Its been over a month since my last confession. I've been busy with work, putting a tune up on the Ute, messing with the Probe, servicing the Truck, putting a hitch on Nicoles minivan, playing with my new ATV and other stuff. I put a lot of Stryker hours in over the weekend so I decided to take the afternoon off and get back on the Monaro. NHRA has started up again for the year and watching the new ProMod class inspired me to resume work on the rollcage.
I turned once again to Bend-tech EZ to design the halo. As with the main hoop the goal is to keep it up tight and high to the roof. Its a pretty easy piece as there are only two bends and they are both 90 degrees, so the only measurements required are width and length. Leaving 2" of "swag" or added pipe at either end (Bend-tech EZ has a setting for this), my cut length is 93" with the first bend at 21.5" and second bend at 61".
Multiple bend pieces can be tricky as it is critical to make the second bend in the same horizontal plane as the first. I use an angle finder to ensure the piece is level for the second bend. Even so, after laying the piece on flat concrete I could see that one leg is sitting about an inch higher than the other. Its not much but after test fitting I can see that the halo is not going to sit level from side to side. Securing one leg to the welding table and using a big bar on the other leg I was able to flatten out the halo and it fit much better on the second try.
This is the first piece (of many) that requires notching. My notcher is from JD Squared and really does a nice job. Its worth investing in BiMetal hole saws as they will cut better and last much longer than cheap hole saws. After adjusting the angle for where the halo meets the main hoop, I cut the tubes. A couple of things to note when notching, get your angles right and when you go to cut the opposite side, make sure your notch goes the opposite way.
I got some help from the wife to put the halo in place, and after some swearing got it up using a rachet strap to retain it. The picture on the right is from the rear viewing forward and I think I achieved my goal of keeping it high and tight, and also keeping the rear view mirror functional. Next I have to cut out the remaining dash sheet metal to make clearance for the A pillar bars, coming soon.
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