Project Street Fighter Chassisworks Rollcage Kit - Cage Dance

The place where the main hoop meets the body isn't flat, so we formed the plate to match its contours. First, we marked where the bends were in the floor onto the plate, and then bent them in a hydraulic press.

The main hoop's shape was spot-on. The only thing we had to do was fit it to the plates we just bent. The main hoop lands right on the bend on the plate, so we shaped the bottom of the tube to match it with a grinder.

The front bars go from the main hoop to the windshield along the A-pillar, and to the floor along the kick panel. These were pre-bent and only needed to be shortened and notched. The most crucial part is where the tube bends at the dash. Make sure the door closes and the dash pad doesn't get pinched.

We used a 1 5/8-inch hole saw (the same diameter as our tubing) in a mill, but you could easily use a jig with a drill press to achieve the same cut. This is called fishmouthing because the shape of the cut tube resembles a fish's open mouth.

It takes years of practice to get the notching right the first time every time, so when you're a little bit off, a sanding disc or die grinder is your best friend. Once we finished fitting the front bars, we tackwelded them onto the main hoop and the front plates.

This is our last pre-bent piece that goes between the front bars at the top bend. This tube has two slight bends in it to follow the roofline. The important thing to keep in mind for this fit is that the two ends need to be cut at exactly the same angle. For the next step, we need them liberally tacked in; we welded it about 3/4-inch on two opposing sides of the tube.

In order to weld the top of the windshield bar, we cut the tacks on the main hoop and front plates and dropped the whole assembly down.

This is what a perfect fit looks like. It may not happen every time, but the closer you can get it, the easier welding will be, and the nicer it will turn out.

Take your time for all of the welding on this project. Putting too much heat into the metal can warp it dramatically. We used a Lincoln Electric Precision TIG 375 at Dominator's shop, but a more affordable 185 would have done the trick. If you don't have access to a TIG machine or welder, a MIG welder can be used in its place.