Thing roll cage

[MfromM]

Does anyone know if a full cage kit is avalible for Things? I have a stock four point and might be able to start with that.

Thanks,Matt

[suntour]

I have never heard of a kit for the Thing. Obviously there is the five point “show” bar from the Thing Shop but it’s not a rollcage by any means. Do us all a favor and post any info on a cage kit if you find one. Otherwise it looks like a whole lot of 1 ½” .090 HREW or DOM and a bender are your best options.

Maybe you could modify one of those class 11 kits to work. I wonder if the front hoop on that would block the window latches? Good luck and let us know what you find.
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Order of the Voodoo Spoon

[nthang]

A dirt track race car builder is the guy you want to locate for a custom roll cage. There are many here in TX, usually one or two man shops that specialize in designing and fabricating small time race cars. Go to a dirt tract race to find this guy. Its the best way to go because you get what you want in addition to an experienced builder of impact resistent, survivable cars. $1000 is a budget number for a custom cage for a Thing.
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NTHANG, LLC

[TimGud]

Keep an eye out as there are full cages out there.
nthangs idea is a very good practical alternative to buying used. Stock car builders know how to build a cage that fits in tight spaces, and do it well.

[ThingDriver]

nthang - you are right on. That is exactly what we did and we are very pleased with the results. Just watch your heads climbing in and out...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=195748

[nthang]

Damn, Thingdriver, your Thing is in the hunt for "most likely to haul ass and turn heads doing it". Very sweet car. One on the coolest I've seen.
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NTHANG, LLC

[suntour]

ditto, that. Very, very, nice Thing.
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Order of the Voodoo Spoon

[TimGud]

Now that is one mean looking Thing!

[kubelmann]

Having a fabricator create a Thing cage is the only solution. I am in the process of having my Herr K fabed in that fashion. GO to Samba and look for sick thing posted by kubelmann to see what you want as an end solution. K-mann

[Pinky]

Don't go with race car builders for a cage as was suggested. Some of the worst welds I have ever seen have been on racer's roll cages, and I'm talking even the NASCAR nextel cup guys! Not to say that they all are, but the majority of cars racing out there are put together with awful welds. I grew up in the charlotte area so I've seen more than a few race cars. Go to a welding/fabrication shop. There is always at least one in every town. They'll have pipe benders and all that jazz and will know how to work a welder too. If you want an extremely strong cage, tell them to TIG it first, and stick weld on top.
love,
Pinky

[Captain Spalding]

[Pinky]

I guess mainly b/c I'm a pretentious TIG and Stick man- but the MIG has serious limitations in my opinion. A drunk monkey can MIG, and although it may look pretty, very few people out there are actually good MIG welders. Even people that have spent years in technical school doing it. Although most people can make a pretty weld with them, it's very hard to make a great weld with them, and you're usually better off going with a TIG or Stick weld. I'm not a good MIG welder. Will it look good? Yeah, just like a roll of coins, but would I trust it for anything structural? No, not really... In my opinion, MIGs are pretty much only good for sheet metal, and here I prefer to TIG or gas weld anyway. MIG welding was developed during the onset of WWII for building American battle ships, and what most people don't know is that they were designed to be used only for forehand welds. This was so workers in the shipyards could start at one end of the boat, go all the way down and come back on the other side. A backhand weld with a MIG is useless on anything but sheetmetal. Another aspect is that you should only weld indoors with one, b/c the gas works to protect the weld from contamination, and is easily blown away in even mild winds. True, there are electric MIGs that use no gas, but these are extremely small, and again, are only good for sheetmetal. Other welding options have the flux coated right on the electrode, and are not as susceptible to contamination as a MIG. In short, why do I hate MIG welding? Because there are always better options. I'll only use a MIG out of the convenience factor. I'm sure there are many people out there who would disagree, but ask the people that really know what they're talking about, and most experienced and certified (is there really such a thing? hehe) welders would agree.
Sorry to come off as pretentious, but you asked...
-Pinky

[Captain Spalding]

While your opinion is strongly stated, you don't come off as pretentious. I agree that MIG has limitations, but I think within those limitations MIG is appropriate for the construction of a roll bar. While a drunken monkey can lay down a nice looking bead, a savvy welder, certified or otherwise can do a competent job under the right conditions - i.e. the job is performed indoors so the shield gas can do its job, the weld is hot enough to ensure proper penetration, etc. etc.

I have done lots of MIG work for my job as an effects man building cages into stunt cars, phone pole cannons, pipe ramps, etc. These welds are subjected to extreme punishement and I've never had one let go. Never.

That said, I totally respect the artistry that it takes to lay down competent beautiful welds via TIG or gas. It takes a lot more technique and experience to do so, and frankly I don't have the talent. If you do, you have my respect.

— Spalding

[suntour]

I have to agree that nothing beats a TIG for good penetration, strength, etc. (Don’t like sticks because I think they make messy welds, IMHO) But if you’re a competent welder you can still make a strong cage with a MIG. (not the strongest, but strong enough) We built these with a Miller 210 and I have seen them rolled, flipped, endo’d and generally beaten like a rented mule. The .090 DOM has been bent in a few really bad crashes but a weld never broke. Granted a TIG is better but I think a MIG will still get the job done.

Plus I can't afford a TIG right now. Unless you know anyone willing to donate a nice ESAB.
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[nthang]

I know that Pinky has been in school learning the correct ways to form, join, temper metal. I'm glad that he steps in here to make the point about mig limitations. My rule of thumb is to preheat the thicker pieces with a torch, anything over 3/16", prior to welding with mig, to get penetration. Its very easy to think that you got a good weld by looking at the finished bead, only to find that when a load is imposed on the weld, you really only had a "fingernail" weld with no penetration. I like the simplicy and speed of mig welding, but my experience tells me to have a torch handy to get "structural" on it when its thicker than sheet metal.

Tig machines worth a shit start at $3,000 (Millermatic Syncrowave 250). The one I want cost about $4,000. At those prices I think that most of us are stuck with learning ways to make mig work for us and it can.
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NTHANG, LLC

[suntour]

When in doubt about the weld, gusset the crap out of it.
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[mattt]

[ThingDriver]

If you get a fabricator to build your cage, make sure you have your top(s) with the car and ensure your guy knows that you fully expect the cage to give you as much inside room as possible, and also it is your expectation when you pick up the car that the top(s) still fit...

Just my $ .02

Get a pro to weld up your cage - goes right along with the $10 helmet/head rule!

Good luck.

[Pinky]

Although steel prices are going up, they're still not too bad. I bought 20 feet of mild steel square tubing last week from a steel supplier for $30- Buy from a steel supply shop rather than a scrap-yard. Scrap yards are cheap, but unless you really know your stuff with spark tests and all that, you don't know what you're buying. There's a pretty large variety of steel out there and it doesn't all work the same-

[ThingDriver]

Here's an overhead shot, for an example.