Rollcage question.

[devilbrad]

Building a 96 Dodge Dakota for drag racing. Stock frame, 4-link rear, minitubbed. Truck should go into the 10's and future goals of 9's. What will be the best way of incorporating a rollcage into it? I know the 55-57 Chevys the cages tie into stock frame rails as per NHRA rules, but my truck has a narrow frame, the rails literally run under your feet. The cab will be mounted solidy to frame with aluminum bushings that replace the stock rubber ones. Am I going to have to build some kind of sidebars off frame to mount cage too??? Any suggestions/ideas/pics?? Thanks!

[DCarr511]

Get a hold of some 6" x 6" x .125" flat plates and weld those to the floor and the cage bars to those

[TORQUE INC]

Do not weld plates to the floor of the truck for the rollcage.

First thing

Get a NHRA or IHRA rulebook and see what its going to take.

Car/trucks with frames have to have the cage tied to the frame PERIOD.

If you have to weld outriggers or stubs of tubing off the truck frame then that's what you will have to do.

youll never get the truck to tech with the plates welded in and not welded to the frame somehow.

Good luck

TI

[DCarr511]

youll never get the truck to tech with the plates welded in and not welded to the frame somehow.

Good luck

TI

When did this Start ? What is being done on a Unibody car ?

I know this way was legal a few years back and havent heard of it changing.

If he looking to go 9's now and 8's in the future then I would've suggested running the outriggers.

[devilbrad]

The unibody cars tie them into the rocker panels. I know the NHRA rules say frame cars must be tied into frame, was trying to figure out how to go about doing it with my framerails being in so far. I guess the outrigger idea is the only choice.

[Silverback]

Full frame cars must tie them to the frame, unibody cars must use 6x6x1/8” reinforcing plates and the main hoop plates are supposed to be tied into the rocker seam and on faster cars there are supposed to be diagonal down bars from the main hoop to the rear suspension pickup points (where the control arms connect to the body).

If it’s really that out of whack on the Dakota I’d suggest getting in touch with the reagional NHRA inspector (they’re usually a little more strict then IHRA so if it works there…) and ask him what you can do that he would accept, large parts of the rule book are subject to the interpretation of the inspector.

[devilbrad]

This is what I need!! Should I tie each pair together on both sides? Jegs outriggers

[TORQUE INC]

basically yes that is what you need

You can source 2x3 or 2x4 tubing from your local fab shop or metal supplier and cut them to the desired length.

I would mount 2X4 upright on the outside of the frame but thats just me

Over kill

you should need about 4 or so of them

TI

[Silverback]

I agree with the upright orientation, but I would also run the diagonal down bars from the main hoop to the actual frame rather then to the outrigger like they show in their drawing.

I’m betting ordering a few feet of 2x4” tube will be much cheaper then buying the kit

[devilbrad]

OK, cool. Should the main hoop be welded to just top of 2X4 or should it go through to bottom as well and welded top and bottom? Same with front hoop?

[TORQUE INC]

Welding it to just the top of the tube is plenty

I did an S-10 a while ago and I dont like cutting huge holes in the floor just to install a cage.

What i did was holesaw down thru with a 2.5 inch holesaw ,get the cage tacked in then lift the body up so i could do the welding in a better position as opposed to have to do it out of position.
Bolt the body back down and finished the cage.

Lil extra work but it turned out great.

TI

[devilbrad]

Thanks TI! Dont suppose you have any pictures? Did you tie the outriggers together under cab, or run a rocker bar inside cab?