Hey guys,
I'm picking up a 65 Falcon sedan 2 door that I want to back half and set up for the track. The car has junk floor boards and toe boards so I figured I'd just build or buy a whole new firewall and subframe setup. Well, looking into that, I see that some classes mention factory firewall and floors and others require more bracing if modified some mention round tube only in floors and so on and so forth. I know 8.50 is a 10 point and 7.50 is a 25.5b and 25.3b is down to 6.50 but identifies modified floors or firewall in the description. I have an issue with them and don't want to order all three books to have to decipher which is which. I don't ever intend to brake 8.50 and if I did, I'd be lucky to ever go past 7.50. I'll stop spending money by that point. I'll be lucky if I ever get below 9.0. It'll be a small block 9.5 turbo setup with a glide or C4.

My intention is to build a 14 point (by autoweld chassis, S&W, Art Morrison or another) and a 2x3 rear frame kit (from same location as cage)and possibly a strut design front suspension for the car. I do want the funny car cage. I want to build it for full car strength and safety. I want the front bars to run to the front of the car as I'll cut out the inner fenders and build the suspension off the frame and use the cage bars as the strut mount. The rear will have the bars run from the hoop to the 2x3 frame rails (which will be tied into the factory floor) towards the back. I'll have the fuel tank and battery back there tied in.

I'm sticking with MS because I can weld that like nothing and I'm not going to try CM (not on something like this) and I'm NOT paying someone else for it. I'm perfectly capable of building a MS setup so please don't give the regular old, take it to a pro thing. I would if I were using a welder I don't know how to use. I'm one that likes taking pride in the real meaning of "I built that". It's just me. Sorry.

The questions:
1. If I were to build a legal 8.50 10 point, and add the rest of the cage myself for strengthening purposes, would I still be able to pass as an 8.50 cert or does any of the other stuff added in invalidate the certification ability? Will altering the floor and firewall cause me to HAVE to go up to 25.5 or higher?
2. Can I build to the 25.5b spec with an aftermarket floor and firewall in a unibody car or is that limited to 25.3 and better?
3. If yes to #2, will the rear end need to be round tube as well or does the spec still stay only in the drivers cage part and not the rest of the car. I know SFI has dove in the whole car concept now and want to maintain the flexibility to adapt if needed and I understand the cost issues.

Finally, knowing somewhat what I want to do, what SFI spec order form do I purchase and fit in?

Thanks for any constructive or helpful thoughts and direction.

Dave

 

I called SFI and got the down low from them. I ordered the 25.5B spec and will have the car this weekend. Time to read up!!!

Dave

 

Good luck and post pics!!!

 

I would do the 25.5 unless you ever intend to go faster. In mild the market if sold would be limited, but if you can do all the fab yourself no biggie.

I just finished a 25.5 on my coupe last year and would have done 25.3 , but do not have the wallet for the whole combo at that level. I will do good to push 8.0 later on.

 

When we put the cage in my project, to minimize elbow and head bruises we went with an 8.50 type setup. Swing outs and removeable cross bar using the Alston pin arrangement. This will tech to 8.50 at most tracks. We also put the X bars in the roof, and an X on each side of the driveshaft bracing the frame. Also a pair of front bars thru the firewall to the front of the frame (not req'd for 8.50). So all of the 'difficult to add later' stuff is already in to cert 7.50. All we would have to do is make the cross bar permanent, X the doors and put a single loop around the drivers seat.

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I wanted to make my crossbar behind the seats removable like yours. The guy that certified my cage said he wouldnt cert it that way.

 

We did this quite a while ago. I have not been thru a tech recently. Its possible things have changed during that time. As I rarely race anymore I like the ability to remove it, so I likely won't change it.

 

It will not certify being removable any more.