please post some cage pics (67-68 stang)

[Mustang_zulu]

I'm about to install my 4 point cage this week... ive been looking for some good pics for some reference... i would be very thankful if y'all could post some pics for me..

please post floor mount points, harness pics, etc... anything related to your install and even any tips you may have to help the install...

Danka

[GypsyR]

Not sure a four point bar qualifies as a "cage" but here's a couple of the very few in-progress pics I took of my eight point install. I took care to line up the main hoop as close as possible to the side window trim so from the side and with the windows up it's almost invisible. Don't know why exactly, just struck me as a good idea.

[Lukesportsman]

Did the same in my 69 FB. Just seems to look more planned esp in street car. Looks like that is a pretty decent fitting coupe kit. Is it a custom shope built or prebent vendor kit? If the latter, can you share? Thx

[GypsyR]

Standard Competition Engineering 8 point kit. Only specific part in their "kit" is the main hoop which is bent to fit pretty well and also fits a few other cars too. I can barely get a finger between the hoop and interior quarter panels but I can still get the panels on and off. The rear seat is actually a much worse pain but still removable. The crossbar is just barely behind the seats when the driver's seat is positioned exactly where I like it. I checked a lot of stuff like that while fitting things. I used what they designated as door bars as the rear struts once I figured out the pre-bent section would work pretty well against the roof. The door bars were straight. I bent them to pass my chosen seats, Deluxe door panels, and the window handle.
I figured out very quickly I wanted swing out door bars. The kits I saw looked pretty cheesy to me. So I made my own hinges and latches out of solid steel necked down to fit into the tube ends. Shown is the latch end (without the latch pin in). The hinges are made similarly. Took me about six months of here and there weekends to make the full set of hinges and latches.
I installed according to NHRA rules, mostly. NHRA requires readily inspectable welds but I can't abide raw welds, especially in the interior. I think the bends in the rear struts aren't SCCA legal though NHRA is OK with them. So my setup appeals very much to me but I don't recommend copying certain features if you need to pass tech inspection for racing.
My headliner was damaged way before the bars were installed so I didn't much worry about it catching overspray and welding sparks.

[Lukesportsman]

Thx Gypsy for details and subjective thoughts. I have a Chassis engineering cage in the 70 and Comp roll bar in 69'. I bought my swing out kit as they were kind of "new" to NHRA at the time for 69'. Don't recall brand/vendor but reasonable though not earth breaking CAD design.

The fitment up high looks good, I guess I need to evaluate the two previous main bars and see which fits "better". My only experience with S&W was in a GM product and they short changed the main loop legs by a couple inches per side. Frustrating since that is one of the few areas that can't be easily corrected at home. I also thought I might just bend the down legs myself, but your use of the bent bars turned out well. I'm running CAT5 rear springs so need to stiffen up the rear some so that the "right" component is actually articulating and not the rear of the car LOL. Installed the 'vert rockers and extra bracing. Looks as if the down legs on main hoop will stand on these? Anyone have preference on 'vert rockers and roll bars. Seems like to put main hoop on them and triangulate to spring perch with plates to help the torque boxes transfer loads.

[GypsyR]

IIRC I needed to trim an inch off the hoop legs. The rear struts aren't ideal I just kind of went with them. A guy in Alabame who used to be a member here showed me pics of his where he ran straight rear struts right through the same package tray "speaker holes" that I did and his went to the rear frame and welded on almost directly above the rear leaf spring mounts. No doubt a LOT better from a race car design perspective.
I made my own subframe connectors with "wide spots" for the hoop's inner braces to go through the floor and weld to.
My kit cam with NHRA rule type 6x6 mount plates. For the hoop legs and front door bar mounts I bent then 90 degrees so they would weld as much to the rocker as the floor pan. Door bar front tubes are also over halfway right on top of the torque boxes.
I've been looking at convertible inner rockers and jacking rails for some time but don't think I need them since I'm not actually open tracking. I get a bit hinky about adding unnecessary weight to the car sometimes too. When I went to buy my rollbar kit from the speed shop my first thought was "My GOD this box is heavy." Second was "I can't believe I am going to weld all this heavy-*** stuff permanently into my car."

[Lukesportsman]

Yep, trying to max weight to stiffness. Vert' rockers are exactly 50lbs. for pair, but make the car look substantially more serious. We'll see in the end

[Shaun]

I would rather have a stiff/safe chassis than a lightweight 'Chapman special'. If your rules allow you can make up the difference with horsepower.

[GypsyR]

But what I really want is it to weigh 2000 pounds.
And have 600 horsepower.
And wings.
And anti-radar stealth coating.
And underwater submarine capability.
Damn practical compromises.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by GypsyR

But what I really want is it to weigh 2000 pounds.
And have 600 horsepower.
And wings.
And anti-radar stealth coating.
And underwater submarine capability.
Damn practical compromises.

LOL! Somebody needs to make carbon fiber Mustang tubs!

[Lukesportsman]

Colin won a lot of races, though he lost a few drivers along the way

[Mustang_zulu]

do any of ya pics of the welding locations for the main hoop on the floor and in the trunk?