best roll cage for strip/street 68charger ? info needed

[383man]

Ron,
What were the circumstances that led to the crash? Did you walk away? Any dash cam video? lol

No vidio as it happened in 1982 and not many people had vidio cams then. I used to drive the car on the street for a few years before I started racing it and it looked like the left front balljoint shaft had been slightly cracked as when it crashed they said the front dropped down about 6 inches or more right before the car got sideways in the traps. It seems the ball joint shaft was cracked about halfway thru and it decided to let go that pass. It was the first pass on new SS springs I had just installed on the car. When my brother looked at the car he said the left front upper control arm still had the balljoint with half of the shaft still on it in the upper control arm as the shaft cracked right where it went thru the steering knuckle. The ball joint itself was still good and the ball joint ball was still in the socket with about a 1/2" of the shaft still on the ball joint. So it looked like the ball joint shaft broke and the upper control arm pulled out of the spindle with the ball joint nut and part of the shaft still in the knuckle. And the ball joint and part of the cracked shaft still in the control arm. I did not walk away as I was in shock when they got me out of the car. They say I was talking but I dont remember any of it at all. I was flown by helicopter to shock trauma in Baltimore Md. I had internal bleeding as they said thats why they flew me to shock trauma. I also had a broken ankle and my knee needed surgery. I had big bruises on my sides and shoulders where the saftey belts tugged at me and kept me in the car and cuts all over from flying glass. They ended up putting pins in my left ankle which are still there today. I have had surgery on my knee 2 more times over the last 30 years also. I have about a foot long scar on my stomach where they cut me open to repair my internal bleeding. I was in intensive care for two weeks and off work for 4 months. And to this day all I remember is pulling into the staging lanes at the track and then waking up 12 hrs later in the hospital with pins already in my angle. This pic was taken a few weeks before the crash. Ron

 

[Moparmatt72]

Wow ron glad your still here today. Its the thing that all fear is going into the wall. Even with all the safety meassures they enforce and for good reason things still happen. But thats the thrill of the sport. Never crashed a car just my street bike and have a plate and 9 screws holding my right ankle back together. Hope I never meet the wall when im back racing my car.

 

[daytona kid]

I got a Jegs 8 pt that I am just now trying to figure out the best way to mount the main hoop. I am not installing it yet but planning ahead so I don't mess up. I thought about using 1/8" thick- 6" x 8.5" plates under the floor (nhra requires 6 x 6 on top). They look to be a perfect under the floor seem lap edge and will weld to rocker and sub-frame connector. I will also cut a piece of 2" x 2" or so steel box, cut at an angle to brace under them. Then bolt and/or weld the 6" x 6" plates on top of the floor or cut a 6"x 6" hole in the floor and recess them to fit flat/flush with under plates/braces. Here are a couple of pics that may give you an better idea of what I'm talking about. I used 2- 6 x 6 plates in the 2nd pic just to help show my plan since I don't have any 6 x 8.5 yet. What do you guys think?

 

[Budnicks]

from those photos it looks good so far