Project Rollcage

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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 :clown: . Here's some pics showing it pieced together lego style before I solder her up tomorrow.

rollcage3.jpg
rollcage2.jpg
rollcage1.jpg
 
Nice work Monoroman.
The copper should hold out for a good beating. I like the way you followed it through to the front of the car. Are you gonna tuck those pieces in or leave them there?

BTW: If all else fails, you can put some refrigirant/freeon (or whatever it's called) in there and keep the car cool.... LOL... ;)
 
Yeah i'll cut the ends down and maybe even put another brace above the air filter, give her a coat of paint and you won't even know how bodgey I really am. I need to get whats left of my stock rollcage back from the guy at my LHS (he was gonna have a shot at a cage) so I can actually fit it with the stock plastic adapters. It will be bashable by next weekend, just gotta strip the diffs out and check/refill grease and I'll be happy.
 
Nice job. Thought I was the only one busting roll bar's?

I like the additional support at the front and how you incorporated the same mounting points. It looks a lot more beefy than the stock one so I reckon it should hold up better.

You have got me a bit worried though as I thought the reason I busted mine last time out was because of a roof landing without the cover. I am in the process of painting up a racerunner lid as I though it would help protect the rollcage as it sits above it offering some impact protection. Did yours break at the first bend where it mounts to the chassis?

To be honest I much prefer my old Baja 5b rollcage as it took a absolute hammering and still came back for more but the MCD uses it to brace up the chassis so they couldn't have made it out of plastic.
 
Yeah 1 snap at the bottom where the u shape bar meets the chassis, the other on the top of the u shape bar, right above the spark plug... lucky!
Looks like no finishing off today as its stopped raining and I'm gonnan go run my new baja :2guns:
 
I haven't run it yet, this weekend will be its first outing. I was getting it ready last week and slipped with the drill and massacred a servo lead. I have a bit of soldering and heatshrinking to do this week and she'll be bashed this weekend.
 
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