Caged trucks only
08-15-2018, 11:36 AM
#21
Looks like the paraphrased version says you don't need a cage to run 11.50:
https://st.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/...fety-Rules.pdf
https://st.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/...fety-Rules.pdf
08-15-2018, 11:39 AM
#22
Page 21 (might auto link to 21) starts the goods:
http://promod.nhra.com/userfiles/fil...en.%20Regs.pdf
http://promod.nhra.com/userfiles/fil...en.%20Regs.pdf
08-16-2018, 01:24 AM
#24
I’ll admit, 4K for a single cab cage even in chromoly is cringe worthy...
It could be the difference between life and death.
Make sure your fabricator tucks the tubing closer to the stock sheet metal. Ideally close enough for them to be welded to each other. Proper gussets around the B pillar. Door bars around the seats.
As stated above..always go through the dash.
Shop around for the right person and dont be a cheap ***.
Look towards the high speed OffRoad guys.
Never understood why people complain about the price of safety while blowing 10k or more on performance.
You can’t race when you’re dead.
08-16-2018, 09:38 AM
#25
I value everyone's' opinion. However I would like to interject that A) Chromo may not be the difference between life and death. There has be no documented case where a driver's death was directly linked to the cage material. Design and build quality, yes. Material? No. To give a bit of back story here, the reason for chromo is to save weight. That is why you use thinner wall chromo, save weight. If someone wanted to make the strongest cage they could, it would be 2" OD (dont forget the strength comes from OD, not wall thickness) and .120 thick chromo.
I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is, lets build identical cages; 1.75x.120 DOM and 1.625x.083 chromo and crush test them. The results will likely surprise you.
The reason chromo cages are so much money is that they need to be tig welded= exponentially more time and material to finish the cage. The raw material cost is within 50% of each other last I checked, but at $200 a stick, its still expensive.
The following users liked this post:
wretched73 (08-16-2018)
08-16-2018, 04:02 PM
#26
I come from the world of OffRoad, where it is ideal to have the cage/ cab/ frame all welded together to benifit over all safety/rigidity/longevity. My bad.
Whether it a drag car or race truck, at the highest level they are all tube chassis. Wouldn’t welding everything together in a street truck (cage to frame and body) so everything becomes one structure essentially have the same effect as a tube chassis is all as one?
Whether it a drag car or race truck, at the highest level they are all tube chassis. Wouldn’t welding everything together in a street truck (cage to frame and body) so everything becomes one structure essentially have the same effect as a tube chassis is all as one?
08-16-2018, 08:16 PM
#27
No, because if the frame is tied to the cage, the cage can't move with the cab. The cab is only mounted on bushings and flexes a lot. You would need to solid mount the cab to save the sheet metal. Or have the cage tied only to the cab floor, which isn't NHRA legal.
08-16-2018, 11:25 PM
#28
TECH Regular
No doubts here! My catch to this is I just don't wanna die if something ever does happen. A 6k lbs rolling truck at 120mph + makes me nervous. I want a cage to be safe, not because I want it. Street truck. I'm so torn.
My track requires my year of vehicle to have a 6-point cage to run anything faster than a 11.49. IHRA allows anything 08 and newer to go up to a 10.00 without a cage. So far they haven't kicked me. They told me to stop running one night, for just that night. They (the track) encourages street cars to come to the track. I think that is the only reason why they keep letting me come back.
My track requires my year of vehicle to have a 6-point cage to run anything faster than a 11.49. IHRA allows anything 08 and newer to go up to a 10.00 without a cage. So far they haven't kicked me. They told me to stop running one night, for just that night. They (the track) encourages street cars to come to the track. I think that is the only reason why they keep letting me come back.
08-17-2018, 02:36 AM
#29
Im also not taking into what the NHRA deems safe by their standard. If solid body mounts on a vehicle that is caged as I described are illegal, then there must be a discrepancy.
If there is a full tube chassis car sitting next to steel car with a full cage front to back- solid cab mounts - and cab welded to the cage...
At the end of the day...
they are both one solid object, the steel cab vehicle just weighs more