10 POINT AND FULL FRAME

[MEANDEAN]

Need some help guys. Im installing a custom moly 10 point cage in a 52 Henry-J Gasser and have some questions. The main hoop, rear support bars and the forward bars in the engine bay are all able to be welded directly to the the frame. My concern is with the A-pillar bars that support the front of the halo bar. the frame is about 10 inches narrower per side than the actual body. Do I bend these bars near the bottom so they attatch to the top of the frame through the floor like the main hoop or can I have the bend under the floor and attatch them to the side of the frame or is there a better option. I want the cage to certify to 8.50. Thanks guys.

[Driven2xs]

Best bet is to ask your NHRA/IHRA chassis inspectors.

[GRIFFIN]

I am not familiar with that car, can you build a type of hoop or bracket under the car that can be braced?
I would try to make a hoop shape under the floor pan, kind of like an underbody rocker bar. Then add a brace from where your forward bars (in engine bay) and your A-pillar bars meet, down to your stock frame at a forward angle, just outside of your firewall.
I am not sure if I worded this in a way you can understand, if not let me know, I'll try again.

[MEANDEAN]

Thanks Griffin. I decided to bend the A-pillar bar inward at the bottom to meet the top of the frame. This way I have 6 points directly to the top of the frame and the rear bars mounted to a cross member thats welded through the rear frame section. The lower main hoop supports are on 6X6 plates. I still have a ways to go with the finish welding and adding the round tube gussets but I will post a few pics of what I have so far. Thanks again

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0356.jpg

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http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0353.jpg

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http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0350.jpg

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http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0354.jpg

[Ed-vancedEngines]

Your welding looks great. I d/l a few of your pics and blew them up in detail. It does look good.

If I may suggest to add some tubular gussets several places, particularly where you have the side bar (kidney Bar) attaching to the bottom. I perfer the tubular (bar) gussets to the cut plate gussets, myself. Just a suggestion.

I am wondering why you would be building a Henry J though. I agree they are cool and very nostalgiac but they also have a very short wheelbase.

Anyway, I am not a Chassis Builder, I just fool with them from time to time, so my opinons would not carry as much weight or mean as much as the opinions of a real Chassis Builder, I still think that what I can see is looking very good,. I would love to see pics of your full build up when you are done with it. I do like those old Henry J's and Willy's of that era. When I was a teen those were what some of the guys street raced and even drove with good V-8 and 4 speeds.

Ed

[GRIFFIN]

MEANDEAN, the car is looking good, welds look awsome. My first thought when I seen it was in agreement with Ed. I would add some gussets if I were doing it. Especially were you bent your A-pillar bar in. You will need to brace that at the bend for it to pass cert. I know there was not much of a choice, and I like the way you done it. It looks like (from the photo) you could add a brace from that bend down to your rocker bar. You may ask your local tech guy, but I know the guy we use would require a 1 5/8" brace there.

I am not sure if I read that correctly and I couldn't see in the pics, Is your main hoop welded to the frame or plates on the floor pans? Your main hoop really needs to weld directly to the frame, when it is a full frame car.

I am not critisizing, I am just trying to give advice on what I see. You are doing a really nice job though. That is going to be cool, I like things that are different. I have a tube chassis 48 Anglia I hope to finish some day.

Keep posting pics, I like your work.

[MEANDEAN]

Thanks for the input guys. I was working on it today a bit more and have added the bracing which was on the to-do list. I need to get some more moly tomorow to finish up the bracing and the forward engine compartment bars. that will attatch to the A-pillar bars through the firewall.

Yep. The main hoop, A-pillar bars, Forward bars and rear down bars are all welded to the frame. It was tuff to get all the bars to line up nice but its coming along. The only bars that are welded to 6X6 plates on the floor are the lower main hoop supports.

As for the car itself, its my cousins. It belonged to his uncle who raced it in the 60s with the same straight axle suspension he is using today. My cousin is deep into the nostalgia sceen and this being his uncles old race car its worthy of a lot of TLC.

I have some more pics of what I did today. I used a 1 inch support bar for the rocker to A-pillar brace but I only tacked one in. Im thinking your right Griffen with the 1 5/8 bar being required in that spot. The 1 inch looks good but may not be enough.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0360.jpg

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http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0361.jpg

[GRIFFIN]

Lookin good!!!!!!

[Silverback]

Looks good!

I have to wonder what a tech inspector will think when he sees those bends and the long gussets… I think what would have normally been done is to weld box section pieces to the outside of the frame to give the bars something to attach to without the extra bends.

[MEANDEAN]

Thanks guys. I changed the one inch diameter gusset in the front floor pan area to the same 1 5/8 I used for the rest of the cage. Im finished with the fab and have a bit more finish welding to do to before its all done. I thought about a support structure under the car to pick up the bar mounting points but because of the body and frame relation to each other it would have been a mess unless I started cutting and reworking body mounts and floor boards. It was a struggle any way I looked at it. I will let you know what the tech inspector says. Ive seen bars bent the same way in other full frame cars but Im not sure of their certification. And yes the engine compartment bars are welded to the A-pillar aswell as the firewall.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0362.jpg

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http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/meandean73/000_0363.jpg

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