Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

JT Raceshop dug right in by cutting out the old cage. She is no longer good for 8.50's. Just a pile of scrap.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Was going stir crazy here so I sent John a message to see how the cage was coming along.

He said was moving along. Kinda slow going this week, but making progress. Got the rest of the tubing delivered today. Should start moving along good now.

Sent me a couple of teaser photos.







When we discussed having the cage tight, John wasn't bullshitting. Wow!! Can't wait to see more progress pics!

ls3fox

Damn that’s insanly tight

3 window

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Only ERO's

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Let me know what component or part of things and I can try to provide as much insight as possible.

Lately, I have been trying to keep everything localized as much as possible. It is significantly simpler to check on things, keep in touch, allow for open communication, and basically just avoid being lied to. Can easily stop in or drop things off at any given notice. I also pay most everything with cash. It avoids having the hassle from the people performing the work of wondering whether they will be paid right away or the nonsense that comes with that.

Fabrication of turbo stuff: I met Nate years ago through the racing community in MN and have always kept in touch. I had originally bought a kit, but wish I had started right away with having Nate build one. I try to keep things as simple as possible and do my planning preparation ahead of time that way when everything is dropped off, they can just work. I have had plenty of trust with Nate where I can either put a deposit down or order parts and ship them directly to him.

Body work: My Dad has a lifelong friend that does body work for a living. Those two have always traded services here and there their entire lives and never charge each other.

Cage: Nationwide, there is a shortage of great chassis people out there and they are booked months in advance. Nate and I were discussing my cage upgrades when I had the car up at his place during the winter of 2017/2018. I had already exceeded my cage cert by running in the low 8's. Nate was working part-time at Racecraft and asked if I was going to upgrade the cage. He mentioned that if I had any interest getting a 25.x cage, I should be getting a hold of them to see what the schedule was. I called Racecraft in February of 2018 and asked abou their scheduling for a 25.x cage. They said they were already booked through the winter of 2018/2019 and it would be April or May of 2019 at the earliest (about 15 months out). They also mentioned this was if they could maintain their current schedule, which we know won't happen.

I called John to ask him about a cage as well. I was mostly looking at pricing and scheduling, the same thing when looking at Racecraft. John said he was usually 4-5 months out for a cage. I scheduled November 15th to drop my car off and agreed to everything in Feb/March of 2018. So ultimately, I was planning 8-9 months in advance.

A basic whirlwind of info there. Have to run to a meeting but just a general overview so far. Feel free to ask about other stuff that you have questions and I will see what I can provide feedback on or how I have connections based on timing.

3 window

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Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Absolutely. I have been on the other side of things and the performance industry is a pain in the *** to deal with.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Not much for updates. I had sent John a message yesterday for a 2 week check up. I know he was at PRI for a few days. He sent one picture of removing some of the additional metal to reduce some weight and make the cage tighter.



I spent a little time a couple weeks ago working on some wiring. I got my board built that will house the Holley Dominator and Relay / Power connections for the Coils and Injectors.



I had to order a couple connectors for the relay triggers. I have those now and this should be completed.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Just a quick update I ran across on Instagram:



Things are still looking tight, just as planned!

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Spoke with John a little yesterday about the funny car cage. He sent some nice graphics to take a look at two options of the design for the funny car cage.





Going to run with the angled version in the first photo.

I was also looking at the progress in the background of the photos. Looks like the overall cage is coming right along.

I have tomorrow off work and may run up there to take a closer look and take some photos of the progress.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Ran up to John's shop this morning to take a look at the progress. Was extremely pleased with how everything is turning out. Jumped in the driver's seat and everything seemed to be fitting great. There is so much more room!! Super impressed with how everything looks as well. Can't wait to see the remaining bars installed and the final product.

JT Raceshop - Highly recommended!

Here are a few progress pictures. More will be coming soon.

3 window

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enigmah

iTrader: (1)

I remember watching this thread when it first started lol, going from just a twin turbo street car to full on race car haha!

Ratical

iTrader: (82)

Cage work looks amazing! I can't believe how tight he has gotten it to the inner panels. All those floor bars inside would drive me nuts though.

transam69230

iTrader: (49)

Interior panels are not going back in, that's why its that tight.

stmz28

iTrader: (9)

Just cut out my 10 point and my car is getting 25.3 next week. Would like to see some more pictures of your cage i like the layout.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

I don't have any other photos currently. I received a Snapchat from a guy last night who was at John's shop and he had the cage dropped. Must have been welding all of the top bars.

I would expect the car to be done soon and can grab more photos at that time.

I looked through quite a few builds on Tech, Facebook, etc when looking for different things I wanted to stay away from or go with.

A few cars I focused on were Eddie Kraweic's, Tony V's, Andy Essary's, Chris Harper, Chuck Stefanski.

Also spent a fair amount of time going through specifics with the builder. Very satisfied so far.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Should be seeing some updates sometime soon. Received a message today from John.

NHRA chassis certification is being completed as he sent the message. Just need to finish mounting the seats, adjusting the pedals, mounting the dash, and an alignment.

Looking to have complete sometime tomorrow night. I won't be able to get up there until early next week, but I am pretty sure it will be Monday if the weather cooperates.

Only ERO's

iTrader: (19)

Received word today from John that the car was completed and ready to go. It officially is certified to SFI 25.3 and good to 6.50 in the 1/4.

I could not be happier with how everything turned out. John Tell with JT Raceshop in Blaine, MN went above and beyond to meet my expectations and make the cage comfortable. Highly recommended!

Ended up having a long list of things he ended up doing:
Removed the old cage
Pulled the old Optic Armor Windshield
Constructed the new 25.3 cage
Had the cage NHRA certified
Mounted and installed the fiberglass dash
Mounted the seats and seat belt tabs
Built a removable electrical panel under the dash
Modified the gas pedal based on the seat relocation
Window net Mount and window net on its way
Front end alignment and set the bump steer

Will start painting of the cage soon and then tackle the wiring nightmare. Can't wait to play in 2019.

06_Chevy

Highly impressed! Especially with the little time it took to get done.
Around here its a 3 to 4 month wait to get the car into a shop then another 4 or longer to complete it.