How to put together an interior with a 8-point cage???

pdw5000

New Member
May 25, 2008
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I recently had a 8-point roll cage installed in my 68 mustang coupe. It is very similar to a 6-point with two bars connecting to the floor near the pedals, two connections for the loop behind the front two seats, and two bars that run through the rear speaker openings to connect to the rear frame in the trunk....the extra two bars help stabilize the loop and run diagonal from the loop to the center of car basically.
When I had them installed I had the interrior stripped. I hadn't put much thought into how I was going to install the interior carpet, headliner and back seat with the new bars. I'm really struggling with how to install the carpet. I guess I am going to have to cut around where the bars connect to the floor but I'm afraid it will look cut up and pieced together. I think there will be enough room to get the headliner in but it's just going to be a pain crawling around the bars. The back seat may fit but it really wouldn't be comfortable to sit back there so I'm thinking of just getting rid of it and carpeting that area where the back seat goes to give it a clean look. Any thoughts there? Finally, since my rear bars run through the rear speaker area, I'm not sure how I can get the panel back there.
I know a lot of people run 6-points and other setups so I'm curious how you all dealt with the interior issues.

Thanks for your help!
 
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Most of the time when people put an extensive cage in, the interior doesn't go back in. With this case you will have to trim to fit. I think your on the right track, it will just take some time to get it right.
 
Most of the cars we build or work on have full cages in them. Some we have put interiors in and other's we let the upholstry shop do it. You just have to finaggle around, squeeze your way in (and back out again) and take it slow and one piece at a time.

You most certainly have to cut around where the roll cage meets the floor. Most of the time we cut the carpet into pieces and then have the ends "knapped" or rolled & sewn (kind of like piping) to look "finished-off".

As far as a back seat, you have to remember, a roll cage is there to help you IF it doesn't kill you first. What I mean by that is if you are ever unfortunate enough to actually have to put that cage into use, the last thing you want to do is hit your head on it. Putting someone in the back seat area where the 2 down bars straddle the passenger is a sure fire way for that person to get bounced around in an accident hard enough for him to hit his head and get killed.

One of my employees knocked himself out in a 4x4 truck that had an intrnal cab roll cage. He was a bit too big for the interior and when he pulled off the road to investigate a noise, it bounced him around in the cab so badly that he hit his head and got literally knocked out with a mild concussion.

Roll cages can save your life, but they have also been known to kill people. So my recommendation on that is "can" the back seat idea.

What I would recommend is doing what you feel comfortable doing a good job of, and the rest, take it to an upholestry shop to have them do the stuff you think you can't do nicely. This way YOU did most of the work and they just finished off the hard part :)

Hope that helped :)
 
Thanks guys. I think you are right...it's just going to take a lot of time and careful work. There is a guy that teaches upolhstry at the local votech that lives close to me. He does some work on the side so I might have him help me out for a good price.

I've heard stories like you talked about Aaron but I had to put the cage in because I'm going to be running faster (i hope) than 11.49 et so it is required. Hopefully the helmet will save me from what happened to your employee.