Re: Chassis #64 due in July
Dave,
When I was in the "bare" stage, I decided I wanted the full cage for the car on several fronts. One is the "look". Nothing looks "badder" than a car with a full cage. It sort of makes a statement without having to explain it. It says I can get on the track if I want to. Two is for "safety of the car". If you have not had a chance to see one of the cars during construction, you won't appreciate the weakness of the roof line at the "A" or is it the "B" pillar. Just above the windscreen out toward the door. Unless they have gone to reinforcing that area of the cars since mine was built, this area is pretty flexible. It is the area most people will, reach for support, while entering or exiting the car. My cage comes right up to that area, and I plan to put a sign there saying "GRAB HERE". At one time I thought about puting a handle on the roll bar, but it would stick ot too far. "Third was the safety of the occupants, namely me. If there is a roll over, you don't have the crumple or crush zones of modern cars. You will be lucky to have two or 3 inches at most before fiberglass meets bone.
Now, those things being said, I have to say that I don't particularly like the roll cage that GT40 Australia is incorporating. It may be due to some sort of regulation or ruling by some governing body, but it looks uncomfortable to get in and out of, and that would tarnish my feelings about getting in the car and driving it. I am a little older than most so I am not as flexable as those my junior. It looks just to race oriented, and not really meant for the street. They probably gain a little head room with the curving of the front cross piece and may very well be why the front support pieces have to be where they are.
What I did was to adapt my cage to the confines of the cabin. In ordre to do that I had to do some timming of the dash and build some support pieces.
As you can see, the cage has to drop down a slight bit due to the curature of the roof line at the rear and front corners. In order for the dash to fit, it has to be trimmed and fitted around the roll bar. Here is an inside shot after painting and you can see there is no obstruction of the door way.
Here is the fitting of the dash. It is cut so that it can be slid in front ways and securely mounted.
If you look closely at the pic you will see a support bracket under the outside piece. It is held in place by a bolt which is countersunk into the dash itself and secured on the bottom. Since I plan to have the dash covered, it will be hidden.
The loose piece will be secured to the framework just outside the area of the roll bar. T
The leather on it and the main piece should just meet up to form a nice seam. This is how it looks from the inside.
Bill