I had the guys at EB3 weld in a couple more bars. Here is the final product!
I am starting this thread to let you guys know that I may have found a place that will custom install a chromoly tig welded roll bar for less than $1,000.00 (I was quoted $900).
Keep in mind that my interior is already pretty much stripped and I took the seats out. This may have had an effect on the quote.
I am not going to publish the shop name at this time, but they work on drag cars pretty much exclusively. The shop is always jammed with very serious drag cars with engine/turbo set ups beyond anything I have seen before. Why did I go to them?
Every vehicle in the shop has at the very least a roll bar with most having full cages.
Why am I holding off on the name? Well I dropped off my 370z on September 30th and they said they did not have a "stick" (seamless length of tubing) long enough for the main hoop at the shop. Initially the owner of the shop ordered a piece that when it arrived was rejected by the cage builder b/c it was not within spec (at least that is what I was told). Now he is waiting for the replacement piece to be special delivered by truck. I guess it makes sense that a 12 foot piece of tubing can't be shipped that easily. I guess...
It would be nice if the shop would at least give me a call every once in a while to give me a status (I swing by the shop about once a week to get updates). Luckily, I am a pretty patient person and all will be forgotten if I get a nicely fabricated roll bar for a price at or near the quote. Hopefully I will be able to show you my custom roll bar some time in the near future.
I guess that is why Piper can charge such a premium for their work...
Ok. Here are some pictures. The price was exactly as quoted $900. The shop that performed the work was EB3 Motorsports in Manassas, VA. However, remember they primarily build cages for drag cars. So make sure that you print out the roll cage requirements for whatever series you run (or aspire to run) when you drop off your car.
The blue tape is where I will get them to weld in a harness bar to give me a proper harness angle. That was my fault as I failed to provide them with the requirements. The drag racing NHRA Rule 20.18 4:10 specifies “[a]ll roll bars must have in their construction a cross bar for seat bracing and as the shoulder harness attachment point; cross bar must be installed no more than 4 inches below, and not above, the driver’s shoulders or to side bar.” This conflicts with SCCA/NASA shoulder harness rules requiring no more than a 20 degree downward angle.
Nicely boxed base for the passenger side of the main hoop.
Here is the driver side base.
Here is the passenger side rear brace welded to the front side of the shock/rear wheel tower.
