Rollcage

[MAXXcrasher]

i wanna build myself a rollcage and know a lot of you out there have done it.. my quetion is what is the best material to go with? i want some thing the it strong but easy to shape during he building process.. pics of custom cages would be awesome too just to get some ideas going for mine..

 

[Voodoo Steve]

I just finished a cage today, it's the one on the left, I used some weenie roasters from wal mart for the steel, ground down the joints a bit then clear coated it, kinda still looks like chrome too,lol..I can stand on it no problem......and I did the one on the right 8 years ago or so, it's 3/16ths round stock, both cages mount between the bumper screws on each end and are held in place by the bumpers themselves, take off the upper part of the rear bumper(I use a two piece rear),just 2 screws, and it tilts up and stays totally out of the way......Now I really don't know what the best material would be to build these out of, but the older one has taken some massive abuse over the years, I built it especially for this 12.5#, BB powered,3 speed maxx, it's tough as nails and has been slammed through the air so many times I've lost count....even hit a shopping cart at almost full speed, Tweaked the chassis a bit ,but it never hurt the cage or anything but the chassis.....so I built a similar but a bit lighter version over the last couple days for the other one, I've never weighed them but I'd guess the new one weighs 11-12oz. and the other maybe 14-15 oz........Really though I don't care how much they weigh just as long as they work, but I did the lighter one for a 2.5 and a much lighter maxx(9#)...which will be a whole lot less force than the older one, when it slams the ground.....

 

[MAXXcrasher]

i like the weenie roaster idea.. how did u bend/shape the steel? and also how did you weld solder the pieces together?

 

[Voodoo Steve]

I just used a couple wrenches to bend it up, it's pretty tough stuff, but I'm 6'4" and 300+, I figure a vise would work extremely well too...and no soldering here, I mig welded them both, took a couple hours though, probably could have come out about even just buying a finished one, but I got exactly what I wanted , it fits perfect..........and even swiped the cat's dish for the wing,lol,lol............

 

[w bill]

I would use steel tubing and braze or silver solder the joints you dont want to add a ton of weight to it.Just get a tubing bender to bend it.

 

[moe7404]

not silver solder. just gas weld, or braze. i would gas weld to save money, braze rod cost more than gas rod. also if you make the roll cage to heavy the truck will handle like a pig.

 

[SteelCityNitro]

not silver solder. just gas weld, or braze. i would gas weld to save money, braze rod cost more than gas rod. also if you make the roll cage to heavy the truck will handle like a pig.

Not to mention they dont handle well to begin with..

 

[w bill]

not silver solder. just gas weld, or braze. i would gas weld to save money, braze rod cost more than gas rod. also if you make the roll cage to heavy the truck will handle like a pig.

SS-F 6 silver solder has a tensil strenght of 71,000 psi this is done with a torch. I wasn't talking about a soldering iron.Depending on your resoures.I would tig weld it because i can.

 

[moe7404]

top this. i started leasing bottles in 1972. on a 20 year lease, i have had nothing but 20 year leases. the last two times i renewed i could not get a 20 year lease unless you already had a 20 year lease.

 

[granjer]

I usually discard my bottles when they're empty. But then again I"m only using 12oz. at a time.

 

[moe7404]

my bottles are bigger than yours. years ago i knew the size mine are, but old age causes some things to happen, but i forget what they are.

 

[Voodoo Steve]

I agree that it will change the handling a bit, but that change can be compensated for pretty easily with stiffer springs, heavier shock oil, and a little massaging of the engine, all of which are small prices to pay when you consider the savings on parts that would be destroyed without it, we took out the "new" one yesterday and ran 3 tanks through it, wheelies at will, and in tight turns on the throttle, it picks up the inside wheel just a bit, I am using the same tires, but I threw those cracked up rims away and stretched those tires onto some 40 series pro line rims, I am extremely happy with the way this drives and handles, my buddies, (who don't have Rc's) managed to hit two different garages, a garage door, and knocked a half full burn barrel off the blocks it was sitting on, all at pretty good speed too, didn't hurt the maxx a bit........to me the cage is a must have for serious bashing.....I'm happy with it and that's all that really matters......