Front Half of Roll Cage Fitted

Brackets are supplied with the cage to mount the front half.  There are some tubes welded onto them to protect the chassis rails from being crushed as the bolts are tightened up.  Problem is these are 16mm outside diameter.  If holes were drilled big enough this would remove two thirds of the metal in each of the 25mm chassis rails!  It would be okay if they were welded in before the body was fitted.  So I decided to cut the tubes off and just drill 10mm holes, using the remaining metal of the brackets as spreader plates.

Initially the roll cage came very close to the exhaust, but after tightening up the bolts it pulled the cage far enough away from the exhaust.

The silencer needed to be removed to get the lower bolts in.  The seats and interior trim panels had to be removed to get at the upper bolts.

Steel tubes of 10mm internal diameter were needed to space the roll cage out from the upper chassis rails.

Once fitted it was clear that the front half of the cage was going to foul the mirrors.

New mounting holes were made further back and 25mm rubber grommets were inserted into the holes previously cut into the aeroscreen.

Here are some photos taken on the way to the Southern Kit Car Club 2012 Jamboree.

This was taken at the Jamboree parking.

Rear Half of Roll Cage Fitted

The previously made template was used to accurately mark out where the holes needed to be cut for the rear bracing tubes.  A hole saw and a curved file were used for this.

What I hadn't appreciated was that these bracing tubes were at a slight angle.  Meaning that the holes had to be widened to get the ends through, before the rear half of the cage could be lowered in to place.  Covers will need to be made for these.  Probably out of aluminium sheet sprayed white.

The feet were then bolted on to the bracing tubes and holes drilled in the rear of the chassis to accommodate the fixing bolts.  All in all not too bad a fit, the fabrication tolerances probably within a few millimetres.

Luckily the off-side bracing tube clears the fuel filler by about 10mm and also the filler pipe below.  Phew!  That was a close call.

After fitting I tried to get in the boot.  Oh dear, we have a problem.  Looks like the boot on the Avon Mk2 bodywork will only open to about 45 degrees with the roll cage fitted.  Never mind, access is still pretty good.

Next on to the front half of the roll cage...