914 - Roll bar solutions

[gridgway]

The safety devices cage is what I was contemplating when I thought I might be racing. Not super expensive to buy iirc. Probably all adds up with fitting though. The rear section can be used on its own. Not sure how effective it is but might work to add enough extra protection and stiffness without being too intrusive.

I think the head challenge is knowing where it might go in a crash.

When I had my 6rs, the owners manual was very specific about the front part of the cage not being safe for non helmet use. I took the front section out.

So it's really a question of making sure all the bits your head might hit are padded or have padded plates over (such as behind the head).

Graham

[Ian Gunney]

I have a Safety Devices cage in my 914 - along with some padding!

[23e Heure]

Who has some nice photos to share of their installed Safety Devices cages then...?

[Lightweight_911]

OK James - a few of the Safety Devices cage in my old 914/6GTR:

[gridgway]

So potentially the rear section might be the answer James. I'd not want all that front section plus doorbars in a road car.
Graham

[rhd racer]

My Safety Devices cage does not have the under dash bar in it. I have seen this before, but it as not even an option when I bought mine. The door bars are bolt on, and come in two sections to be welded to suit, so these can be mounted low to make entry and exit easier, though clearly there is a direct line between height of the bar and effectiveness in a side impact.

The seats are out of my car at the mo so makes photographing easier. I will try and take some later

Cheers
Wayne

[smallspeed]

is that cage bolted directly through the bodywork? for example on top of the cill inside the door, and to the rear bulkhead in the centre?

[23e Heure]

Thanks for the pics Andy. What were the switches on the center console for? Ejector seat and oil slick deployment?

Wayne, look fwd to your own pics.

[rhd racer]

Here you go James.



So the door bar is designed as a bolt on. If you get the length right, you can actually slacken off one bolt at either end and slide it up and down. Therefore you could have it sat on the sill for road use and slide it up, for track use if you wanted to. Personally I think they are better in situ, not least because the cars are really low and I would want us much help as possible if I was T-boned by a Volvo! I spot welderd my brackets in place i the end, on the advice of a scrutineer who said that in a big impact the cage can spring, and the door bars could basically drop as I just described



I used round headed cap bolts in 10.9 grade, so there are no sharp edges inside the cab. The other side of the 5th mount is a large spreader plate that sits in the engine bay. I welder captive nuts to this because otherwise you need to a) have the window and engine cover removed b) be Mr Tickle c) have another person to hand......I am / had none of the above, but do have a MIG!



Note the non-FIA padding on the passenger side, as I use the good stuff on my side and show scant regard for the safety of my passengers!



The hatch in the bulkhead was an afterthought, and cut in the first time I had to adjust the fanbelt!!

Whilst the cockpit is small, the cage is not restrictive and is much less compromised than some, so I think ok for road us, with a suitable seat per my earlier comments. For comparison, here is the Boxster, which has a full race cage, as I intend to use to work through the water-cooled engines over time, and I thought that getting the tub right would stand me in good stead for putting in a 3.4 or 3.6 later...



Same shots so you can compare. The combination of secondary vertical-ish bar at the front, combined with the ears of the seat makes it entertaining to say the least getting in and out.



The small diagonal bar made it a nightmare to locate the seat leaving a gap between them. I have about 1/2", but many of my co-competitors have the seat mounted right against this bar, and in an accident all the energy of your head moving would be stopped sharply by the cage. Not good.







Hope that helps, and I don't get instantly banned for water-cooled pics!!

All the best
Wayne



Ben - the cage bolts onto mounts which you weld onto the longitudinals, so the shell needs to be sound! We made mine larger to spread the load over a wider area.

[23e Heure]

Excellent work Wayne... not just in posting the pics, but also the home installations of the hardware.

Really appreciate you taking the time... Thanks!

[rhd racer]

No worries James.

Cannot take any credit for the Boxster cage though, that was my pals Bob Hall and
Clare at Concept Racing: the best TIG welding / fabrication team there is.

Cheers
Wayne