not going to increase the weight by that much, even less so when you take into account the door card, door panel metal, window glass and window motor/hardware that would be removed to accommodate NASCAR bars.

If there's that much added stiffness to X bars versus NASCAR bars, I would think it would make sense to have the car's stiffness be as symmetrical as possible.

Plavan

My suggestion is to find a "Nascar" or circle track shop like I did. Then take a bunch of pictures of how you want the cage from other "Caged" Porsches. The Racers Group quoted me almost $5k for the cage I wanted in my 69 911..... I got the same cage/quality/material built at a circle track shop for $1400 in 2002..... The good ole' boys loved working on it without Porsche Tax applied.

JoeMag

In ref to Mark's comment on symmetry... If you're looking for that, add a bar inside nascar bars driver side that's low fwd and high rear. gets nascar bars close to X rigidity.

Alan Herod

There are a few of us here with Mitch Piper cages in our P-cars (near Dulles; but not near you unfortunately) and while our price may be lower then what your current estimate is; the price of steel and transportation has risen dramatically. It looks like a good price to me. It is interesting to see how quickly prices adjust upward; relative to how they correct back.

RedlineMan

Hey;

- Cages get costly when you have more difficult parameters, like being quite tall, or short. 911s tend to be a bit easier because of the tall door opennings. 944s... are not. Things get costly when space is tight. It takes a lot of time and effort to be efficient with space.

- Material costs have SKYROCKETED in the last 3-4 years. At least 35%!

- Painting a cage NICELY is a real PITA. It takes more time to mask than paint. There is just no way to do it easily (unless you are painting an entire chassis), and those materials are INSANELY expensive these days.

- You have to watch the NASCAR boys. They can certainly cage a car, but in general their designs can tend to be a bit "agricultural", and you can end up with a really heavy cage that is not very space efficient.

- Most of the cages I do end up being right about where your quote is. Sean F's cage was around there. However, extras like side nets, seat mounting, mirrors, etc., etc., can add up fast.

kurt M

Some of the nicest work I have seen in tubing came from circle track shops. Effort can go up a lot when getting a cage real tight and going to the Nth degree. It takes less time to single cut and angle fishmouth a tube next to another tube rathet than make a full multi angle cut node. Labor is the largest cost part of a cage if it is done well.

Jason Judd

That is a really good price, based on my experience too. Keep in mind that today's price of steel is much higher than a few years ago.

I had Mitch Piper build my cage, too, and I was very happy with the add'l room a custom cage provides.

Edwin

My cage cost a bit more than your quote....but it makes me feel safe....