A68DART360
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know the benefits between the two. Let's say an 8 point cage. is there a big weight difference to make someone want to pick between the two. Also the cost factor between them. My car is a 68 Dart.
mild steel vs. chrome moly
- Thread starter A68DART360
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That's a good question. Kind of hard to weigh. Since I had my car on the scale at the track a few times, I would guess my eight point steel roll bar weighs 80 pounds or so. It was a Competition Engineering kit from Summit that was under $200.
famous bob
mopar misfit
mild steel is a little heavier and cheaper to buy, easier to weld. chrome moly is a little lighter, more expensive. needs to be welded w/ a tig welder to keep the welds from getting too hot, too much heat will weaken the krap out of it. if you are a decent welder, u can put ur own mild steel unit in, if you go chrome moly, u better have a pro do it, if u don`t have a tig( heli-arc)----------------------bob
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Moly cages are lighter due to the metal being thinner. A moly cage is said to be more brittle. A fabricator buddy told me that if you use moly for a cage better make sure there is 0 flex in it. If moly flex's it has a tendency to shatter. He also told me they will get "work hardened" to a point where it will become unsafe. When he was doing truck work moly cages were close to 3 times the expense of a mild steel one....the metal itself is very pricey and then it needs to be tig welded. Unless you are building something that every .001 matters...and can afford a new cage down the road I would suggest staying away from moly...
mopwr2004a
low slung chassis
In on one just to see the responses that are given.
UOP
Well-Known Member
No big weight difference between the two. It's only .1 lb/ft lighter so if you use 75 feet of tube to build your cage you'll save 7.5 lbs over mild steel. IMO that's not worth the additional hassle and significant increase in cost.
wheelsup73
Well-Known Member
Chrome moly 1 5/8 tube .083 wall weighs 1.3670 pounds per foot and mild steel at 1 5/8 tube .134 wall weighs 2.134 pounds per foot. On average a Chrome moly cage will cost 3 times the money( parts and labor) that a mild steel cage cost so for the few pounds of weight savings (around 40#s) spend the extra money on something to make the car go fast.
mopwr2004a
low slung chassis
first you need to decide how far you want to go with this car. if you plan to go faster then 8.50's in the 1/4 mile that will dertermine what type material to have your cage made of.
me personaly from the cars I've helped build and tune go with the chromoly. it will help with resale in the future. and save you money later if you do go that fast, because the mild steel will have to be removed and replaced, which most shops will charge you to do. which means you will pay twice for the cage, also put the most cage you can afford. it is easier to do it now then trying to add bars in the future.
my personal car has a cheap jegs kit in it that I installed for my buddy when he owned the car, im fixing to cut it all out and put chromoly in it. and by the way it is a street/strip car.
rgreule
Well-Known Member
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