Roll Bar Install

[Brian Oatway]

As soon as it warms up a little bit here in CT I'm going to tackle my first roll bar install.

Going to do an 8pt bar, chromoly and I have a couple of questions.

Can I tack things with a flux core mig and then go back over everything with the TIG or will the tack be too contaminated.

My TIG only has a foot pedal control that will be impossible to use while contorted in the car making welds. Is it possible to rig a simple on/off switch somehow. My TIG is a Syncrowave 180SD.

[aametalmaster]

I wouldn't do it with fluxcore...Bob

[H80N]

Welding method, cage material and thickness are dictated by the sanctioning body and may vary by class... NHRA?.... SCCA? ...IMSA? ...WRC?.. NASA?
what does the rulebook say?

[TJS]

Where in CT. are you.

[Brian Oatway]

Rulebook definately says TIG and it is my intention to TIG everything but I was thinking it would be far easier to tack everything up with the flux core mig and then go back over everything with full TIG welds. If that not cool then I'll go straight TIG.

I'm in East Hartford, CT

[H80N]

Brian
TIG welding around cars and for motorsports seems to require some forms of contortionist skills and physical torture involving bodily positions that just aint natural... pushing a pedal with elbow, knee, or..... having an assistant work the pedal for you.... it has all been done.... Luckily, these days there are a variety of hand controls available.... both from Miller and third parties... My personal favorite has to be the Weldcraft LS-17 torch with integrated hand control although I also have an RCC-14....
My suggestion would be to tack using the "scratch tig" method or to embrace the inevitable and invest in a hand control for those times when a pedal is too awkward...

[strictlycarved]

Why not solid wire tacks instead of flux. Seems like a lot of cleaning with the flux wire

[Brian Oatway]

Why not solid wire tacks instead of flux. Seems like a lot of cleaning with the flux wire

Mostly because of what I have on hand. I've been tiging alot of aluminum lately so both of my small 80cf tanks have straight argon in them. I would need to swap out a nearly full tank to get gas for the Mig.

It's amazing how expensive the torch mounted amperage controls are heck they cost more than I paid for the torch......

[csedan510]

What kind of car?
A number of the better cages I have seen use 2" (or tubing diameter) holes in the floor to "feed up" the tubing, this also allows you to weld the tops of the joints and keep it tight to the roof line, B pillars etc.. Holes are then filled and covered with the mounting plates.

[Brian Oatway]

What kind of car?
A number of the better cages I have seen use 2" (or tubing diameter) holes in the floor to "feed up" the tubing, this also allows you to weld the tops of the joints and keep it tight to the roof line, B pillars etc.. Holes are then filled and covered with the mounting plates.

Car is a 1994 Thunderbird Super Coupe with a supercharged 6-cyl. Ran best of 11.17 last fall so it was time for some safety upgrades.

I've been told by a couple people about the hole in the floor board trick....definately gonna give that a go. I bought an 8pt roll bar kit from S&W I think all of the tubing is .083" wall 1-3/4"...also picked up some extra tubing so I can get in some practice before going live. Should be an interesting project but I can't do much other than make some practice welds until it warms up a bit since my garage isn't big enough to work on the car with the door wide open.