How do they fully weld cages?

[mikemounlio]

Just day dreaming of the day i am up to the task of making my 1st cage in a car. (still need a tube bender, and welding skills). The guy that built my buggy cage could do it but i would rather learn it myself.

How do you fully weld the cage up? I mean cages always seem very tight in a car and look to be built inside the car. So how do you weld around the tube say on the top near the top of the car?

[xt01815]

Im sure someone else will chime in but basically, You do as much planning as possible. Clean grind file your welding spots as much as you can, it makes life much easier to weld. Get your fishmouths as pretty as you can get them. Weld as much as you can outside the vehicle to allow you to install and weld together the easier area. For those spots that are difficult to get to its all about your grinding skills. Sometimes those questionable areas need relief cuts to access the area you could'nt reach normally, then having to do body work to recover said area. Its a slow process. A lot of planning, before you make your first cut on anything, research research research. As for welding skills, practicing is your friend. Movement can be compared to the patterns that are displayed on a sewing machine, yet in most cases only moving the tool a distance not much wider than the height of this text. Remember your NOT gluing pieces together, but your removing and replacing material at the speed of which the molten metal allows, so go slow take your time. If if sounds like your frying eggs or bacon on the pan then your doing something right. If its not pretty dont worry that will come in time. Thats why they have grinders files and rotary bits. Hope that inspires you. Good luck!

[mikemounlio]

O im working on my welds. I have been through a few small spools now. I picked up a nice 10lbs spool just the other day. I have been welding on anything i can just to do it. Ill get there.

The cage thoughts are pretty much what i thought you would say. Plan and do what you can out of the car and cut holes when needed.

[fitsbain]

my plan is to bend up the rear hoop, then make a second hoop to be the halo. before welding the rear hoop to the floor, you can tip it down and weld the halo to it. Then front uprights welded to the halo so the entire weld is exposed. Then diagonals to the rear of the rear hoop, and door bars.

Hope that makes sense.

Got to do the 24hrs of lemons cage myself.

[mikemounlio]

my plan is to bend up the rear hoop, then make a second hoop to be the halo. before welding the rear hoop to the floor, you can tip it down and weld the halo to it. Then front uprights welded to the halo so the entire weld is exposed. Then diagonals to the rear of the rear hoop, and door bars.

Hope that makes sense.

Got to do the 24hrs of lemons cage myself.

If you can post please post pictures along the way.

What material/size do you plan to use?

[fitsbain]

will be a while yet still working on the xr2 engine thats going in it as well.

should be 1 3/4 mild steel tubing.