E30 Zone

I have just started preparing my 318is for track day use, with the plan possibly in the future to replace the engine for a 1.8 or M20 2.0 and enter it into the Production BMW Championship / SELOC.

I am at the point now where I am looking for a roll cage and obviously want one that complies with the necessary MSA regualtions. Additionally I would prefer a cage that can be fitted without removing the dashboard. I am planning on a 6 point bolt in cage. Sowhat I need to know is: -

1) Where can I get an approved cage for the best price ( I am a BMW Car Club Member too)
2) Will it be one that does not involve removing the dashboard.

Demon Tweeks have advised me that the OMP cage they have will not fit a 2 door??? so from them they have said I need the Sparco one at £429+vat. All my other research including previous topics here, says the OMP is fine.


Thanks in advance,

James

hi im 99% sure first car i built 318 had a 6point bolt in cage omp cage and we did not touch the dash. yes just looked at a picture i will fit without going near the dash. good look with it

automac have supplies cages for both khumo and seloc racers

contac them on 07767 688 233

he offers good prices and great service and discount if you are a car club member

Thanks for your help guys. I will give automac a ring and see if they have an OMP in stock.

cheers,

James

Hi James

Just replied to your U2U's as been on holiday

I'll email you all the info you need, and as KOS says Neil is doing us a deal on SD cages that meat the regs

Shout before you buy anything as we have loads of deals, seats suspension, bushes, everything needed basically

I'll start a thread this week giving people all the details they need if they are interested in starting out

In the meantime get over to www.seloc.org

Jimmy

Hi james i have just fitted a sd cage and would recommend them i also have a omp cage 2 fit 4 a friend and i do not think it is as quality as the sd cage ie the fit method of joints ect .

As above you get what you pay for with cages and many of the Seloc car and also Kuhmo cars and E30 rally cars run Safetydevices cages so if not done yet should be a penny wise

safety devisex will full cage is simply the dogs do dadah's. the best bolt in cage available , the fitting and overall quality is better than its ever been.

Kos...I assume you have fitted the cage in your beast...did you paint it or leave it in black!

My OMP one is in a 2 door 88 325 - sunroof gone it went in easily (by two guys who knew what they were doing and i'm not included in that number.

Pics will follow when I get my camera back.

BTW - Fast Daves cage was made with scaffolding poles and a soldering iron

Lloydie..as I recall before you bought your cage you got involved in several threads regarding cages and in the end cost was your prime motivator hence the decision for OMP..which is a good value for money cage and does the job it is intended for BUT it is cheaper for a reason..no X rear diagonal no harness bars, no powder coating, door bars need to be welded on first, will need to prep and paint, it is more difficult to fit than the saftey devices.

If you see the cages in the SELOC cars you will see the quality even in cages that are over 10 years old

At the end of the day it is your life and also the cars needs to be as stiff as possible and with the 6 point cage you can always add front and rear strut bars.

What events do you do in the Isle Of Man with the car

I have a custom cages version in my car. The one I chose goes to the floor at the front via the dash. That is quite simple to achieve though by cutting 2 holes through the dash. It also had an across the dash bar which you could leave out if required.

HOWEVER

It was an absolute nightmare to fit with most of the bars needing to be recut or modded.
The fitting instructions were laughable, a picture of the finished cage saying ''now go fit'' would be close to my description.
My friend who fitted it took the equivilent of £1800 in labour time doing it.
With 34 tubes and it touching the car at around 20 points it isn't light.


SECOND HOWEVER

It is the mummy and daddy of all cages and now it's fitted we are very pleased with it.


If you have some serious skills and the time then buy one, if you dont, leave well alone

OMP makes a 10 point bolt in multi point thats a lot easier to fit than a custom cage and cheaper..Automac also supply OMP cages...depends on what racing/rallying doinf but 6 point especially SafetyDevices is more than man enough for the job...and more cost effective

Here's some pics of the OMP 6 point bolt in cage, still work to do but it gives you the idea.

I use my 325 for track days, hill climbs, auto tests and soon (licence permitting) I'd like to start some of the tarmac rally stages.
Sunroof removed thanks to Fast Dave which saved 7kgs.

