Mini Cage: request for comments/suggestions

Hey guys, we made some progress on the Mini shell over the holidays, (we're replacing the entire floorpan with fresh steel so we have a good base to start from) and I'm going to start constructing the cage as soon as I've heard back from my scrutineer.

Thought I'd share my sketches with the group to see if anyone has any suggested changes or additions before I start ruining expensive tubing .

Red is 1.75", Blue is 1.5", yellow are gussets.

I'm planning on an X in the rear backstays and possibly the lower rectangle between the rear suspension mounts and the bottom of the main cage legs as well as a couple of additional tubes for an upper and lower harness bar (deleted for clarity).

Any and all "Fawk, don't do it that way!" comments would be greatly appreciated .

Cheers, Ted

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Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2007 07:33AM by Ted Andkilde.

CARS rules?

I'd raise your dash bar to above the existing dash 'shelf', give your legs a little more room, and mount the steering column to it. The bar that goes forward to the subframe mount should be at teh upper door bar level if possible. Same for the bar that goes back to the shock tower, lower where it joins the main hoop to be same level as upper door bar.
Where do you plan to mount your harness shoulder belts?

You're going to have a bitch of a time with head clearance and teh roof X but it's the rule now, make sure you get it touching the roof!

Couldn't you find a rustier shell :-)

-Martin.

I used to be want a mini so bad. One day I located one in Guelph oh about 8 years ago and then realized that I couldn't manage to get into it. At the time I figured I would have had to put the front seat most of the way into the back.

Is this mini being prepared for Targa Newfoundland or rally as well?

---

Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

MRWmotorsports Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Same for
> the bar that goes back to the shock tower, lower
> where it joins the main hoop to be same level as
> upper door bar.

Ignore this, I looked at your pictures again, I didn't realize this was the rear stay (top of main hoop to strut).

MRWmotorsports Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CARS rules?

Yeah, CARS/FIA

>
> I'd raise your dash bar to above the existing dash
> 'shelf', give your legs a little more room, and
> mount the steering column to it.

I was thinking of trimming away the lower "curl" of the dash and putting the bar there -- another friend has suggested just leaving it out entirely.

The bar that
> goes forward to the subframe mount should be at
> teh upper door bar level if possible.

OK -- probably easier to lower the front door-bar mount a couple of inches so they can tie in together -- the front tower reinforcements are going to be a PITA -- need to curl along the bottom dash rail and along the seam between the floor and firewall up to the box section that crosses the front of the car.

> Where do you plan to mount your harness shoulder
> belts?

I was going to put a harness bar in either the main hoop or across the backstays once I have the actual seats mounted in the car for position, the nasty aluminum seat is not staying.

Should I run a lower harness bar to mount the lap and anti-sub straps? Or are factory style mounts (large plates with captive nuts on the backside of the sheetmetal) the way to go?

>
> You're going to have a bitch of a time with head
> clearance and teh roof X but it's the rule now,
> make sure you get it touching the roof!

Yeah, I may have to rethingk the X and look at a V or >=< (extended X like the doorbars), Rob said he'd be open to options that allowed a bit more head clearance.


>
> Couldn't you find a rustier shell :-)

Bah, it's not that bad, the floors, A-panels and fenders on these things are always junk and much of what you see is nasty faded red-oxide prime -- it's more solid than it looks. And all the panels are available and cheap.

Thanks, Ted

---

Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec

hudson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I used to be want a mini so bad. One day I
> located one in Guelph oh about 8 years ago and
> then realized that I couldn't manage to get into
> it. At the time I figured I would have had to put
> the front seat most of the way into the back.

Yep, they look small but are strangely comfortable once you get used to the seating position -- with stock seats and upright steering column you sit in the car like a bus driver, knees and elbows bent and back straight. Easier to demonstrate than to describe. I'm 6' and on the the wrong side of 250lbs and fit fine, I've done a number of weeklong road trips and at one point used a Mini as a daily driver for three years.

