some cage questions

[Team40oz666]

which is better with a 4-point cab cage? welding some 6x6 1/8" steel plates to the floor and welding the cage to that or just go direcly go to the frame? Also which is the best steel that i can use for the cage. I was thinking inch and 5/8. whats a good thickness. Also this truck will be racing in mdr. im not sure which class yet.

Thanks

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[BlueCoyote]

which is better with a 4-point cab cage? welding some 6x6 1/8" steel plates to the floor and welding the cage to that or just go direcly go to the frame? Also which is the best steel that i can use for the cage. I was thinking inch and 5/8. whats a good thickness. Also this truck will be racing in mdr. im not sure which class yet.

Thanks

Welding some 6x6 3/16 plates to the frame and then welding the cage to the plates.
Tube for a mini truck -> 1.75 x .120. 4130 is nice IF you know what you are doing, mild steel DOM is the easiest to work with.
4 point cage - not enough. You need at least 6 points plus diagonals.
Not to be rude, but before you start building, you need some more education on the subject. Cage construction is not a subject to be taken lightly. Your life WILL depend upon it. There are lots of 1450 trucks at mdr for you to see some quality cages. Barry's 7 truck, Sierra's 7s, Erics 7's all good examples too.

[punkassslacker]

which is better with a 4-point cab cage? welding some 6x6 1/8" steel plates to the floor and welding the cage to that or just go direcly go to the frame? Also which is the best steel that i can use for the cage. I was thinking inch and 5/8. whats a good thickness. Also this truck will be racing in mdr. im not sure which class yet.

Thanks

You for sure what to do as much homework as possible before you even cut your first peice of tube. 1.75x.120 I would agree should be smallest you go whether it is 4130 or DOM. With the prices of steel, 4130 should just be buck or two more a foot. If you can afford the 4130 go with that. This cage will save your life if you design it too, if you just slap one in, your chances of it working are greatly decreased. Don't put you or someone elses life in jeopardy. I personaly would rather have a truck that is a little more heavy and a little over kill, than a truck that I'm worrying about in the back of my mind. Just my $.02

[Josh_K]

Ya, do your home work. Go to a couple races and see what other do. If you really what to race a truck, you need to cage it form bumper to bumper and tie it to the frame at about 18 spots.

Rangers and Yotas need 1.75" tubing and full size should be 2" now. Some will say this is over kill but its your neck your trying to save.

Josh

[Team40oz666]

yeah thanks u guys. this is a highschool race truck and we are on a really tight budget. My neighbor owns his own shop and he builds dragsters for a living. He offered to help but I just want to get input to refer to him so we can map it out. After its mapped out he should probably be able to do somethin really strong. Another question would that i have is how much do you guys think i would need? feet wise. I took alot of pictures at the offroad expo to get ideas. Its a single cab short bed mistubishi pickup and were swapping in a 350 chevy mated up with a turbo 350.The motor and drivetrain situation we can handle but the cage is what i need help on. Anyone who has any ideas you can email me at [email protected]

Thanks Alot AJ

[Hemp]

I am building a 95 Ranger to race mostly mdr 1400 and I am starting the cage in january

It will be built out of 4130, most rangers used 1.75 in but If i ever wanted to enter a SCORE race in sportsman than it would need to be 2" because it will most likely be over 4k lbs.

doesnt that seem pretty overkill for a sportsman ranger?

[JGunn]

Triangulate all 6 sides. If done right then a smaller diameter will work fine. I did a triple endow in our TT in San Felipe after our coil-over seared off, we were doing 80 mph. The Truck had only a slight bend in between the triangulation over my head. We would have been able to keep only if we had another coil-over, but were planning on switching them out after the race. After the race its always to late!

[1450-ranger]

To pad Dan's ego a little more, check out his truck; Him and ESB mike built a very solid vehicle.

http://esbfabrications.com/dan2.htm

[matt_helton]

my yota is all 1.5" .120 mild and i feel very safe in it. *but i did build it 5 years ago......and my next yota will more than likely be built with 1.75" .120 DOM, at least the main structure. 1.5" tubes will be mixed in as well.

[Team40oz666]

yeah we just got a guywho has offered to put in the whole cage for free. Hell be doin it out od 1.75 x .120 dom. He races a class 1 in Score so I think i can trust him. He did build his own buggy