Cage tied in to the a-pillars. Risk of cracked windshield?

[Bebbetufs]

I'm buying a custom cage and would like it to be connected to the A-pillars. Will this cause the windscreen to crack?

[Racer Boy]

I've had two cars with the cage tied into the A-pillars and never had the windshield crack.

[78F350]

Not that is answer's your question, but have you read through the first part of Tom's build thread? http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-racing-forum/46070-spec-boxster-build.html
Some good pics and info on the roll cage in the first two pages.

[Bebbetufs]

Originally Posted by 78F350

Not that is answer's your question, but have you read through the first part of Tom's build thread? http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-racing-forum/46070-spec-boxster-build.html
Some good pics and info on the roll cage in the first two pages.

Thanks guys. I'll read through it and see what I can learn. The cage is custom, but for a group buy, so my options are limited. I'll have to find ways to adapt things to reach my goals.

[Bebbetufs]

Originally Posted by Racer Boy

I've had two cars with the cage tied into the A-pillars and never had the windshield crack.

Do you have to remove the windshield to weld the cage in?

[Racer Boy]

The race cars in question (Datsun 1200 and RX7) didn't. The fabricator it th cage in, then cut a piece of steel plate to bridge the gap between the cage and windshield frame. He then placed the plate into place, and was able to tig weld it in. He was an excellent fabricator, so the gap was pretty small.

[Bebbetufs]

Thanks for the useful information.

Unfortunately it seems the cage I wanted has a flaw in that it is too low on the passenger side for me to sit in the passenger seat and let others have a go. I'm looking at options. This was a nice ChromeMoly cage which is very light.

Does anyone know the average weight of a good multi-point cage for a Boxtster?

[rastta]

Mine is tied in at two places - welded directly near the top on the side and with a plate lower on the side. I run a Poly windshield.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Bebbetufs

Does anyone know the average weight of a good multi-point cage for a Boxtster?

Approximately 1.6 lbs/ft for 4130 chromoly tubing with 1.75" outside diameter/0.95 wall thickness. Photos are in the Spec Boxster Build link above.

A rough estimate of my cage is >50 ft (which was designed for safety, safety, and safety as the top three priorities) which would be a min weight of 80lbs.

I am sure that a cage can be built lighter (smaller diameter tubes, thinner wall thickness, and a simpler design using less material) ... but do you really want to skimp on the cage?

[Bebbetufs]

Thanks.
The one I'm looking at is 46kg. which is about 100lbs. I consider it heavy.
Also, I will have to learn to weld better and install it myself, or perhaps I could tack it in place and have a pro come in and weld it in a couple of stages.