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Roll cage bars through dash?

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1fast97gsx

15+ Year Contributor
4,520
17
Jul 6, 2003
Orland Park, Illinois
Just wondering how people are cleanly running the bars through a 2g dash? This thread pertains to my car : http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/255107-roll-cage-installation.html and I'm not happy how it was done and I plan to redo it on my own. Just looking for ideas or suggestions. I'm assuming pulling the windshield, drilling the dash, then running the bars through and then welding it up is the only way. I don't want the slits/ghettocuts on the side of the dash in order to be able to remove it. The dash will never come out again after this so I want it to look nice.

The pink rims were not mine, that was the owner after me and I removed them again as soon as I bought it back!
 
Just wondering how people are cleanly running the bars through a 2g dash? This thread pertains to my car : http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/255107-roll-cage-installation.html and I'm not happy how it was done and I plan to redo it on my own. Just looking for ideas or suggestions. I'm assuming pulling the windshield, drilling the dash, then running the bars through and then welding it up is the only way. I don't want the slits/ghettocuts on the side of the dash in order to be able to remove it. The dash will never come out again after this so I want it to look nice.

The pink rims were not mine, that was the owner after me and I removed them again as soon as I bought it back!

Two big problems I have with this. One the guy did it for you and probably didn't kill you on the price and to repay him you start a thread about how your not happy with what is a almost invisible cage from the outside of the car that sits just about as good as it gets in all spots that I can see. Second THIS WAS 3 YEARS AGO!! When did you decide that you didn't like the cage? I know that he didn't just go and weld it in in one night he had to mock fit stuff and what not and if you didn't like the way it looked mock fitted you should have said something and I"m sure Jake would have changed it. If you try and do it yourself I wish you luck just I think hitting up Jake to see if he could help you out threw PMs would have been much more appropriate.
 
+100, I'd be the happiest guy if I had that car...
 
That cage isn't NHRA legal anyways. Maybe 3 years ago it was, but not now. So perhaps its in need of an update.

Im not a fan of the halo, its easier, but I don't think its as strong.

The thing that sucks about these cars is head clearance with cages! For anyone over 6ft that is, im 6'3" and have a 10pt in my 1g and the bars are about a 1/16 away from the body and I still have to run a friggen kirkey aluminum seat to get my low enough so my head is a safe distance away.

In my 2g (daily/stock) with stock seats, my head touches the roof when I drive, I couldn't imagine a cage in that thing!


Good luck with 're-doing' the cage yourself, cage building is not exactly the easiest thing.

Two big problems I have with this. One the guy did it for you and probably didn't kill you on the price and to repay him you start a thread about how your not happy with what is a almost invisible cage from the outside of the car that sits just about as good as it gets in all spots that I can see. Second THIS WAS 3 YEARS AGO!! When did you decide that you didn't like the cage? I know that he didn't just go and weld it in in one night he had to mock fit stuff and what not and if you didn't like the way it looked mock fitted you should have said something and I"m sure Jake would have changed it. If you try and do it yourself I wish you luck just I think hitting up Jake to see if he could help you out threw PMs would have been much more appropriate.

please read the thread man, the one in the link. he sold the car, the guy had the cage put in, then he bought it back and dosen't like it. seems jake has screwed many people since then anyways.
 
its a nice cage. not the greatest but its good.
if it doesnt fit any rules cut it out with a tiger saw. there are some welding tools out there that actually blast welds off also.
should take a day or so to get it out completely.
cage going through the dash is normal. you dont want it in front of it. it would get in the way.
GL with your project
 
Two big problems I have with this. One the guy did it for you and probably didn't kill you on the price and to repay him you start a thread about how your not happy with what is a almost invisible cage from the outside of the car that sits just about as good as it gets in all spots that I can see. Second THIS WAS 3 YEARS AGO!! When did you decide that you didn't like the cage? I know that he didn't just go and weld it in in one night he had to mock fit stuff and what not and if you didn't like the way it looked mock fitted you should have said something and I"m sure Jake would have changed it. If you try and do it yourself I wish you luck just I think hitting up Jake to see if he could help you out threw PMs would have been much more appropriate.



