Car is a turbo'd 2000 Trans Am WS6
Any questions...feel free to ask.
This is an "In Progress" thread that I'll update as I move forward...

First off, YES, I "should" be doing a rollCAGE since the car runs well into the 9's (and can still go a little quicker), but...
I have zero need/desire to run the car turned up, ALL the time...I bracket race it, so having a 10.00 legal BAR in the car will be 100X more fun for me, than trying to (unsuccessfully) slow the car down enough to run a "legal" 11.50. Since there is a track "snitch" that whines if you beat him, and I have been LUCKY, I figured it was finally time to update a little safety equipment.

Since I cannot really afford, nor justify, costs of a professional install, I had to plan out a budget install.
There were a handful of options that were in the budget...Wolfe is closed, so they were out, but Midwest had a decent offering, as did WildRides and Rock Solid Motorsports. Jeg's, Summit, Spohn, and Rhodes Race Cars all appeared to offer the same generic one, which is an S&W Race Cars kit.

We ended up making a day trip out of it, driving there, just shy of 2 hours one way, and got an 8 point steel rollbar kit for $257.

In retrospect, it probably would have been even cheaper for me to just buy the main hoop, and a few straight sections, since I've had to cut and/or bend all the other pieces to fit anyway. The old, "Get what you pay for" thing...but I started out about $500 in the black (if comparing price to a few I listed above, so I really don't mind some fab work, as it isn't really all that hard, with proper tools and equipment. So far, I have done everything myself, with no help.

Here's the two main "tools" for THIS PART of the job...a cutoff saw, and an electric powered hydraulic bender. I'm a mechanic for an electrical contractor, so these items are plentiful, and free (to me) to use...





First things first...
After disconnecting battery, and removing the seats, out came the 1/2 ton of carpet, lol.
YES, that's a "trap door"...for the half dozen fuel pump setups this car has had...







First thing after that, was MAIN HOOP mock-up...
Used mini ratchet straps to hold it where it'll eventually be welded in.
Had to cut 1" off of the bottom, on both sides, as well as grind the bottoms to an 84* setback of the hoop.
Harness (Seatbelt) crossmember, was just rubber mallet'ed in place for mock-up.





continued...

 

Next up...

S&W gives you a pair of REAR BRACES, that extend all the way back to the taillight panel...
This would render my T-Top compartment/storage area all but useless.




That's NOT an option, so I reluctantly CUT the other one, to give me an idea of where it would be placed, and knowing the rear, worthless seats, weren't going back in anyway...so...



So...that was an easy decision...
REAR BRACES both shortened, re-angled, and mocked up...
Subject to final, pre-weld placements, OBVIOUSLY, but this is the jist of how they'll be, when welded in.






So, REAR BRACES DONE, except for final placement.

Moving on to the DOORBARS...
Now, this part kinda pissed me off...
The S&W supplied door bars are perfectly STRAIGHT, and extend all the way up to the FIREWALL/Floorplate intersections...
STRAIGHT, is 100% NOT correct for these cars...unless you want to remove your door panels, or at least the armrests...
Zero chance of that happening, so had to break out the bender. Never used it, or any bender before in my 58 years, so "test bent" the 2 lengths of chopped off rear braces...to get the feel of it.
I cut about 10" or so off of the front's total length, leaving the main hoop "notched" side, as delivered.

Doorbars ended up pretty damn nice, if I say so myself...lol.

NOTE: I found out the hard way that the PASSENGER side doorbar NEEDS quite a different bend, to accommodate the built in "cup holder" on the lower part of the door panel, near the speakers...I originally bent a twin, of the driver side doorbar, which wasn't even close, LOL...
Live & Learn, and REMEMBER this tip, if you do it yourself...






Yesterday, installed the driver seat, to make sure I had *** and shoulder room, lol.
Ended up adding a little more bend to the doorbars.
I'm 6'-3" and 320#, so from Day 1, my main concern was ME fitting in the car...
I have plenty of room, but may make some very slight bends on each end of the harness bar, to give me one more "click" of seat recline, and it'd be absolutely perfect...

I will have a swing-out on the driver's side ONLY, and am unsure whether to weld the doorbar in, THEN cut it for the swingouts, or fab it for the swingouts, right from the start?

I'm all EARS is if anyone can explain why, or how...is one way better?




As-is, the door shuts great, without contacting the door bar, so I think I am good.
My giant head, with helmet on, will be VERY close to top of main hoop, but there's not a whole lot I can do there...it can't be leaned back anymore than it is.

Next up is modifying and forming the floorplates...hopefully, in the next few days.

.

 

Hell ya, door bend turned out nice especially for that type of bender.

