A few more pics-
To weld the cage into the car I used our platform mounted plasma cutter on manual mode to cut out some 1/8" thick 4x4" plates and bent them with the metal brake to contour the floor pan.
For the back two bars I had to make custom plates that contoured around the body bushing bumps in the sheet metal. To do this I first cut out the shape I needed from white poster board. The light beam follows the lines of the cutout...
...and transfers that to the cutter.
Maybe not as precise as processes like cnc water jetting but it did a great job. I used the machine again to fabricate some brackets for the trailer hitch, more coming on that soon.
Originally I started to rattle can the roll cage satin aluminum but it was too bright and shiny and showed all the nicks and imperfections in the tubing. I decided to go with a more traditional satin black instead. The paint in this photo is fresh so it still looks fairly shiny, but it dulls down a bit as it dries. It should be just about the same sheen as the dash, console, and door panels when dry.
