Jon;
Your firewall looks pretty thick-- O.250"?
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
The Firewall is 1.6mm (0.60") as per rule 3.F, there is no thickness requirement in the bike section 7.H.1 so I went with the car requirements. (up the back of the book car guys
)
I'm still struggling a bit with trying to meet this rule, the gusset rule, Glen's suggestions about needing to get the Jaws of Life onto my cage posts and my own requirement of having the whole riders compartment skinned for fire and impact protection at the same time.
It's not much use having a firewall that goes to the edge of the cage and nothining to stop fuel/flame coming around the side of it, I'm going to try and have a seal between the main hoop and the body but that is only as good as the body shell which is unlikely to be fuel proof if my bike decides it wants to assume it's natural position.
The two gussets for the main hoop are going to go backwards so that I don't end up with a fire hole in the rear corners of the cage.
The two gussets on the front are just going to be conventional gussets, again there is no requirement for gussets in the motorcycle section 7.H.4 so going with the car rules requirements.
Just to complicate it further my fuel tank is on the back of the firewall for best impact protection and balance so getting to the middle posts with a cutter isn't going to happen very easily regardless.
If it all turns to putty and I need to be cut out I think the easiest way would be to cut the nose off the bike at the front of the cage, hope not to test that theory any time soon though.
Jon