Perhaps it would help if you read the thread and THEN comment. In case it's too much reading for you this sums it up : It was my car, I sold it, new owner had cage done and put pink wheels on it, I bought it back and removed pink wheels, it's been in storage, I just got it out and decided to start working on it, cage looks like shit where it goes through the dash and I'm looking for better ideas or how people properly do through dash cage setups.

I would not let the guy that did the cage touch my car again even if he paid me, it was a hackjob and theres no need to talk to jake. I didn't own the car at the time this was done and had no involvement in it.

That cage isn't NHRA legal anyways. Maybe 3 years ago it was, but not now. So perhaps its in need of an update.

Just out of curiousity, what's not legal about it? I may make whatever changes I need to make when I repair this thing anyways. I really don't track the car much and the track I go doesn't care anyways ... jsut wondering.
 
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I don't care who owned the car or how many times it changed hands your still calling a guy out that did a pretty nice job on the cage. If you didn't like the cage why not just buy another car it's not like that car was the only 2g gsx for sale? I have owned 2 cars with cages and one with a roll bar and I can tell you that other than going all the way to the frame it won't look any better and even then it's a preference thing. Here is what my cage looks like now
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Instead of going straight down on the back shouldn't they be crossing eachother going to the rear strut towers, making triangles, not a squre?
 
Cages can be works of art. I looked through a bunch of 1g caged cars before I picked mine and got mine solely because out of all the 1gs available over the last couple it had the best chromoly constructed cage bar none, the best damn constructed cage of the bunch IMO and at the end of the day it should be what matters, what the new owner likes. The previous owner, like my self was a big guy 6'3" (He wasn't as tall as me but close enough) 275ish and it shows in the placement of the bars and how much more effort went into making relieves in areas so the cage can sit as high/flush as possible as well as as wide as possible. Hell my side bars are heat molded to the shape of the door to allow the most room possible. Sh*t like that shows that yes, there are always "good" cages but every once in a while comes one that is simply "better".


The OP has every right in the world to not like a cage that was put in a car he now owns. None of us are there looking at the cage and if the new owner feels it looks like sh*t, then guess what, it looks like sh*t. Jake has a tarnished reputation among the community as a result of a lot of sour deals in the past so going back to him to redo the cage wouldn't be a popular choice (if he even checks them anymore...) I had a bunch of pictures of nice cages both 2g and 1g, (where the fk are they, augh!) but doing a simple search on this site or even DSM Talk will yield you better ideas. If you are in fact wanting to do the cleanest install for bars through the dash then yes, pulling your windshield is the best method. Mark where you want the holes, make a simple cut and don't look back.

At the end of the day I'd still want to be able to remove my dash but like you agree that its cleaner when the cage looks oem but there is always pros and cons.


Its a 1g, but an example of a clean way to run through the dash and leave it removable. Also avoid blocking any of the windshield and your line of sight.

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All areas of the cage are stretched absolutely as far back as possible giving you the most room possible. Yes its harder and takes a lot more work but some people care enough to do it that way. Hell, this cage is built as if its form fitted to the car. When the door is open, notice you don't see ANY of the cage minus the door bar (which you cant hide obviously) Like I said, there is "good enough" and then there's "better" (price definitely reflects this as well)

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This picture isn't at the right angle but you an kind of see the way the bare is heat formed and actually follows the shape of the door to allow you to have the most room possible sitting down. Sure a straight bar is good/adequate, but again you can always take the time to make it better.

