Yup defiantly a cage. 8 or 10 point. I want to do it myself but im having a hard time welding upside down it looks bad. I want the welds to look nice and im sure whatever association I race under has there own rules on cage welds. I wasn't sure if maybe there was something to brace past the cross member or wherever.
If you're adding an 8 or 10 point cage then your frame looks fine. Adding too much bracing will just end up making the car heavy and not really add any rigidity. PS I know it's not strictly per AWS code, but sometimes when I'm forced to weld upside down with the MIG welder, I'll use the "arc on-arc off" method. Basically putting a puddle down, arc off, move over slightly and arc on- repeat. It's much easier than a full stringer bead and looks decent too. Some will say that it isn't as strong, but I've seen some awfully poor looking stringer beads that AWS says are good. Practice that method and see if it works for you. If you don't feel comfortable welding your cage, by all means hire someone with the right credentials to do it for you. In the time of need it could be very cheap insurance. Keep it up!! Steve
^^^ good tip, be sure to hit the weld while its still red and it will melt in and look good and be very strong, I weld like this all the time, had to due to small welders with short duty cycles, if you can slide the grinder around the bottom of the tube to throw a little angle on it for deeper penetration and it welds easier imo
Steve, looking at one of your pics it looks like you either have a aftermarket steering box (or is it a manual box?) and shaft. If im right what is it, and what would you recommend?
It's just a stock manual steering box. If I had the money I would have gone to a rack and pinion. I guess it all depends on how you're going to drive the car. On the street I personally prefer power steering. For a race only car manual is better for numerous reasons. Here are some shots of the trunk in my car. I couldn't find them earlier. Steve
First off beautiful pics by the way. Was it hard getting the tub to mate to the quarter panel like that with the angled bodylines these cars have? If I kept my power steering would you recommend a quicker steering ratio like ive read about? Have you driven both stock and quick ratio cars and seen a big difference?
Thanks! I had the Monte Carlo SS "YA" box on my blue GS455 and it did make a difference when compared to the stock box. Much better feel! Again I used cardboard templates to match the body lines to the wheel tubs. (Actually I use real heavy poster board.. definitely don't use corrugated cardboard.) Do them in smaller pieces and tape or glue them together until they fit all of the sheet metal/quarter panel perfectly. Then transfer that to the aluminum wheel tub. It sounds a little simpler here than it is, but it's not that difficult... just take your time and think it through. I can see that your skill level is definitely high enough that it will guide you through it! To bond the wheel tubs to the sheet metal I used a two part seam sealer. I don't recall the brand, or if it was epoxy or urethane based, but I remember it was expensive! All I know is it was good stuff and it's still in perfect shape after several tough years of use. I riveted the tubs to the frame and braces. Steve
Nice ill do that thanks! What did you use for your intermediate steering shaft? It looks like ujoints and no rag joint?
Well while im waiting on some parts to continue the backhalf I decided to smooth and reinforce my firewall. Still have some more grinding of the welds to do to make the seams invisible. Should finish it up by tomorrow I hope.
I can't recall for sure where it came from, but I know it's a Borgeson shaft and U-joints. I think it was a kit for the GM A body. Steve
MAN, what happened?? I just found this thread and read through it, completely! Anxiously wanting to see the finished product. This guy was doing a really nice job. Anybody know if he finished it? He hasn't been on here since July 2015. Just wondering Philip T.