825 replies to this topic

[speedengineer]

Interesting passenger side protection in S. Rollan's car. Similar NASCAR side protection X to yours with a horizontal tube at the rocker and one center vertical.

Yeah I saw that too in his video.  It's a bit different than mine.  There's a million ways to do roll cages.  Everyone has a different idea of what is correct, and they all think that their design is the best!  In reality, cage design is (after good fabrication practices) all about compromises.  It is impossible to predict all of the various impact scenarios a car can get into, especially the multiple impact cases.  You could design a cage that would be crazy strong, and protect against intrusion from nearly all angles.  Unfortunately, that cage would be immensely heavy, transfer high impact g-loads to the chassis and driver, and be difficult to egress.  It's all about the compromises, like most things in race cars, and life.

 

 

Dunno what other's used. Plain ol' mineral spirits worked for me.

I think I used acetone last time.  Worked well, but evaporates so fast you're constantly adding more.  Will definitely try mineral spirits.

[38bfast]

Ah yes, so much fun.  Time to test all the solvents I have to see which one works the best.  Unless you have a recommendation?

Parts washer solvent seems to work well

[speedengineer]

Parts washer solvent seems to work well

That's mineral spirits in my parts washer!

 

Side note, when I was as the engine shop the other day, the machinist gave me some water based cleaner that he uses in his jet wash.  It's a powder/grain that dissolves in the water.  An alkali I think.  Anyway, I wanted to try it out in my little ultrasonic bath....works awesome!  Cleaned a nasty carbon'd up piston to shiny aluminum in just a few hours, way faster than carb cleaner, which took about 30 hours.  This stuff is very easy on your hands/skin, and doesn't smell.  I forget the name of the cleaner, but I can ask next time if anyone is interested.  

[dstevens]

That powder might be from Zep.  They've got something they sell by the drum for commercial parts washing.  For grease and oil the trick is high alkaline rather than a straight solvent.  Oil Eater is a liquid based high alkaline cleaner you can get at big box stores or auto parts stores.  That said, I've been using Purple Power or Simple Green for most wash jobs and Sea Foam if it's really caked. 

[DrDomm]

Will your heater blower fit where the little bar is welded to that reinforcement on the passenger side?  Can be tight if that bar isn't at the right angle.

 

Also high octane race fuel works good to get the gooey black stuff off the doors.

[ner88]

Black sticky stuff removal:

press on Duck Tape, then give it a quick pull!

[speedengineer]

Will your heater blower fit where the little bar is welded to that reinforcement on the passenger side?  Can be tight if that bar isn't at the right angle.

 

Also high octane race fuel works good to get the gooey black stuff off the doors.

Yup.  The reason the little firewall brace bar isn't located up another inch or two to be directly opposite the side bar is so that there is room to fit the blower motor.  Ideally the bar would be directly opposite the door bar, but compromises.  Even still, the blower motor has to be relocated about an inch to the left, due to vertical front hoop bar.  Very standard practice.

 

Black sticky stuff removal:

press on Duck Tape, then give it a quick pull!

I'm pretty sure you're just joking around!  But maybe not???

[LarryKing]

No joke, black goo adheres better to duct tape than painted metal. Really works.

 

This thread has morphed into Hints from Heloise

[speedengineer]

No joke, black goo adheres better to duct tape than painted metal. Really works.

 

This thread has morphed into Hints from Heloise

Awesome, I will try it. 

 

I had to google the Hints from Heloise reference!  But yes, it has.  I'll take all the tips I can get, and I'm sure others reading appreciate them too!  Thanks all

[Duncan]

Gasoline works pretty well for removing the door tar. Followed by mineral spirits.

Duncan

[Tom Hampton]

Gasoline works pretty well for removing the door tar. Followed by mineral spirits.

Duncan

Avoid open flames during process....

just another Hint from Heloise.

[speedengineer]

Black sticky stuff removal:
press on Duck Tape, then give it a quick pull!

  

No joke, black goo adheres better to duct tape than painted metal. Really works.
 
This thread has morphed into Hints from Heloise

Holy crap that duct tape trick worked so well. Thanks for sharing!!

[av8tor]

My son and I tried 7-8 different gum, bug and tar removers.  Mineral spirits and turpentine.  Gasoline was the best hands down.  Now the duct tape trick, that sounds too easy!!

[speedengineer]

Just a teaser.  A work in progress. 

 

 

 

[dstevens]

 

I had to google the Hints from Heloise reference! 

 

Pfft, kids these days...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[speedengineer]

Driver's side door bar vertical tubes are in.  I have some smaller/lightweight 1" x 0.065" DOM arriving Monday, which will be used to triangulate/truss the door bar for stiffness (design D ).  Only adds about 2 lbs over standard verticals.  I was intending to not have verticals at all, and using 4 pieces of the 1.5x0.095 tubing to make the truss (design D), however it actually would have weighed a half pound more, and left the center of the top door bar with no bracing.

 

Considered designs.  Note the line thickness represents different diameter tubes.

 

Verticals in.  Just waiting on the 1" tube to arrive prior to making the diagonals.

 

 

Then I decided to rip it all out and start over again.

 

 

Just kidding.  It's out of the car for finish welding.  You have to pull the front hoops to weld the tubes 360. Plus it's way easier to weld when you can position the workpiece however you want to.  Didn't 'need' to remove the main hoop, but did as it too is easier to weld out of the car, and I wanted to weld the main-hoop-to-base-plate joint on both sides of the plate, since the tube passes through it.

 

 

 

The best thing about tig welding a cage, is that you don't have to go back and scrape every tube with a putty knive to remove any weld spatter prior to paint!! 

[Dave D.]

Another reason of TIG over MIG................I hate the smell of hair burning!!! No matter which welding helmet I use, it seems the hot sparks always find my head!!

[speedengineer]

Another reason of TIG over MIG................I hate the smell of hair burning!!! No matter which welding helmet I use, it seems the hot sparks always find my head!!

 

Indeed!  One of many reasons!

[speedengineer]

Boxed in the nascar/x-brace passenger door bar. 

 

 

 

 

 

Engine block came back from the machinist today.  Honed, deck shaved, and washed.  So clean!

 

 

 

Got right to work on it and started painting the block within an hour of getting my hands on it. 

 

[Danny Steyn]

Jason, loving the thread - keep posting more pics!