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I say let the OP do what he wants, if he doesn't like the cage, its his right to change it.:ohdamn:
 
A roll cage even though can be seen is not a cosmetic mod. It's done a certain way for a reason, support and saftey. I'm not saying the guy can't not like it but why buy a shell if you didn't like the cage in it. A cage isn't like a intake or a turbo where you can just take it out and be like I'll put this one in instead. Simply buying another 2g without a cage and starting from scratch will make it not only cleaner but safer as you won't have cut and rewelded sections. As for your cage being the best bar none that is your opinion and just that. Like I think the way they mounted the bars by that fuse box is a HORRIBLE design and gives very little structural support but it's your cage and you bought it because you thought/think it's the best for you and I can respect that.
 
A roll cage even though can be seen is not a cosmetic mod. It's done a certain way for a reason, support and saftey. I'm not saying the guy can't not like it but why buy a shell if you didn't like the cage in it. A cage isn't like a intake or a turbo where you can just take it out and be like I'll put this one in instead. Simply buying another 2g without a cage and starting from scratch will make it not only cleaner but safer as you won't have cut and rewelded sections. As for your cage being the best bar none that is your opinion and just that. Like I think the way they mounted the bars by that fuse box is a HORRIBLE design and gives very little structural support but it's your cage and you bought it because you thought/think it's the best for you and I can respect that.

I did not buy a roller or shell, it was my car that I built years ago and it has a great engine / trans / turbo setup. The cage is the only thing not nice on the car, I agree that cages aren't cosmetic but at the same time they can still be made to look nice and be functional which is what I want.

TSimage - that's exactly the kind of pics I was looking for and I like how they did the dash mod too .. looks really clean!

I don't care who owned the car or how many times it changed hands your still calling a guy out that did a pretty nice job on the cage. If you didn't like the cage why not just buy another car it's not like that car was the only 2g gsx for sale? I have owned 2 cars with cages and one with a roll bar and I can tell you that other than going all the way to the frame it won't look any better and even then it's a preference thing. Here is what my cage looks like now

Do you have any pics of the actual bars going through the dash? I'm mainly concerned with that area only. I'm thinking of just cutting the front bars out, pulling the dash and windshield and installing a new dash with holes predrilled and reinstalling front bars and windshield to get a clean look.
 
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A roll cage even though can be seen is not a cosmetic mod. It's done a certain way for a reason, support and saftey. I'm not saying the guy can't not like it but why buy a shell if you didn't like the cage in it. A cage isn't like a intake or a turbo where you can just take it out and be like I'll put this one in instead. Simply buying another 2g without a cage and starting from scratch will make it not only cleaner but safer as you won't have cut and rewelded sections. As for your cage being the best bar none that is your opinion and just that. Like I think the way they mounted the bars by that fuse box is a HORRIBLE design and gives very little structural support but it's your cage and you bought it because you thought/think it's the best for you and I can respect that.



It passes tech and uses much thicker 1/4 plate in that area and is welded underneath the car as well, doubling the support. I might box the area in later if any rules change on the matter but bottom line it ensures the cleanest installation. With that said, the ABC rail design that my cage utilizes over a "halo" type are considered to be more structurally sound and give me the options to upgrade my cage to even a 25.5 style design. As mentioned earlier in the thread by someone, a halo designed is normally considered the easy way out.

It may not be considered a "cosmetic" mod but when people look at these cars, the first thing that will catch their eye is the cage. Its a pride thing. I like the fact that when you look at my cage from any angle that there is no sunlight around the cage, its more expensive and time consuming to form fit a cage but when it id done right, its beautiful.


Notice the clearances between the main roll bar and the headliner:

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Now the way the cage fits against the plastics:

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This is the view from the rear. Notice the cage follows the frame to the point that my line of sight is 100% the same as stock and you wouldn't notice the cage even if you were sitting on top of the hood.

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See too how far the roll cage sits back, even with the door open it cant be seen but more importantly to me it allows someone over 6ft tall or in my case 6'3" to sit comfortably in the car and operate it in damn near stock seating positions. Although that may not be a big issue to others, guys my size gotta look for things like that.