I'm probably going with a more traditional seating position in the rally car, seats lower and farther back, with the steering column lowered a bit -- I've trimmed away the shelf the rear seat rests on so the main hoop and the co-driver's seat can be moved back another 8 inches or so.

>
> Is this mini being prepared for Targa Newfoundland
> or rally as well?

Rally, I'd love to run Targa someday, but at this point in my life $10,000 for a single event is a bit rich for me.

Cheers, Ted

---

Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec

Ted Andkilde Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MRWmotorsports Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CARS rules?
>
> Yeah, CARS/FIA
>
> >
> > I'd raise your dash bar to above the existing
> dash
> > 'shelf', give your legs a little more room,
> and
> > mount the steering column to it.
>
> I was thinking of trimming away the lower
> "curl" of the dash and putting the bar there --
> another friend has suggested just leaving it out
> entirely.


The shelf? Sure if it's in the way.
the dash bar? No way!

> The bar that
> > goes forward to the subframe mount should be
> at
> > teh upper door bar level if possible.
>
> OK -- probably easier to lower the front
> door-bar mount a couple of inches so they can tie
> in together -- the front tower reinforcements are
> going to be a PITA -- need to curl along the
> bottom dash rail and along the seam between the
> floor and firewall up to the box section that
> crosses the front of the car.

I'm trying to think back to my Mini days... I understand what you are trying to accomplish, support the points where the front sub frame bolts in, without going through the wheel well (after all it would still be nice to steer yiur striong car :-)). Unfortunately curling bars aren't going to do much. If you can't get them straight or almost straight they might not be worth the effort. Could you come "down" from the windshield/door post bend? I meed to dig out my "how to modify your mini" book...


> > Where do you plan to mount your harness
> shoulder
> > belts?
>
> I was going to put a harness bar in either the
> main hoop or across the backstays once I have the
> actual seats mounted in the car for position, the
> nasty aluminum seat is not staying.

I was going to say something about the kirky seat, but didn't!
Main hoop will probably be to close, even with it set way back like you are planning... but as you say across tha back stays will be good.


> Should I run a lower harness bar to mount the
> lap and anti-sub straps? Or are factory style
> mounts (large plates with captive nuts on the
> backside of the sheetmetal) the way to go?

Rob made me move muy sub belts when they were mounted at the back of the set, next to the lap belts (where I could adjust them!). He wanted to se them directly under the hole in the seat... in fact he insisted! I pointed out the the locations for these mounts are "recommended" in the rule book. But it ws easy enough to do so I moved them. I didn't use the stock mounts, but I have before. While they are always recommended by teh belt manufacturers, and shoudl theoretically be strong enough, they are usually (in Canada) surrounded my rusty material that never give me confidence, and they never seem to be in exactly the right place. I welded big 1/8" plates to the floor and used eye bolts

> > You're going to have a bitch of a time with
> head
> > clearance and teh roof X but it's the rule
> now,
> > make sure you get it touching the roof!
>
> Yeah, I may have to rethingk the X and look at
> a V or >=< (extended X like the doorbars),
> Rob said he'd be open to options that allowed a
> bit more head clearance.

It's good that you are talking to Rob, that will make the log book process easier!

> > Couldn't you find a rustier shell :-)
>
> Bah, it's not that bad, the floors, A-panels
> and fenders on these things are always junk and
> much of what you see is nasty faded red-oxide
> prime -- it's more solid than it looks. And all
> the panels are available and cheap.

And don't forget the sills aka rockers, we used to replace these with 2" x 1" tube and some sheet metal, the rear sub frame woudl bolt right to it, and tie the cage into it.

-Martin.

I'm 6'3 and most of that is legs.. so that might have been part of the problem.. I still like em a lot tho.

Yeah I'd love to run Targa as well.. I've got lots of family up there so that should cut down on the costs.. still bloody expensive though.

---

Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish