Car's can be replaced ... you did good by focusing on what's important first and then adding the go-fast stuff. Too many get that evolution reversed.

As far as the damage is concerned ... Holy Crap!

Well, it can be considered a performance item, especially the way a cage, even a simple one, can really stiffen up the chassis so everything works as it should.

Yeah...I always went safety first. Even running the car near stock the first year...man was that bad...hehe. It certainly paid off in the end.

Now, I really don't feel so bad about building "cage-zilla" in my car. Overkill is almost enough...

How's the vision coming along Randy?

What that is one destroyed car. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) Sure glad that you are doing better though.

Yeah, Cagezilla, as long as well planned and not just adding bars for the feeling of "more bars is better" is ALWAYS a good idea!

I can tell you the things I KNOW saved me were:

1. An AWESOME cage
2. The head restraint seat ( I was buffetted around in EVERY direction)
3. My new helmet and sliding HANS tethers...I had the quick release teathers before, and upon switching my head moved forward ONLY an inch or so when testing it...I could touch my helmet to my chest with the old quick release tethers.
4. The AMAZING SCCA Emergency crew.

My vision is still getting better a micron each day. I can see stuff each day that I could not the day before...but it is frustrating....improvments are small, and I still cannot drive myself around. Soon...hopefully soon!

What matters most is you're ok and the safety equipment did its job. Glue yourself back together, and when you're ready to have at it again I'll kick $500 toward your new car to get it rolling.

More hopes/wishes/prayers for a full and speedy recovery.

Anything you can share about cage, seat mounting, belt mounting, etc. is certainly appreciated.

Sucks that somebody had to field test that stuff.

I will try and get more pics with the seat situation later. The rear mount of the RaceTech WTHR seat did break. It was a custom formed aluminum piece that was aircraft riveted between the seat holes and the cage mounts. The aircraft rivets failed. However, if you see the floor of the car it was moving in all sorts of directions and since the seat was mounted to welded brackets on the floor, the seat moved with the floor. If you see the one pic you can see the seat is tilted out the door. My arm knocked the upper window net bar as well and bent it enough to allow it to come out....my arm flailing away outside the car the whole time. The belts performed perfect. I ran the lap belts through the stock holes that were gusseted by the factory and put big washers under the car as well. The sub belt was through a square tube for the seat mount and also had large plate washers under the car. The shoulder belts tied to brackets on the roll cage behind the seat. All were in perfect shape. The cage I would be happy to answer any questions, you can see the build pics on my website in my signature. I had NASCAR door bars and a triangulated point in the center of the car with a tube running up to the passenger A pillar which I think prevented the roof squashing on that side.

I'd like to see how the floor pan held up around where the cage attaches.

1 day at a time!

Thanks for the feedback here Randy, we are all learning from this. I'm not sure if you will be able to answer these questions or not, but if you can:


Was this due to contact with anything but your seat, belts, and HANS?


Seems like I read concussion somewhere, I assume this is why you are having trouble seeing. Did your helmet make contact with tubing?


I have a (expired) FIA seat in my car and have often wondered what is best. Technically I should add a back brace since it is expired. I've wondered what happens to the seat and the guy sitting in it when the floor moves relative to the cage - the seat is held most securely to the floor, the harness spans between the cage and the floor, and the driver is in between.


You were very lucky to end up alive after this accident so that says a lot about your safety gear. Having said that, is there anything that you would do different or improve? What type of latch did you have on your window net?




I'm with you Mitch, CMC rules should allow more in^2 of ties between cage and chassis.

1. My broken shoulder (scapula and clavical) came from the HANS. It broke right where the relatively hard HANS was strapped tight to my shoulder. The force of the belts on the HANS and then on my shoulder did it. So, the HANS saved my life but broke my shoulder....fair trade. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/2thumbs.gif) The ribs were from the side of the seat I am sure. I had hard hits in all directions.

2. I don't think I had a concussion. My helmet has just a few scratches on it and does not look to have hit anything. The vision problem are from vascular blockage/issues in the retina. Basically from blunt force trauma. I was shoved against the seat belts so hard and forcefully, I popped a lot of vessesl in my eyes...see red eye photos and the back of the eyes. They found me, face deep purple and eyes were black. They said the G Force pressure pushed the blood around in bad places in my body.

3. I would talk to some "experts" on the seat, but for me, I would brace the back of the seat. If I build another unibody car, one thing I WILL BE DOING is to minimize attaching the seat to the floor. My floor buckled and moved all over the place. The torque arm/rear end tried REAL HARD to get in. This caused my seat that was well anchored to move to the left and lean me out the door a bit. I would build a frame and anchor it to the floor much better...sort of like sub frame connectors for the seat...if I had a car like that again. Floor movement was a big problem for my seat in the crash.

I will try and get some more pics today and share them. Thanks

Different wisdoms prevail on seat mounting

Mount to the cage, more G-forces hit you

Mount to the floor, risk buckling but get energy adsorbed

Here are some updated pics you have been requesting:
Drivers side front cage mount near footwell. Not a crack in the plate/floor/bars:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5188/5683785915_8638fa2c28.jpg)
Drivers side rear cage mount...solid:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5189/5683786593_3f4eaeaa6f.jpg)
Passenger side front cage mount...no issues:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5021/5683786329_e0d55aea11.jpg)
Passengers side rear cage mount. Also no signs of failure/stress:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5150/5683786231_3656cac4bc.jpg)
Rear seat mount failure:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5145/5683786677_245d8472ff.jpg)
Massive floor buckling:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5683786447_62c50b5e47.jpg)
More floor buckling:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5684354264_f0aa2a8b6c.jpg)
More floor:
(IMG:http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5068/5683785733_b42bac6bfe.jpg)

Let me know what else you guys want to see.....trans will be out soon, then motor....then we must find a final resting place for her. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Randy, I think I'd probably just have it bronzed... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/2thumbs.gif)

That cage did a perfect job, the rest of the damage is just unreal.

HEHE...yeah...most of the floor I believe is the rear end and torque arm trying to have their way with me. That and massive hits to the sides that moved stuff that should never be moved.

Oh...and I missed the question about the window net. I had a good system I believe. a rod at the top with a seat buckle latch and the rod stuffed back into a peice of tubing. Problem was that the amount of rod that was stuffed into the tubing... about an inch....was not enough to take the hit my arm sent to the rod itself. I bent the rod almost in a "U" and the rod popped out of the rear "mount". My arm was wailing as I then rammed it into the welded on "buckle" part of the seat belt and cut my arm on it.... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

those pictures are staggering. I don't think I've ever seen a car that twisted up that someone has survived. looks like you had all the right parts for the job.

When you end up with a car that thoroughly trashed how much, if any of it do you reuse (wiring,hoses,hose fittings etc)?

Very little I am afraid. Much of the wiring harness was smashed up between the engine and firewall. I think I can save the engine....KNOCKING ON WOOD...the trans and the rear end (with much straightening and repair). And maybe the fire system and the guages. That is about it.

Sigh....I am poor! (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

The fact that the main hoop and a-pillar bars never moved is a testimony for good cage design. The bars that bent absorbed alot of energy. Trackbird and I spent alot of time talking about seat mounting in the last few days...... It's awesome to hear you are steadily improving. Were the driver side door bars un-moved as well? If we can help in anyway from Ohio, let us know.......