TC Design Cage IN!
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From: Natomas, CA
Originally Posted by Nobody,Sep 21 2007, 01:28 PM
Depends on who you talk to. I think the avg. is around $2K.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Toronto, Canada
It depends on who you talk to and what sort of cage you are looking for. A basic minimum spec SCCA/NASA cage runs about $2000. The cost of the cage is mainly labor so the more complicated the cage and the more time it takes to construct the higher the price will be. $2000 is about the minimum price you'll pay.
The extras will add up fairly quickly like mounting the hardtop is probably not included in the price nor would any disassembly, cutting out of doors, reinstalling the dashboard or any of those things. Mine ran closer to $10,000 because of how much work I had done. Again, the cost is almost entirely labor, the cost of the steel is insignificant, so budget accordingly based on what you want done and how much of the prep and finish work you are prepared to do yourself.
The extras will add up fairly quickly like mounting the hardtop is probably not included in the price nor would any disassembly, cutting out of doors, reinstalling the dashboard or any of those things. Mine ran closer to $10,000 because of how much work I had done. Again, the cost is almost entirely labor, the cost of the steel is insignificant, so budget accordingly based on what you want done and how much of the prep and finish work you are prepared to do yourself.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 20,274
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From: Toronto, Canada
A couple of other thoughts on the cage (IMHO):
1) Don't be tempted to cheap out up front. I think it's far better to go whole hog upfront rather than try to do it piecemeal. You will pay a lot more when you go back later to add "extras" because again we're talking about the cost of labor. If you want changes that were not factored in in the beginning it's going to cost significantly more to add extras later as opposed to factoring them in at the start. If you are thinking that you'll just start with the basics and add on later just be aware that the later will probably cost significantly more than doing it at the outset.
2) Design the cage to be strong, overbuild it a little, rather than opting for the least you can get away with. In my case I opted to extend the cage to the front shock towers from the outset. It wasn't cheap, it probably cost me an extra $1500 (it's not easy to do) but the decision to do so and overbuild rather than underbuild probably saved me as much or more. When I had my meeting with the concrete wall in May my front end was pretty badly beat up (~55MPH head-on into solid concrete). The actual damage however was very minimal requiring only a new bumper cover, hood and front clip forward of the shock towers. The fenders were repaired and the headlight mounting bit broken but the lenses only scratched. It cost me about $750 in used parts plus labor and paint to repair. The frame and the suspension were 100% perfect in large part, I believe, because of the cage extension to the shock towers. Obviously it can't be proven but I know from experience that front end damage will usually cause the main frame rails to twist upward, something which didn't happen in my case. Again some extra work in the beginning paid off for me down the road.
3) Find a builder you can establish a strong working relationship with and who can offer you wisdom from their experience. You are probably going to need to work with them long-term as a partner. They should be able to tell you how the cage should be built rather than the other way around. If you are having to educate them as to how to prep your car then you gain nothing from the relationship other than a handy welder. This is another reason not to do it yourself even if you are a master welder and have all of the tools. You probably lack the experience in cage design and car prep they have. You should be getting far more from your builder than just welded steel tube and the advice and experience you get from them should be included in the price.
4) Find a builder with a long waiting list who can't take you right away and makes you wait weeks or months to get your car in for the build. As odd as that sounds a builder who can work on your car right away is under-employed for a reason. The best builder are in very high demand, are overworked and suffering from sleep depravation. That's the builder everyone wants to have and the one you want as well. It makes sense if you think about it.
HTH
1) Don't be tempted to cheap out up front. I think it's far better to go whole hog upfront rather than try to do it piecemeal. You will pay a lot more when you go back later to add "extras" because again we're talking about the cost of labor. If you want changes that were not factored in in the beginning it's going to cost significantly more to add extras later as opposed to factoring them in at the start. If you are thinking that you'll just start with the basics and add on later just be aware that the later will probably cost significantly more than doing it at the outset.
2) Design the cage to be strong, overbuild it a little, rather than opting for the least you can get away with. In my case I opted to extend the cage to the front shock towers from the outset. It wasn't cheap, it probably cost me an extra $1500 (it's not easy to do) but the decision to do so and overbuild rather than underbuild probably saved me as much or more. When I had my meeting with the concrete wall in May my front end was pretty badly beat up (~55MPH head-on into solid concrete). The actual damage however was very minimal requiring only a new bumper cover, hood and front clip forward of the shock towers. The fenders were repaired and the headlight mounting bit broken but the lenses only scratched. It cost me about $750 in used parts plus labor and paint to repair. The frame and the suspension were 100% perfect in large part, I believe, because of the cage extension to the shock towers. Obviously it can't be proven but I know from experience that front end damage will usually cause the main frame rails to twist upward, something which didn't happen in my case. Again some extra work in the beginning paid off for me down the road.
3) Find a builder you can establish a strong working relationship with and who can offer you wisdom from their experience. You are probably going to need to work with them long-term as a partner. They should be able to tell you how the cage should be built rather than the other way around. If you are having to educate them as to how to prep your car then you gain nothing from the relationship other than a handy welder. This is another reason not to do it yourself even if you are a master welder and have all of the tools. You probably lack the experience in cage design and car prep they have. You should be getting far more from your builder than just welded steel tube and the advice and experience you get from them should be included in the price.
4) Find a builder with a long waiting list who can't take you right away and makes you wait weeks or months to get your car in for the build. As odd as that sounds a builder who can work on your car right away is under-employed for a reason. The best builder are in very high demand, are overworked and suffering from sleep depravation. That's the builder everyone wants to have and the one you want as well. It makes sense if you think about it.
HTH
for a great thread......
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,762
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From: San Diego
I would run X bars with taco gussets. Then I would purchase some Impaxx foam. They have different densities, you would be amazed what it can do for absorbing energy. Many pro teams use it exclusively, I'll see if I can dig up some pics. If you want to see what is in the forefront of safety look at world rally. Think tube PLACEMENT and gussets rather than just adding many extra tubes.
