Funny car cage or containment seat?

[Gentry1]

I posed a question about a roll cage for gas coupe and everyone was very helpful but I've been told several things.  Some have suggested a funny car cage, others a full containment seat, but I don't think you can have both - can you?  Planning to run in Gas Coupe in a Monza, any suggestions on funny car cage vs. full containment seat?

[SPARKY]

can you get in and out with both 

[Gentry1]

I don't know, Sparky.  Do most people run both?  Or is it "either-or."

[Dynoroom]

It's not "either-or".

Tech would like to see a funny car cage but you may still need laterial head restrant so a full containment seat might be what you want to do. Just remember, the rules are a minimum.

[Gentry1]

Will a full containment seat fit inside the funny car tubes?  It looks like its too wide.  Does anyone run both?

[Captthundarr]

As with any cage there is no cookie cut cage. A funny car "Style" cage can be built to safety accomodate a full containment seat if the car's chassis will allow it. there are some examples elsewhere on this site that show a containment seat inside a funny car "style" cage. Remember a funny car cage is a cage around the seat within a rollcage (10 point,12 point).

[Cajun Kid]

A properly constructed and installed containment seat with a full cage is a good choice, or a good seat with a full cage and funny car cage added also incorporating lateral head restaint system... I say either or !!  the funny cage does what a containment seat does sorta and vice versa.

I prefer a fitted containment seat, as a Funny Cage "generally" does not fit the hips, ribs, shoulders and head as well as the containment seat does... but to each his own.

Charles

[Saltfever]

As mentioned above by others, rule 3.A.3 Page 24 does not prohibit both cage and seat containment. The issue, however, may be cost. You can purchase a very good seat, with excellent containment for the body, without the head restraint at about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a full seat. Rule 3.a.3 is focused only on lateral head restraint. You can easily build that kind of restraint into a good roll cage. The question is; can a cage modification (i.e., addition of lateral restraint) be done cheaper than the purchase of a full seat? In most cases a cage modification may be less expensive than the head-restraint-seat. The cage also “may” be stronger. I have searched for sled testing on seats and I have yet to see any good data on the strength of the lateral restraint. I don’t know if NASCAR has a spec minimum for lateral G force. However, looking at the aluminum seat fabrication, a steel cage might possibly be stronger. Without data who knows?

[SPARKY]

at the June El M race I spent a lot of time talking to various suppliers, and techies about my new Lakester--They seemed to be pointing me toward a 9 point harness with a "hans type" for helment control Seems to me like a 9 point "would deal" with nearly anything that 3.a.3 extension "could deal" with.

[jimmy six]

Gentry: It seems to me a cage structure modeled after a "pro stock" system would be more appropriate for a gas coupe than a funny car. They seem to have pretty good side protection when we see the at the drags. You can always add the lateral movement clearances with the proper padding. Funny car type cages seem to fit center steer cars a lot better....Good luck

[martysmilt]

This is what we had in the car last year.  As a new car we wern't sure what would pass so we thought we would go with what we knew was safe
 I don't know if this will post here but this is the link  http://www.flickr.com/photos/martys_pictures/5858588584/in/photostream

[Saltfever]

Thanks for the link, Marty. I'm not sure but it looks like you have both systems in there. The aluminum inside the top of the cage looks like the seat's head restraint and the cage certainly looks like it is full containmnet? Do you have trouble getting in or out?

[FoundSoul]

Thanks for the link, Marty. I'm not sure but it looks like you have both systems in there. The aluminum inside the top of the cage looks like the seat's head restraint and the cage certainly looks like it is full containmnet? Do you have trouble getting in or out?

Ditto that.  What is your review of running both?  I'm pretty close to buying my seat and building the cage around it, trying to make the call on this now.

[jl222]

Thanks for the link, Marty. I'm not sure but it looks like you have both systems in there. The aluminum inside the top of the cage looks like the seat's head restraint and the cage certainly looks like it is full containmnet? Do you have trouble getting in or out?

Ditto that.  What is your review of running both?  I'm pretty close to buying my seat and building the cage around it, trying to make the call on this now.

  Our cage on the 222 car is similar but front of cage is not as far foward but with lateral helmet rule we had to extend

padding 11/2'' foward of bar, we also have an x brace at door which we have to lift leg over bar. I had this car built the safest way I knew of using an Alston pro-stock complete body over chassis designed by structural engineers.The chassis comes frow Alston tack welded together and Pro-Chassis builder of car had a certified aircraft welder tig weld it. With new Hans and head restraint rules I can hardly get in but getting out is a bit easier.

  If I were building it with new rules I would have moved seat and cage back further and extended petals and steering wheel to leave more room to get out. I definitely like the added safety of the funny car cage.

                         JL222

[Captthundarr]

We are currently having a funny car cage installed with a full containment seat in a '91 Camaro. It's tight but lots of protection. I can post pics as the work progresses.