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Extras even so such as the front radiator/intercooler supports:

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Those among other things were reasons I chose this shell out of the others and it was hard to do considering I am a 1Gb guy who has owned nothing but 1Gbs (and a 2gb, but I never admit to that one LOL) It was never a matter of whose car/cage is best , I am simply saying that I agree with the OP.

As mentioned it was a car he once owned so it changes the whole, "why don't you just buy another car" scenario. On the other hand too, even if the cage isn't built to his specifications its not impossible to go back and undue 2 simple bars and redo them in a manner you better see fit than installing an entire cage. Either way it goes, this route was easier and would be cheaper. Hell, I''ve made modifications to my cage since I got it and if it wasn't for the fact I don't want the cage visible from the back I would have done an X brace in the rear to the shock towers. (still might)


Agree with you Sean that it isn't always have to be about a beauty pageant and it should be about the function but sometimes like the OP wanted, a little bit of form isn't too bad.

At the end of the day as long as you are satisfied with your own car, everything else can just fall to the side. :cool:

On a side note, it appears that the OPs cage is Mild Steel, that should make the modification even easier/cost effective. Is your cage moly or Mild Sean?
 
At the end of the day as long as you are satisfied with your own car, everything else can just fall to the side. :cool:

How much do you cost to build cages like that ;) damn that's a clean one.
 
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How much do you cost to build cages like that ;) damn that's a clean one.

Roughly $6K and up. Really going to depend on who you know and how badly they need work. In this economy people are more willing to lower prices to keep business. Its not cheap so it definitely makes sense to go other routes, sticking to strait pieces, prefabbed mild steel, halo design, etc. Some even avoid going through the dash all together and mount right on the out side of it. Again, its a compromise for safety and space but if its what you can afford, its better than nothing and as Sean said, as long as it saves your life, it did its job. :thumb:
 
Moly and don't think your cage is the only one that is molded to the car ;
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Here's what it looks like going threw the dash
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As for the thicker plates my whole cage had thicker plates
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I don't care who owned the car or how many times it changed hands your still calling a guy out that did a pretty nice job on the cage. If you didn't like the cage why not just buy another car it's not like that car was the only 2g gsx for sale? I have owned 2 cars with cages and one with a roll bar and I can tell you that other than going all the way to the frame it won't look any better and even then it's a preference thing. Here is what my cage looks like now

Did you change anything about the cage after you bought it from Casey? Looks like those are the pics that he took when he was selling it. I was pretty sad to see that one go.
 
Moly and don't think your cage is the only one that is molded to the car ;

I didn't say that mine was, but the cage from Casey's car wasn't.. Its one of the prefabbed kits that was welded up. S&W I thought someone said. You get a middle roll bar that is a generic/universal shape and length and you cut it to the right height and then you are given random pieces of straight pipe and a few necessary plates to complete the job... My boy Ted runs one in his green 1g. Notice it doesn't follow the curve of the body lines. The car utilizes a halo and the bars fall away from the front pillars and partially obstruct the view. The side door bars are straight and if I remember correctly there was no swing outs. The cage also sits forward quite a bit and is in front of the "hump" that the rear seats sit on which for someone like myself it was a no go because of height/size requirement. That does not take anything away from the car however and that is definitely a very nice shell. It was originally my first choice due to the fact it was a 1gb and was the only one on the market. I didn't know it was chromoly either, that's good to know. However those welds look like the are MIG. If that is in fact a moly cage I believe that you are only allowed to TIG them. I was a regular in Casey's thread when he was updating the car, I saw it as it came together. His cage plates BTW are standard size as are most of mine. There is no point adding extra weight especially when you are trying to go as light as possible. The thicker gauge was only used in that corner of mine where it was boxed on top and bottom.