 

Also....in preparation for 2022 Drag Race Season...
Got a killer deal on a new/used big tire "pit bike"...a Coleman CT200U mini bike.
196cc, 6hp. Moves my big boned self EASILY...
Best part:
Can strap a 12" pizza on the back, and an 18 pack of brewski, on the front, LOL...

 

Yeah, it didn't deform the tubing any more than whatever S&W uses/used to bend it up originally, which is hardly at all...

But these damned electricians here, made it seem like I'd never be able to do what I needed to do with it...It was pretty much Eazy-Peazy.

Still debating whether I'll use the 2 trans tunnel bars...

 

Next thing you know that will have intake exhaust and a cam! I have one of those engines that got out of control now its bigger carb, ported big valve head and valve springs, higher compression forged rod, cammed, lightweight flywheel, etc... went from like 6hp to 15hp.

Sweet! I like having the extra bars to the tunnel, we have to have them for the 8.50 cages and I don't see any downside, same with a cross brace between the rear bars.

 

Making nice progress so far man! Looks very good! I only want to comment on one thing and that’s the rear bar placement. Try to slide them over towards there wheel tubs more. That’s were the strongest point is back there. Tap on the metal and you will see what I’m talking about. It’s thin in the middle and then once you get closer to the wheel tubs it’s solid due to the “framerails” being there

 

LOL...been there, and done that, haha. Had a cammed up 12hp swap on one of my old ones...


and have done several Predator swaps...


as for the 7th and 8th "points", Yeah, I have them, so it'd be kinda dumb not to, I guess.

 

Thanks!
and, Gotcha. The pictured location is mainly due to the floorplates kept sliding. I finally just slid them over so the two built in brackets would hold them in place.

 

Looking really good

 

For the door bars don't do anything until you have the actual swing style in hand. There are two different one you can get, I would only notch and tack both ends exactly where you want it. That would allow to place either style and weld out of car then you'll only need to weld the floor and hoop points in car.

 

I do have the swingout kit already, it is the style that all 4 pieces go inside of the tubes, then are welded to tubes.

My "Plan A", and I've never done one, so may be entirely wrong, lol...
~ Weld harness crossmember in, and harness tabs on it
~ Tack or weld all floorplates in
~ Tack rear brace bars to hoop
~ Slide tacked hoop/rear braces forward, with T-Tops off, for finish welding
~ Slide back into final position and finish weld hoop and braces to plates.
~ Weld in passenger doorbar and trans tunnel braces
~ Fab and weld the swingout doorbar on driver side.

My tig welder buddy wants to "assemble" it (the swingout) prior to doing any of the doorbar related welding. I guess if I measure and mark everything carefully, it won't be bad at all.

 

Swing outs are the very last thing you do. The main hoop should be fully welded and in place. Then fit the door bars and go from there. The only thing I don’t like about those swing out pieces because I have the same ones is they are very sloppy. I think they are going to rattle a lot. What I plan on doing is making spacers the tighten them up.

 

Maybe a couple of those "wavy" washers?

 

Yes install last. You can use plastic washers in there depending on how much space you have to play with. You may not even need them.

 

I’ll try to take a video of it on Monday and show you guys the play

 

Anymore progress?

 

Unfortunately, not really, lol.
My workplace does mostly food grade and defense contract work. Our sister company does as well. This is a busy time due to year end shutdowns. My welder buddy is stuck working 7 days a week until New Years weekend, so the plan is to knock it out the weekend after that.

That gives me 2 weeks to get the floorplates ready, and all the tube ends dialed in, and harness tabs welded on. I'll probably clean and (maybe even) paint all the areas away from where it is to be welded.

Only thing I did this past week was de-padded the factory carpet, and dropped it off at my detailer buddy's shop to get steam cleaned and shampooed.

 

So, got stuck working today, and since my car is there...figured after lunch I'd knock out most of what is left to do before welding.

Formed the 6 main floorplates.
Boy,, what a PITA that 1/2" thick seam sealer is. Luckily, I have a nice little air operated "scraper", which is designed for gasket scraping, but worked very well for the seam sealer. Then cleaned the paint off with 3" and a 4" flapper disc. Fabbed up a crotch belt mount, w/2 tabs that will bolt onto the 2 front seat mounting studs, and then has a tab for the belt itself.

All that's left is some minor clean up and dialing in of a few of the bars, and welding...
Welding should be happening next weekend.

My "hope" is to tack the rear bars to the hoop, then slide it and the rear bars forward for final welding. With the T-tops popped out, I think that's the easiest way to get to the top of the hoop.

Pics are in order from right front floorboard, back to main hoop, to right rear brace, and on around to the driver rear brace, driver side hoop, and last, driver front floor...also attached pic of the crotch belt mount that I made the other day.

 

Everything looks great so far man!! Did a nice tight bend job on the plates!