Heres some pics of my first home cage install.took me and my dad a few weeks, with the head liner and dash still in the car.
It is an S&W kit, redesigned so I could use all interior componants, and still have as much cage strength as possible.
later in the summer of 2007 it ran straight and smooth to a 11.00 @ 121.
what are your thoughts all? other than the grime...

pic2

pic3

pic4

yet another

front tube

Looks strong and welded well. Those are some sturdy looking gussets. Bars are in the legal posistion. I hope your younger than me for crawlin in and out.
Doug

box tube brace, ties in where the rear of the subframe connector welds to the sub frame. tucks away neatly up in the floor.

Yeah the in and out sucks. I thought of a clevis, but I have this not weakening the structure obsession. I can limbo for now.

Looks plenty beefy. Soooo, Wheres your driveshaft loop???

Ummmmm . . . Wow. Uh. . .

hows it for shin clearence? looks mighty close. good welds tho.

Looks strong and welded well.

Looks like a pain to get in and out, and to drive with that dash bar so low. You might end up with some sore shins

You need bars coming off the upper hoop going to the back of the chassis to be legal.

sorry about the delay,I've been busy.
all the other bars are there. I'll try to find a pic where they are visible. the loop had not been fabbed at the time of the pics.

the posts that go through the package tray are attached a few inches inside of where the halo meets the main hoop. I did this so it would e a straight shot down to where they weld to the trunk floor.
The shin clearance realy isnt that bad, it is padded there now however. the driver area room isnt realy as obstructed as the pics make it look. for instance, in one pic it looks like the glove box door wont open, but it operates normaly.

AHHH!! THE REAR SEAT. I've been waiting for that ??
You can't actualy sit in it,but it looks way better with it in dosnt it.

I cut the seat frame i a couple spots so I could bend, twist , and fold it, to get it in place. remarkably it pops right back to its normal shape once you stuff it in to place.
some time I'll paint it,I don't realy know with what yet. It's been in the car for a few years now and has not rusted any more than right after I installed it. the mill scale on the tubing definately will not corode.

any ideas on how to paint it well with the interior in??
as for gussets around the rest of the cage, to speak the truth I wanted to, but I got worn out on the project. I know it's strong enough already.

heres a pic of my elephant ear and homemade mount.over built as well.

the tech guys had no problems wth the design, I followed all specs. here is the car at cicero drag strip in syracuse ny.

looks kinda weird. maybe its just the pic angle? why on earth are the door bars so high? some parts just look unsafe in the event of an accident. just my opinion. dj

the door bar passes half way between the elow and shoulder. I believe thats what the spec is.
In oder to not cut the dash,the driver A pillar bar was installed upside down and backwards on the passenger side and vise versa.this left a situation were the drive compartment had an angle coming in at it,(if you get my discription). thus the need for the kicker tube straight up by your foot and all the gussets(kinda batman looking,but better than straight chunks of plate.)
(My main goal was to have a strong cage, but not loose any factory interior design, wich was accomplished.) also the dash headliner, and windsheild were still installed at the time.
I knew this was unorthadox and strange, thus the presentation of my post.
and yes the pics make it look bulkier than real life.

I agree on the gusset issue. Kong on the bottom, none on the top. The side bars are high, but most side bars I've seen really aren't legal. The rule states they must pass between the drivers shoulder and elbow. Most would never be above the elbow in a driving posistion. In the words of Patric Bud (Former NSCA tech guy), I wouldn't be afraid to go upside down in it.
Doug

I zommed in on the pics and the welds look pretty cold. I think I would cut it out and go with a more traditional design.