As I said before, this was never about a "whose cage is better" If you like the cage in your car then by all means you are entitled to. Again, I wasn't saying that the cage in mine is the end all... I just wanted show an example of what the OP might be looking for. Sure lots of cages look nice and are good enough but there are some custom built that go above and beyond and it shows in the over all when they are side by side and you compare them. I can give comparative examples between our 2 shells but that can be seen from the pictures.
 
Did you change anything about the cage after you bought it from Casey? Looks like those are the pics that he took when he was selling it. I was pretty sad to see that one go.

Those are the pics from his for sale ad and no I have not messed with the cage since I got it. That's kinda my point for posting in a nut shell. Why by a shell or even a complete car with a cage that your not a fan on when there are so many other shells out there that can be bought and fitted with a cage for a fair price. I agree that buying a shell with a cage is cheaper but if you don't like it's not cheaper.
 
I didn't say that mine was, but the cage from Casey's car wasn't.. Its one of the prefabbed kits that was welded up. S&W I thought someone said. You get a middle roll bar that is a generic/universal shape and length and you cut it to the right height and then you are given random pieces of straight pipe and a few necessary plates to complete the job... My boy Ted runs one in his green 1g. Notice it doesn't follow the curve of the body lines. The car utilizes a halo and the bars fall away from the front pillars and partially obstruct the view. The side door bars are straight and if I remember correctly there was no swing outs. The cage also sits forward quite a bit and is in front of the "hump" that the rear seats sit on which for someone like myself it was a no go because of height/size requirement. That does not take anything away from the car however and that is definitely a very nice shell. It was originally my first choice due to the fact it was a 1gb and was the only one on the market. I didn't know it was chromoly either, that's good to know. However those welds look like the are MIG. If that is in fact a moly cage I believe that you are only allowed to TIG them. I was a regular in Casey's thread when he was updating the car, I saw it as it came together. His cage plates BTW are standard size as are most of mine. There is no point adding extra weight especially when you are trying to go as light as possible. The thicker gauge was only used in that corner of mine where it was boxed on top and bottom.

As I said before, this was never about a "whose cage is better" If you like the cage in your car then by all means you are entitled to. Again, I wasn't saying that the cage in mine is the end all... I just wanted show an example of what the OP might be looking for. Sure lots of cages look nice and are good enough but there are some custom built that go above and beyond and it shows in the over all when they are side by side and you compare them. I can give comparative examples between our 2 shells but that can be seen from the pictures.


Yeah I"m not trying to be like my cage is better than yours just from your other comment you said your cage and shell was the best on the market when you were buying because the cage was form fit to the car I just wanted to make sure you know that's a opinion not necessarily fact ;)

As for how a cage is put in a car I don't think it matters as much weather it's a custom pipe job or you take a cookie cutter kit and custom fit it to a specific car. Like just because a person has pipes made to spec doesn't make that cage better than a person that has already made pipes cut to size and bent to clear just right. In the end you still get the same outcome. I"m 6'1 maybe 6'2(haven't been measured in a while) and I fit in the cage length wise just fine and my seats don't even have sliders. This cage is no run of the mill S&W cage.My first shell had a S&W cage with S bars
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You can easily see the difference.
 
There are 2 versions of that kit. I can't remember if Casey used the S&W or another but I know it was a kit as I was told. Form fitting the cage in the car is 100% custom. Every bar bent by hand (machine) 1 by one.

As far as I have seen I have yet to see another form fit cage in a 1g. They simply cost too much to put in. When the cage cost more than the car is ever going to be worth, most people find no reason to go that route when a regular kit gets the job done. Add on top of that making it a TIG'd chromoly cage and things get crazy. Putting everything in mind as far as which cage fits the best, which cage best offers space, and is the most OEM/hidden. Another bonus I found is the fact that it is TIG'd according to NHRA rules opposed to MIG'd due tot he above I feel pretty confident in my assertion.

