MONAROMAN
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 485
- Location
- Sydney Australia
Well its pissin down rain so its tinkering time :boat: About 3 weeks ago I snapped the u tube part of my rollcage, then after a bodgey fix I snapped the side upright the next time out. These cages are just too thin, plastic would be the ultimate material with perhaps a metal brace or guard to protect the spark plug if it flexed too much... but its not a perfect world, and seeing as mr mcd didn't think it needed a plastic one well then I'm gonna believe him, plus I'm not a plastics guru so I can't make one anyway.
A metal cage thats stronger than the crap alloy one that comes on it but not too heavy to bog the old girl down with all that extra weight (she's fat enough as it is... well chunky anyway) but will also flex. Hmmmm (looks around and sees about 20kg scrap copper pipe just gleaming at him) BINGO, its stronger than the stock alloy, heavier yes, but not too heavy like say a solid rod would be and best of all it will beng if it cops a good hit but best of all its FREE :nono: (for me anyway, until work catches me).
I'm using hard drawn 3/8" refrigerant grade copper pipe, I am bending it without annealing it to preserve its strength (just needs some oomf) and joining it all together with tees. At the rear I will just sleeve the 3/8 pipe over the plastic extrusions and either screw or just body pin it in place, and I will do the same at the front to the stock mounting points. At the sides I have just sleeved the existing plastic mounts with some 1/2" pipe, when they shear off (which I know they will) I will replace them with 1/2" brass rod, drilled and tapped and attached from the underside of the chassis and brazed to my copper pipe. I have also incorporated the front mounts not used on the stock racerunner rollcage and a bit of a pipe guard.
As I will be soldering it (brazing, welding, whatever...) the hard drawn pipe will anneal forming a semi flexible, well more like plyable part of the pipe about 2cm around each join, my theory is on a bad tumble these will bend and absorb impact, then I can bend them back until they work harden, then I'll replace it again for free
. Here's some pics showing it pieced together lego style before I solder her up tomorrow.
A metal cage thats stronger than the crap alloy one that comes on it but not too heavy to bog the old girl down with all that extra weight (she's fat enough as it is... well chunky anyway) but will also flex. Hmmmm (looks around and sees about 20kg scrap copper pipe just gleaming at him) BINGO, its stronger than the stock alloy, heavier yes, but not too heavy like say a solid rod would be and best of all it will beng if it cops a good hit but best of all its FREE :nono: (for me anyway, until work catches me).
I'm using hard drawn 3/8" refrigerant grade copper pipe, I am bending it without annealing it to preserve its strength (just needs some oomf) and joining it all together with tees. At the rear I will just sleeve the 3/8 pipe over the plastic extrusions and either screw or just body pin it in place, and I will do the same at the front to the stock mounting points. At the sides I have just sleeved the existing plastic mounts with some 1/2" pipe, when they shear off (which I know they will) I will replace them with 1/2" brass rod, drilled and tapped and attached from the underside of the chassis and brazed to my copper pipe. I have also incorporated the front mounts not used on the stock racerunner rollcage and a bit of a pipe guard.
As I will be soldering it (brazing, welding, whatever...) the hard drawn pipe will anneal forming a semi flexible, well more like plyable part of the pipe about 2cm around each join, my theory is on a bad tumble these will bend and absorb impact, then I can bend them back until they work harden, then I'll replace it again for free
. Here's some pics showing it pieced together lego style before I solder her up tomorrow.
