Safety: The safest way to race a well prepared car is to jump into the lead,
and then extend it. To this end you want a cage that is light, has minimum
wind drag, has a low CG, and allows the driver room and vision to work. With
the TR3 you want to tie
the body and frame together, along with the seat. The main hoop should be
attached to the main part of the frame with the 4 bolt plate above and below.
As mentioned by others, bars welded directly to the frame can just rip the
frame.
You really need to bend the hoop out as it goes up on the driver's side for
realistic
protection.
If your car is unrusted, the main hoop rear braces can be bolted to the rear
inner
wheel well tops. The front scuttle is (was) also very strong. I have
removable bars
on both sides that go forward from the main hoop (a secondary bar is required
to go out on the driver's side to clear the seat/driver. The side bars tie
in with a vertical
bar down to the frame/body mount in font of the door (put a tube inside the
frame
tube if there is any rust) I have plates on each side of the outer, upper
firewall,
that tie the cockpit tubes to two in the motor compartment. The front bars
attach
to tabs welded onto the chassis removable cross member. An additional bar
goes
in a double diagonal from just below the top of the right shoulder of the
driver's seat and bolts to a plate through the floor and main frame in the
passenger's toe space.
All bars forward of the main hoop have clevis pins and bolts or pip pins for
quick
removal. Remember the need to remove the gearbox/clutch through the cockpit!
Rules: It is my understanding that one or more of the vintage bodies do not
like cages. Make it bolt in, with the front bars removable, and if necessary
Hide it.
My TR3's entire cage weights less than the first bar, and it is much safer.
Trust me on this, it has been tested under extreme conditions. It also makes
the car handle
much better.
I designed it to use the existing strengths of the TR3 to work with the
cage.
Hardy Prentice
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