Since I have cut out much of the inner skeleton from the wagon roof, there would definitely be some roofline flex under race conditions. And this would be further exaggerated by running a plastic windshield instead of a glass one. So I welded in a few braces between the rollcage and the A-pillars, and then between the main [...]

I’ve had the last few days off and have completed a couple more projects. We finally finished off the rollcage with the driver’s side door bars and the fuel cell cradle.  The door bars were done “NASCAR” style, meaning they are bent into the door cavity. This increases driver comfort by creating more elbow room, and improves safety by enlarging the [...]

Today I started tying the rollcage into the rear suspension. The rear down tubes and crossbrace are in place with a couple of 45 degree supports. The top of the rear coilovers are now mounted to the rear crossbar tube, and the bottom of them to a bracket welded onto the lower control arm. 

So the roof came off the race-wagoon today to finish up the rollcage. Well, almost finish it up. We got in the diagonals, the passenger door bars, and the bars through the firewall to tie in the front strut towers. The driver-side door bars will go in after the Wilwood pedal box assembly goes in, [...]

We got back to work and went a little hog-wild on the modifications… Just kidding. Today we cut out the inner cowl and seat braces with the plasma cutter. We got the forward loop plates in, bent and installed the main down bars, and got the header tube in. The front wheelwell enlargement mods done by [...]

I haven’t had much time to work on the Race Wagon this past month, the senior guys are enjoying their summer vacations while us junior guys handle the summer crowds. I finally got a day to work on the rollcage with my buddy (and professional fabricator) Paul Moore. We got the main hoop in and laid out the plans [...]

No, this is not a ‘Woman’s Day’ article on how to lose ten pounds by walking from the back of the parking lot or by folding your laundry while jumping in place. I’m talking about putting your race car on a diet. A car’s acceleration potential is measured by its Weight-to-Power ratio, or how many [...]

Continuing on our rollcage discussion, how many points of attachment is enough? More is better is the usual train of thought, but more bars in the cage means more weight. And since acceleration is determined by horsepower per pound of car, the more you weigh, the less you accelerate. So the right balance of enough [...]