Thought i would start a little blog / day by day of trying to fit a rollcage to the coupe.

Started yesterday and managed to rip out most of the rear interior (shocking at how much of the chassis isnt painted) before it poured down with rain and stopped play. Started again today and finished off the rear of the interior (C pillar trim, rear wiper motor, seatbelts and centre console) Just stopped to have a bit of food and to go back out and finish the dash off!!!

So a few piccies of my progress :

Rollcage bought summer last year
Easy Part 1
Easy Part 2
Near side yesterday
Offside yesterday
Near side today
Offside today
Fergie's grommit
Centre Console removed

Do you ever work ????

Looking good mate... keep it up <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

begbie,

where did you get that excellent r/cage ?

is it the OMP one ?

cheers.

Of course i do work, it's just i have taken a week off work to get some work done on the coupe.

Pistole, yes the cage is an OMP one.

End result of today

It's ready to come off, except it seems to be stuck on the heater matrix at the top. There is a tube type thingy that takes the air to the vents on top of the dash, now it seems to be in the middle of this and sits on top of the heater matrix is stopping it from lifting but i cant see the top of the heater matrix and have been feeling by hand, but cant find what seems to be holding it down, anyone got any ideas?

So you have managed to get everything out except the gearknob, they are a bugger aren't they <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I'd say its looking good, but uurrrmm, it's getting there, you must have some patience <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

tear the dash out by force <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Heater matricies are for wimps!

Well i'm currently looking through the coupe workshop manual at the moment and it isnt being a lot of help, so brute force and ignorance maybe used <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I stripped out the interior on my bravo for its respray, dash out etc, that was actually stuck in and it sounds like what you have here...

its like double sided foam just need to be brutal, but i dont know if you have a fixing there or not as i havent done the coupe dash. i kept pulling it back and forth the it started to losen... try this first, if it starts to losen i am pretty sure its just that foam stuff.

good luck. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

also are you rallying this thing or something??? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Yeah there is foam there, can see it, it's lifted away quite freely at either edge of the dashboard, it's just stuck in the middle, which is where i can feel its connected to the heater matrix in someway, but the manual cd doesnt list having to disconnect it from there.

As for rallying it, nah, just making it a trackday nutter of a coupe <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Lunch time piccies

Stripped 1
Stripped 2

You got one shiney knob to grab there begbie <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Hope you bought some racing gloves for better grip! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Looks all good, when i did the wiring to the rear of my coop i blitzed the floor panels that i got to with wetwipes that had antibacterial in them to get all the gunk off and left them sparkley and a quick wet wash of the carpet where i could as so much stuff comes off them when you hose them down it could be an extra 1kg you save in wieght and it all helps!!! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Well i have gone a little bit more crazy with the weight reduction than I first thought <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Decided to pretty much remove all of the sound deadening (apart from the firewall) and done about half of the car so far

Pic 1
Pic 2

Your gonna have to tie it down on windy days at this rate. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Did exactly the same thing in my grale, Its suprising how much that stuff weighs. Stick it all in a bag at the end and you'll be suprised.

Heater matrix and all the fan gubbins also weigh a ton. Theres normally metal reinforcing behind the bumpers which can be binned. Hoping to get the grale down to around a ton.

That's one hell of an induction run.

Begbie you're a nutter <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Is that sticky stuff meant to sound deaden?? i hated it when i was under my carpet its so crud and sticks to anything and is a bee atch to get off again!grr stupid things! Looking good though!!

begbie... what you planning at!!!!! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />..... those grommets can go <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Paul R

I'm with Skins Begbie.........


you're as mad as a hatter muwahahahaha <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Have to admire your commitment Begbie <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />! I've thought about a roll cage for mine, but seeing your photos has put me off somewhat <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />. Might get rid of the sound-proofing as you have done when I have the carpet up though <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

Phil

champion !

I don't think the missus would have approved <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> keep it up.

Will it ever get to see a trackday though? Once it's finished, DO NOT attend a Coupe meet first, you know what will happen (again) <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />

And just to put you off a little more :

Cage Trail Fitted
Gap 1
Gap 2

The gaps are like this on all 4 mounting plates, so additional plates will have to be made / modified to actually to be able to weld it to the sill, and there was me thinking this is just a bolt in cage! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

It's certainly going to look good when it is fitted, but those gaps are <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />. Might as well buy a weld-in one if you are going to have to do that much modification <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />!

I take it that you will be painting it an appropriate colour before final install, as it look a bit like very expensive scaffold poles at the moment <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />.

Phil

nice gaps beggars - who's going to do the welding? they'd be sensible to cut off the current triangle side parts and make some new bits to take up that egge space - you'll need to clean the area of paint, strip it to metal and prime it with some weld through primer - I used UPOL weld #2 its expensive but meant to be good.

rich

be careful with that cage , it being so far 'out'.

I've heard of a few cases where with the cage in , either
the doors cannot fit and/or the sunroof cannot get on or
something else like that .

cheers and good effort.

Begbie,

are you going to refit the roof lining, rear seats etc?

General Q: is the rollcage meant to come very close (see touch) roof and all bits around?

cheers

I dont have a sunroof so that doesnt bother me <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

As for rear seats, not possible due to the way the cage bolts to the rear wheel arch, as for the roof lining, im sure i will put it back, but the pain of it is that i cant have my sun visors or rear view mirror, so need to come up with something for that.

This cage fitting is going to be put on hold for the time being due to the extra bits and pieces that need doing, so more updates sometime soon <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Fold out curved bits of wood lol