47 replies to this topic

[Prawn]

awesome 'how to' there.

ive just fitted my cage this afternoon, and its a b****rd of a job.pulling the legs in was a nightmare, even with two ratchet straps it took a while.
once in and bolted down it does look great tho!
im fitting my front cage in a few weeks.... should be fun!

check out my thread in the projects forum for pics

[andywaller]

i found that i didnt need to take the rear wheels off as i got enough clearance by jacking up the rear of the car. however this would depends on you wheels and arches.

i am insured by CIS and so it did not put the insurance up(only pay extra for engine mods)

another thing i added to my roll cage was some of the safety devices padding around where my head is. it looks so much neater than putting pipe lagging around it.

i really like you car prawn i am gonna get the same wheels and arches as you have got, they look well cool.

[P91MER]

Thats cool MOWOG!!!

Will defo be getting one now, need to save some of my pennies up tho first!!

Rich

[andywaller]

Thats cool MOWOG!!!

Will defo be getting one now, need to save some of my pennies up tho first!!

glad to be of assistance they just look soooo cool

[Purple Tom]

so well timed too MOWOG! I ordered mine on friday (full front and rear SD cage) and will be fitting it to my bare clubby shell once the cage arrives. That guide really helped and has made me feel a bit less apprehensive about doing it!

[andywaller]

yeah its not too bad a job but the results are really cool and they save you life to.

the cage in this mini(my old one) is the same in the car shown(my new one) so they can be reused too bonus!

[P91MER]

What colours do they come in? or do you have to spray them yourself??

I have a dark/charcoal colour mini, and i want it to stand out a bit..

Rich

[TimS]

ouch the old mini looks rather battered, hope u came out ok!

[andywaller]

as far as i am aware they are all black as standard, but if i remeber rightly safety devices can colour code them i am sure i read that somewere.

yeah came of of the out battle mini ok just hurt my bank balance.

[andrewinlondon]

Hi,

I have done a lot of investigating towards installing rollcages in my mini.

The best I could ascertain was that unless you intend to race it, with a full roll cage installed and proper 4/6 point seat belt restraints and helmet, etc, then they can actually be dangerous.

The reasons given to me were that:

(1) rollcages add a whole lot of additional rigidity to the already high rigidity of minis, with the consequence that any impact forces with a rollbar will be translated directly into the occupants. [Can any specialists out there confirm this?]

(2) if rollcages aren't padded appropriately, and even if they are, any side-impact type accident can result in the driver's or passenger's head impacting the "sidewindow" part of the front roll cage with dangerous consequences. The same effect could happen in a rear ender accident, if the central roll cage support is just behind the driver's head. (The suggestion was that roll cages work in races obviously because the driver is wearing a helmet usually).

(3) if only the rear roll cage is fitted, then in a rear ender accident, this cage can actually be pushed forward onto the occupant's heads, especially if it is not welded/bolted in properly. One guy I spoke to from MiniSpares said a friend of his had been killed in an accident this way - a bit sobering.

I realise this will be a bit controversial for those who have already installed cages. I'm only relaying what the so-called "experts" have told me (at mini fairs, on the Italian Job rally etc).

Let us know what your experiences with roll cages in any accidents have been as I'm keen to know whether to believe the "experts".

Cheers,

[Jammy]

Very valid points, but I don't think you are anymore likely to be kill with one in. In a similar you could be killed by one, a roll cage can also save your life, so it does work both ways, but with that said I'm going to invest in some proper padding for mine.

[andywaller]

yeah i guess these opinions are valid, however speaking as some one whose life has been saved by a roll cage, and other safety features i am always gonna be biased.

as you can see by the picture when i rolled my last mini the crushing of the roof stoped right were the cage was and the police that attended the scene of the accident said the cage save my life or definately stoped me from getting serious injury. i walked away with small cuts on my hands.

i did however have 4 point harnesses and high back bucket seats and these obviously also help a great deal. in my new car i also have padding but i see this as more of a token gesture as i cant see this as protecting my head in a sideways accident!

the harnesses keep you held down strongly where as if you roll with a diagonal belt i am sure that the cage would become a danger.

also when they test the rigidity of cars from what i have seen the presure is apllied in a downwards force so the car may be stronger then but when you roll the force comes from differnt angle so this is where i would think the cage helps.

[andywaller]

sorry didnt mean that to sound like a rant!

[CharlieBrown]

MOWOG: Didnt sound like a rant at all, just some very good advice with a rather sobering picture to back it up.

[andywaller]

thats ok then. didnt want to sound like a meanie.

i am still so gutted about my old mini it used to look sooo cool. every time i look at pictures of it i have to go and spend more money on my current car. its a sorta comfort thing! like a blanket. lol