I'm kind of confused however, you aren't saying that the cage in your shell is "form fitted" are you? Just wondering. I didn't think you were but I was just making sure so I can better comprehend it.
 
Why by a shell or even a complete car with a cage that your not a fan on when there are so many other shells out there that can be bought and fitted with a cage for a fair price. I agree that buying a shell with a cage is cheaper but if you don't like it's not cheaper.


I think you are missing the point, I don't mind repairing the cage, I'm looking for IDEAS to make it look nice and clean going through the dash. It has nothing to do with saving money, I don't care what it costs to fix it, I just want to see what the best way to do it is! The reason I bought this car back is because I built it and know every nut and bolt on it so it's worth more to me than someone else. Nothing to do with a cage!
 
There are 2 versions of that kit. I can't remember if Casey used the S&W or another but I know it was a kit as I was told. Form fitting the cage in the car is 100% custom. Every bar bent by hand (machine) 1 by one.

As far as I have seen I have yet to see another form fit cage in a 1g. They simply cost too much to put in. When the cage cost more than the car is ever going to be worth, most people find no reason to go that route when a regular kit gets the job done. Add on top of that making it a TIG'd chromoly cage and things get crazy. Putting everything in mind as far as which cage fits the best, which cage best offers space, and is the most OEM/hidden. Another bonus I found is the fact that it is TIG'd according to NHRA rules opposed to MIG'd due tot he above I feel pretty confident in my assertion.

I'm kind of confused however, you aren't saying that the cage in your shell is "form fitted" are you? Just wondering. I didn't think you were but I was just making sure so I can better comprehend it.

I have a 1g with a moly 'form fitted' tig welded cage. I have full interior except for the a pillar plastics on the drivers side (bent very close to the body since I'm 6'3")

Your right, it's not cheap. However I'm much the same way as you I was very picky about the cage being hidden, not blocking my vision etc. It's a street car. I'll have to get some pics up for the OP.

Also the rear bars need to go to the FLOOR in the trunk, not just meet at a bar connected to the strut towers.
 
Yeah, sounds like 6'3" is the magic number... with a helmet it gets tough to fit. And I was positive there were others, I just knew it isn't common. Too much time and that equates to too much money. I believe I have seen pics of your car. I'm on my phone and can't check but I believe its red isn't it? Bah I. Better not guess, its been far too long. I just remember a car with a full cage and full grey cloth interior. It was indeed badass.
:rocks:


I have a 1g with a moly 'form fitted' tig welded cage. I have full interior except for the a pillar plastics on the drivers side (bent very close to the body since I'm 6'3")

Your right, it's not cheap. However I'm much the same way as you I was very picky about the cage being hidden, not blocking my vision etc. It's a street car. I'll have to get some pics up for the OP.

Also the rear bars need to go to the FLOOR in the trunk, not just meet at a bar connected to the strut towers.
 
Yeah, it is red. Has the grey cloth interior.

The only thing that sucks with these cars (2g's too), guys that are tall, are basically forced to use a kirkey seat mounted almost on the floor for head clearance (with helmet), I know last year with my stock seat, my head touched the roof with the helmet on, and how that theres the bar right beside there.. Uhh.. sometimes it sucks being tall, but atleast with the kirkey + helmet, I can move my head left/right and be under the bar. So, I didn't mind paying to have it done, it was done fairly quickly too, just about 3 weeks. Weir Technologies - Precision Machining and Fabrication

Thats the thing, if I didn't have this cage built specific for my car, a half inch of difference in that bar being 'tucked up' better, makes such a world of difference. If your 5'8 or 5'7 or something, you've got less to worry about!

Being tall is good, I can date a wider range of girls, how many girls want to date a guy shorter then them :p Ahahaha.

Ive got the carpet in now too, as well as most of the other interior back together, ill get some pics up surely in a week or so once its done. Im looking to compete in a couple weeks, so I better get myself out there NOW to finish.. Ahaha.
 
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