4x4 Parts Shop, Colorado Springs, CO 80915

[threecol_two]Before we can take P3 for a spin we needed to give the driver a seat. But with P3 built to go anywhere, we wanted to make sure that he was safe in case he ended up where he didn’t intend on going! We knew that we wanted the seats attached to the cage. And you can’t attach a seat to the cage if you don’t have a cage to start out with! So, lets build the cage.

We started with our main hoop. Nate wanted a fastback look for P3 but the early designs left us with an strange looking rear section. Considering that D and C Extreme’s stock Scout II cage kits have a great rear look and feel that keeps rear passengers protected (as well as the cargo mostly covered), the original fastback design was scrapped and we kept our original look.

With the main hoop in place we tack-welded our rear spreaders in place. Then, knowing that P3 may end up on it’s lid, we put an additional horizontal support in between the main hoop and rear spreaders just over the wheel well. This would tie the legs together into a ‘box’ and firm up the rear section a ton.

Then, to add even more rigidity to the main hoop, a support going from the driver’s head to the passengers buttocks was placed to give the cage additional strength around the driver. These bars are standard equipment in most racing circuit because of the strength they add to the most important place, the drivers head! As usual, we’ve got plenty of pictures. In the first, you can see the beginnings of D and C Extreme’s signature Atari-Bar setup.

With the back in place it was time to start, or (as you can see by the pictures) continue work on the front spreaders. Nate is a big guy, and we’re not talking about being big-boned. Measuring in at just over 6 feet tall, Nate was very worried about hitting his head and legs while trying to get in and out of the Scout. Most of all, he wanted no chance of tripping when entering and exiting the Scout. Somehow, we were to make the front of the cage so that it would not interrupt the entry or exit of P3.

This job fell on Chris, as we had already gone home for the night. But after a number of hours figuring and trying different ideas a final design worked it way into P3. The basic drift was to make everything normally until we got to the bottom of the dash. At that point, the front spreaders would turn 90 degrees and mount to the fire wall. To make sure that the structure would keep most of the original strength, twin down tubes would attach to the floor just in front of the door opening. This design didn’t thrill us a ton, but it got the job done, and to the customer’s liking.

With the base structure of the cage in and ready to go, it was time to start looking at the next part of the builder. The stock bench seat was nice, but common, for a rig like P3, we needed to get some serious seats. Seats that would not only accent P3’s gorgeous looks, but also provide a safe, comfortable, and stationary ride. Seats like Cerullo’s XR Racing seat.

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