Roll Cage & Fuel Cell in MGB GT

[tony barnhill]

Well, I've finally gotten my AutoPower roll cage kit installed - but I modified it a bit. Nothing is bolted in; we welded everything - so, excuse my welds:

1st photo is of my Kirkey seat installed & the NASCAR-type bar in the door & the straight bar laying along the sill. The uprights tying the NASCAR bar to the straight bar are on an angle to allow them to be tied together. My left elbow is just at the NASCAR-type bar when I'm in the seat holding the steering wheel. I'm thinking about cutting about half of the seat's left rib protector off so I can more easily get in & out (I am over 60 after all!):

2nd photo is front corner of the roll cage - you can see the NASCAR-type bar meeting the front leg along with the straight bar that lays on the sill with bracing up to the NASCAR bar as well as the cage crossmember under the steering column. I didn't take any photos but the cage also has a harizontal bar over the windshield tieing the two sides together.

3rd photo is from the rear of the car & shows the main hoop as well as the "Paddy bar" & straight door bar on passenger side. I'm still trying to figure out how to brace my seat off the main roll cage hoop if its necessary to do so.

4th photo shows the front corner on the passenger side with the straight door bar and the "Paddy Bar" meeting the front hoop down pipe. There's no rule calling for a "Paddy Bar" but since I'm never planning on installing a passenger seat, it seemed the safe thing to do. I'm keeping my battery in its original location under the body behind where the passenger seat went so I needed to be able to access it easily. The "Paddy Bar" makes me feel a bit safer with only 1 door bar on the passenger side.

5th photo shows the "Paddy Bar" meeting the main hoop just to the side of my seat.

& my fuel cell...

6th photo: I took a new bladder, built a metal surround, installed a new cap, foam & hardware & welded tubes onto the frame rails of car to strap it to. When I run the vent hose from the check valve (rearmost fitting), I'll tie it into the rear end vent via a FRAM filter with holes drilled around the uppermost section. I'll mount that filter under the cover for the fuel cell.

7th photo shows the metal surround we made to cover the fuel cell & separate it from me. Its a big box without a bottom that fits down between the frame rails & I'll pop rivet it in place along with seam sealer once everything underneath is painted. We designed the fuel cell brackets so it can be removed from the bottom of the car once the cover is pop riveted in place.

Next thing is to fit a driver's net. I'm thinking about welding it to the main roll cage hoop so its permanent at the front corners & when removed from the rear 2 corners will pivot down to the front out of the way.

& boy do I wish we'd done this before installing the Lexan windows...keeping them safe during welding was a chore (we set several pieces of cardboard on fire!) Now we'v gotta paint the inside of the car & the roll cage again. Oh well, its only time - & it is a labor of love, right?

 

[Bugeye58]

Where are you planning on racing this, Tony?
Jeff

 

[tony barnhill]

I dunno - Historic racing, I suppose.

 

[aeronca65t]

Tony:

Most clubs will require that the seat have an upper brace unless it is an "FIA certified" seat (these are internally braced and cost quite a bit).
I have a similar Kirkey seat in my Twin Cam Escort and it would require a brace for SCCA, NASA, SVRA (vintage) and most other groups including EMRA (which I run in).
My seat braces are pretty agricultural but they passed our tech and I've seen similar setups pass SCCA tech. I may clean them up over the Winter (but probably not...this is my "bomber car").
I made them using 2" muffler clamps and flat aluminum stock (steel would be OK too). I bent the seat-end of the brace at about 90 degrees and bolted that area to the seat back.
You can buy adjustable rod-type braces but I dislike them...they always look like they would impale the driver if the car was rear-ended.

One point: The bar behind the seat on my car serves as a harness mount. I just loop the belts around this bar and secure them using the slide-adjusters. The harness bar should be positioned so that the harnesses are horizonal (or nearly horizontal). Your bar looks a bit higher than mine (judging by the hole in the seat back). You may have to weld mounts for the harnesses below the bar.....or raise the seat.

 

[tony barnhill]

Nial - that's what I'm looking for - something like what you did to brace yours...thanks!!

Don't really wanna raise the seat but I can - the bar is a little higher than the opening in my seat (but yours appears to be also)...think that's a problem, eh?

I just wish I could understand the rules! I've read them so many times, the letters are falling off the page & they still don't make sense.....

 

[aeronca65t]

Tony:
You could open up the hole on the seat...that would help (otherwise, the belt might rub on the upper part of the seat hole). As long as the harness is pretty close to horizontal, you're OK.
In a way, it depends on how tall you are relative to the seat back. I'm 6' and my shoulder is just even with the hole. If you feel that you are sitting too low (and the belt is angled down from the bar) you can always raise yourself a little with some old seat foam.
I have another pal who's co-driving this Escort with me in an upcoming 4-Hour. He's shorter than me, so we cut up some old seat padding (from the original Escort seats) to raise him up a bit so that the harnesses are more level (plus he'll be able to see better).

Your local historic race group is HSR and they run the Walter Mitty Historic Races in April. You should go and have a look around even if your car isn't ready...it helps a lot to see what's what.

Here's the old '07 Mitty schedule

https://themitty.com/schedule.php

And you still have time this year to make it to HSR events at Hilton Head, Daytona and Sebring.

https://www.hsrrace.com/HSR/HSRHome.nsf/weblinks/EJEN-6VUU85?OpenDocument

 

[tony barnhill]

thanks, Nial....John Prater is coming over Sunday to go over my car; don't know if you're aware but he crashed him MGB at the Crow Mountain Hill Climb early in the month...doesn't know if the tub can be pulled or if he'll have to replace it.

 

[aeronca65t]

Too bad about his car.

I don't know him but I recognise his name from the Mitty event....he should able to give you "the scoop" on historic racing in your area.

 

[tony barnhill]

Nial - do you have photos of how you raised your seat? We were working to keep the top of my helmet well below the main hoop bar.

 

[aeronca65t]

The "riser-bases" started out looking like the drawing below. Made from 1/8" aluminum.
The red areas are folded back 90 degrees.
I raised the seat with wooden blocks and mocked these up from cardboard first....very "trial and error".
The upper red area bolts to the bottom of the seat. The lower red area bolts to the floor. No real adjustment.

You might think that these would be wobbley being only 1/8" sheet aluminum. But they are not. If you were to look at these riser-bases from the Birds-Eye View (straight down), they are not mounted parrallel to each other. The part nearer the front of the seat is angled out an extra inch or so. This stiffens the entire assembly. The seat back brace keeps everything solid too.

The pictures aren't great but all I have right now. Your helmet needs to be 2" below the "halo" bar when you're sitting normally...that's a standard with most all groups. You can gain some "drop" by tilting the seat back a bit.

 

[tony barnhill]

I can see it, Naial - thanks...yep, we worked to get me below thart 2" point....lemme pull my seat next week & see what I can do - I would like a little more tilt.

Oh, what do you think about my idea of cutting those 'wings' back on my seat to allow easier entry/egress?