Technical Roll cage tubing?

...Looking to buy some dom tubing ......what is the price per foot for dom tubing 1 1/2 od by I think .118?.. I may have the sizes wrong if so what is the safer sizes and costs per foot? thanks miller

 

You will probably find that DOM is about as expensive as chromoly in most cases with the only real advantage being that the DOM can be MIG welded while TIG is required for 4130. The size that you need will be determined by your application. If you plan to drag race most sanctioning bodies require a minimum of 1.625 x .083 in 4130 and .120 in mild. If you decide to go with regular mild (non DOM) you should use .134 wall as the .120 nominal spec stuff is usually only around .114 and will not p*** a sonic test. The .120 DOM should be OK but that only gives you a .002 margin of error. More info is required if you want any further guidance.

Roo

 

If it is just a rollbar you are bending then it is 1 3/4, back and door braces are generally the same size; the 1 5/8ths Roo mentioned is for a proper full cage. It all depends on your speed.

 

thanks for the replies....I will not do any racing but I would like to be a little safe. a roll bar, some door safety etc. I also would like to have it mig welded..is it sold by the foot, what size and how much? thanks miller

 

Yea...and remember, as the tube is bent...the "outside" part of the tube WILL thin itself.
You NEED to buy oversized thickness to keep the bends thick enough after the bending takes place.

Mike

 

huh, my 083 4130 cage p***ed sonic testing just fine.

Be sure to strap yourself in well, so you don't whack your noggin on the roll bar or cage. And pad the bars, too, because you will probably whack your noggin on them whether or not you're strapped in.

 

,,,thanks for the good info . any one have a cost per foot?

 

ask the place you plan on buying it from. They'll be happy to tell you.

 

..thanks again you are right who would know better then the seller..thanks again.

 

Yeah, Find a good steel fab shop near you, theyll set you up. I use 2 locally and if they dont have it, theyll include it on their next order in a few days. Theyve always been cool if you go in person and find someone to help, phone orders not so much.

Would be beneficial to make whatever you weld in actually be able to p*** tech inspection, just in case you want to race or the next guy does.

 

Find a race organization you like and get their rule book for cage requirements for structure, braces etc. drawn over mandrel

 

Curious to what kind of car you are building that needs a cage?

Want and need?

 

..it is a 32 ford 3w fibergl*** and I do not feel safe with just fibergl*** between me and say the other car's bumper etc...maybe I am just over doing it??!!..miller

 

Here is some pricing info
http://www.rollcagecomponents.com/round-tubing-1-3-4-x-120-dom/

 

If it's just a street car I would look at SCCA rules.

 

No , you are not over doing it at all. Does nobody any good if your are maimed or dead . Always better safe then sorry. You could use 90 wall, 1 3/4 or even 125 wall . Nascar uses 90 wall, i believe and they roll them and crash into walls at 180 mph plus and walk away.

 

Safety is not overdoing it!

 

Going to catch flack but even regular welded tubing would work for a street car
I have done some square tubing that tucked in tight with the body
Was able to use it to attach interior panels completely hidden

And no you are not over doing it

 

If your goal is safety get a NHRA rule book. They have diagrams on the proper placement of the bars. These tips could save your life.
Everyone sells their car someday. When that day comes your car will be worth more money if the ch***is is certifiable.

 

you can get quickie prices from speedymetals.com. they're not the cheapest, but it's a good basis for costing out. I'm lucky enough to have an Industrial Metal Supply 15 minutes away. I have bought from speedy metals when I just need an odd but specific piece or two. shipping is the killer. but at places like IMS if you need just a foot or two of some odd size you have to buy a length and take it home, or pay for the cut, etc.

 

IMS might not have the size you need to build an NHRA legal cage or bar, though. Which, as Brian said, might be a good idea.

 

Exactly what I'm building and will be racing it. Going 1.75" CM and double hoop cage. Trust me, you're certainly NOT overdoing it.

 

Regular tubing is basically all that is used in swedish banger racing (folkrace, take a look at it on youtube), the rules doesn't even allow any more exotic steel alloys. 38x2.5mm minimum, 42x2mm was also allowed earlier but that just changed. Sure, this isn't a very fast type of racing so the speed is not crazy high, but they crash a lot and you rarely see a roll cage that has failed to do the job - when you do it's almost always caused by incorrect welding.



What tubing you use is way less important than how well you put it all together, and how well you design it to handle loads without collapsing. Any triangulated design will be ridiculusly rigid.

 

One thing to remember is that NHRA has an odd idea about roll bars. If you put a roll bar or cage in a car it must be done to specs. Even if your cl*** doesn't require a roll bar. They feel that a roll bar not built to specs is a safety hazard. I would figure a street driven hot rod might see some track time there.

 

In NJ there is probably a dozen places to buy lengths of tubing. And a ship load of race car shops, ask around. I know Summit carries Allstar products for pieces and kits. My last stock car, I bought tubing locally and a truck showed up at my garage with 20' lengths.

 

Easiest thing is to call a company called 'AutoWeld' located in PA. they probably have a rollbar designed to fit your car. Unless you have proper bender, dies and lots of experience bending tubing you'll come out ahead. A stick of tubing is terrible expensive to ship and the length needed to make a hoop mandates a full stick - tubing suppliers sell it 8' plus drops so that the full stick is cut into 8' pieces and packaged with the remaiander to be shipped UPS, the problem is that it takes more than 8' to make a hoop, hence you need a full stick and that is shipped by tractor-trailor being about 22' long. I haven't seen a decent price on DOM lately, I'd guess 5ish a foot and depending the distance allow over a $100 shipping, minimum.

 

Guy looking for tubing for a street car and gets advice on how to build a top fuel funny car
I’m guilty of this too I guess

 

Check S&W race cars in PA. They sell kits at a good price

 

Send a PM to Quain Stott and ask him, he builds a lot of cars for the Southeast G***ers, if your going to do it,do it right! HRP

 

I just checked their web site and that definitely looks like a good option for the OP. They are relatively close to his location and it appears that they are willing to do custom work.

Roo