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Using all the road at the Manx Classic Hill climb 2007 pre cage
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cabrio wrote:Kos...I assume you have fitted the cage in your beast...did you paint it or leave it in black!

its black at the mo, it will be painted the same colour as the body eventually

regarding the multi point cages, the OMP multi point one is FIA approved and comes sectioned to eas fitting, but its still hard work. as for custom caged ones any one know if they are FIA appoved ?

custom cage do a "copy" of the 6 point bolt in SD one i have, and its a lot more expensive.

in all honesty i'd be happier to go with a company who has been involved in motorsport for may years for my cage if it was going in to a track/competition car. sparco omp and SD being the main companies

but as fas a simple bolt in solutins go, i looked in to all options, and SD got my vote and automac cam up trumps with a good price as well.

I believe regs relating to cages will change in the near future to protect against diy fitting of cages aimed at weldins etc as quality of welding can vary as to who is doing it...and you may not know how good it is until the cage stays in one piece or breaks and damages the driver or passengers.... At the end of the day for an E30 you dont need an FIA cage as wont be doing international events...so safer for you guys to go for a 6 point bolt in.

When you see Kos's you will see the quality

My custom cages jobby

Cage looks good but way too good for most E30s unless pumping out huge power and competing in top class race series

cabrio wrote:Cage looks good but way too good for most E30s unless pumping out huge power and competing in top class race series

If it saves your life, nothings too good

cabrio wrote:Cage looks good but way too good for most E30s unless pumping out huge power and competing in top class race series

As Jimmy says what price do you put on your personal safety? So I paid an extra £200 on the cage, I bet most people pay £500 on shiny wheels without too much worry

Cant disagree with the cost of safety but if you look at the Safety Devices cage that is more than man enough to save you...the triangulationis noce but not essential for the driver safety...remember Safety devices use CDS for bolt ins, OMP tend to use T45 or CrMo and in my opinion it all comes down to the quality of the metal and the quality of the welds not the number of bars...both Northloop and Jimmy are doing cars for racing so the requirements are all different...the term is fit for purpose but you cant put a value on your life or someone elses for that matter....so we agree

I have to disagree with you on one small point cabrio , a crash is a crash. If a track day car hits the armco at 100mph it is no different than a race car hitting at 100mph

Old thread here with some good info in:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... pic&t=7628

Still on the look out, saving up at the moment, having just paid out for a helmet!!

Great pics Lloydie38 - that looks like the route I may go down. Did it go in ok?

James, just so your aware if PBMW is still you end goal

Lyodies cage will not meet the regs

sd cages are the dogs mate oversized tubbing they are so coo, l

Jimmy,
PBMW is still my end goal. Just checked the regs out again you sent through (now have the Blue Book so keep on flicking back and forth Q.. Q...Q..) - and realised my mistake - Double cross over.

As per your previous advice will be onto Automac's case for the correct one, when money pit is fully replenished. Are you racing at Oulton, if so I will pop catch up with you there. I'd like to have a look at some of the cages in the cars there before buying so I can see what options there are first. Safety beng my no.1 priority.

Cheers,

James

Hi James

I'll be at Oulton, not racing as my car will not be done by then (see my race car is born thread) drop me a line before hand and i'll get you some tickets over.

Now SD are back on the scene, they would be my number 1 choice for a bolt in, and are regs friendly with no mods, sparco is another option

Both will be in cars at Oulton as will some Custom cages weld ins

BTW it was the cross over that is missing

Jimmy

Cheers Jimmy.

I will give you a ring.

Jamese30 wrote:Still on the look out, saving up at the moment, having just paid out for a helmet!!

Great pics Lloydie38 - that looks like the route I may go down. Did it go in ok?

Went in no problems (thanks to two rally pals. I've removed the sunroof so that gives more room but ease of getting it in has to be 10/10. It's the OMP one that's FIA approved so I have a question: What would be required to get it to a PBMW approved cage?
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For PBMW just weld in another horizontal bar across the main hoop behind the seats, job done. When PBMW was the original SELOC challenge with lots of novice drivers, without the track day cones out for guidance they tended to drive into each other a lot. So rather than clamp down on driving standards, they changed the regs to make it safer to drive into each other . All good now tho, yellow card/red card system in place for driving standards and contact is far less than most series

Nice one thanks

Love the reason for changing it because of the crashes!