12 replies to this topic

[McMini 22]

Has anyone got a photo of Roll Cage strengthening plates welded to the inside floor/sill of their Mini?
I'm putting a new sill on and it would be a good time to weld these in before I wax inside the cavity.

[nicklouse]

why do you need photos? fit cage, drill holes, remove cage, weld plates in place.

[McMini 22]

That would be the obvious solution but im not ready to fit the cage at the moment. Cars been in the garage for 22 years and just need to get it on the road again! Almost there though.

[nicklouse]

That would be the obvious solution but im not ready to fit the cage at the moment. Cars been in the garage for 22 years and just need to get it on the road again! Almost there though.

Then you are not ready to fit the plates as we have no idea what cage you have or When it was made so no idea as to the exact position the plates would be. And if I remember they are only just bigger than the feet. And the number of cars I have seen with multiple sets of holes tells me that the makers did not put them in the same place.

[Tupers]

As Nick said few cage manufacturers use the same mounting patterns as each other so unless you’ve got the cage to test fit you’re better off leaving it until later.



Aaaaand there’s no time like the present to bring up for the 40,000th time that if you driving on the road without bucket seats and a helmet you really shouldn’t have a roll cage. It just gives you more hard pieces of metal to cave you head in with if you were to have a nasty accident.

[McMini 22]

It's a Safety Devices Cage. So there should be plenty of them out there.
Might just have to go for a trial fit then.
I have read a few of the arguments for and against a cage in a road car. Certainly made me stop and think! I'm still about 80% sure I want it fitted!

[nicklouse]

It's a Safety Devices Cage. So there should be plenty of them out there.
Might just have to go for a trial fit then.
I have read a few of the arguments for and against a cage in a road car. Certainly made me stop and think! I'm still about 80% sure I want it fitted!

again it depends on Year they are not the same over thier production.

 

consider what we have to do ion a race car. we have to pad the cage so as to protect the helmets from any hard inpact and this is while in bucket seats with harnesses and head restraint devices. do you want to put metal closer to your head is a poorly restrained seat?

[DeadSquare]

If you are not going to compete in earnest, don't fit one.

 

They are fitted as a precaution, such as taking-off and landing on the roof, or on your side and the roof gets hit by another car

 

On one occasion that I rolled a Mini, I didn't even have to push the roof out.

Edited by DeadSquare, 06 September 2019 - 09:50 AM.

[grizzler73]

Apart from the risk of injury to you and your passengers being increased by fitting one, they also make an already very small car a lot smaller! Sell the cage and

spent it on something that will actually enhance/improve the car would be my advise. 

My Father raced a Lancia Fulvia when I was in my teens, it was also a daily driver for a time. I hated the (rear only) cage, the amount of times I banged my head on it!

Edited by grizzler73, 06 September 2019 - 09:45 AM.

[paulrockliffe]

Putting aside the advice above, why not just get some metal, weld it onto the outside of the shell and then drill it when you fit the cage?

 

Alternatively, I think you're replacing the sill aren't you?  If so why not add the steel internally?  You could reinforce the inner sill too and some sort of captive nut arrangement so that you're not left with the studs sticking out the bottom of the car where they look terrible.

[Cooperman]

I have roll cages in two of the Minis currently in my garage. But they are built as rally cars, so there is no choice. They also have bucket seats, full harness belts and cage padding as required by the regulations for motor sport. Also the rear seats are not fitted in one of them and is unusable in the other.

 

Personally I would never, ever, fit a roll cage to a road only Mini, or any other classic car. They are totally unnecessary for road only use and surely no-one drives a classic car on the public roads in a way that is likely to cause it to roll over, which is the only time a cage is of real benefit. Of course, I would never embark on any form of serious motor-sport without a roll cage, even if it were permitted.

[McMini 22]

Thanks for all the replies. Based on all your comments that 80%in favour of fitting the cage is now much less!
My main reason for fitting the cage was for passenger protection should I be unlucky enough to be in an accident. From all the comments it looks like the cage could make things worse.

[DeadSquare]

Thanks for all the replies. Based on all your comments that 80%in favour of fitting the cage is now much less!
My main reason for fitting the cage was for passenger protection should I be unlucky enough to be in an accident. From all the comments it looks like the cage could make things worse.

 

Buy a Volvo to use when you have a passenger.