PVC pipe roll cage / roof enclosure

[thetoddjohnson]

The sun will make it brittle and it will crack. You will be surprised at how quickly it happens. You can get UV stable PVC (the grey stuff). Trust me on this, you will not be happy with the PVC "curtain hanger" you are contemplating.

[Rickochet]

Originally Posted by Lazy cruiser

By "does not hold up well in UV" you mean bows in the sun? In the end I hope it will at least be a good prototype for a metal one. I was just trying to avoid the weight and cost. My cart will never see any conditions that require a real roll cage. I really can't stand the factory roof and supports so I thought this would be a good option. Thanks for the heads up.

Clean it good with acetone before painting then shoot it with Krylon Fusion which bonds with plastic. Something that you might also want to do for the longer horizontal pieces is to put a wood dowel rod inside as a stiffener to keep it from sagging. If the dowel doesn't fit snug wrap tape around at the ends and middle until it fits snug. The rear horizontal piece on mine has sagged a bit but is covered up and doesn't show.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

My question is, since our golf carts are not square, how are you gonna connect the corners, say at the top of the windshield, You got 3 tubes meeting there. Same for the seat back arch, 3 tubes there also and only 2 meeting at right angles.

[Rickochet]

Originally Posted by dundeebarnbuggy

My question is, since our golf carts are not square, how are you gonna connect the corners, say at the top of the windshield, You got 3 tubes meeting there. Same for the seat back arch, 3 tubes there also and only 2 meeting at right angles.

There are pvc fittings made for furniture that you will not find in the bins at Lowes. Do a search for "PVC fittings for furniture" on Yahoo or Google and you will get lots of hits. You can also get a furniture grade pvc pipe with no lettering on it and it is treated to be UV stabilized. https://flexpvc.com/Products/PVCPipeFittings.shtml
http://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/pip...ure-grade.html

[Lazy cruiser]

Originally Posted by Seaquell

You can also use the grey electric conduit stuff the connectors are interchangeable with the white stuff to.
I may be wrong but is the grey pipe thicker?
I think the grey is uv resistant , the electric co. runs it up to the meter in full sunlight.

I can't wait to see what you come up with

I think the grey stuff is weaker but your right it's used outside. I will ask the supply company what they think. Hopefully the couplers interchange because there is not a lot of options for the white pipe.

I will keep you posted.

[LimitedEdition]

In the past I have had some experience with building and pit-crewing stock cars on half mile tracks. I remember a competitor that used muffler pipe instead of heavy wall pipe for his roll cage trying to save weight and luckily he got caught before anything bad could happen. After that everyone had to drill small inspection holes in the roll bar to pass tech inspection LOL. The roof supports for golf carts as they are wouldn't be much of a roll bare ether. If I were inclined to use PVC for roof supports I believe I would be inclined to use Schedule 80 Heavy Wall PVC pipe just for looks.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sche...edule+80+pvc&*

[Lazy cruiser]

Originally Posted by LimitedEdition

In the past I have had some experience with building and pit-crewing stock cars on half mile tracks. I remember a competitor that used muffler pipe instead of heavy wall pipe for his roll cage trying to save weight and luckily he got caught before anything bad could happen. After that everyone had to drill small inspection holes in the roll bar to pass tech inspection LOL. The roof supports for golf carts as they are wouldn't be much of a roll bare ether. If I were inclined to use PVC for roof supports I believe I would be inclined to use Schedule 80 Heavy Wall PVC pipe.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sche...edule+80+pvc&*

Lmao wow that guy was crazy. I too used to be on a mini sprint team and never got to see anything like that thank god. Schedule 80 is much stronger than the 40 correct?

[LimitedEdition]

Yes Schedule 80 in the electrical field is actually require where exposed to possible mechanical damage.

[thetoddjohnson]

Originally Posted by Rickochet

There are pvc fittings made for furniture that you will not find in the bins at Lowes. Do a search for "PVC fittings for furniture" on Yahoo or Google and you will get lots of hits. You can also get a furniture grade pvc pipe with no lettering on it and it is treated to be UV stabilized. https://flexpvc.com/Products/PVCPipeFittings.shtml
http://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/pip...ure-grade.html

Yes, see the link I put in post #18.

[thetoddjohnson]

Originally Posted by dundeebarnbuggy

My question is, since our golf carts are not square, how are you gonna connect the corners, say at the top of the windshield, You got 3 tubes meeting there. Same for the seat back arch, 3 tubes there also and only 2 meeting at right angles.

Duck tape man!!!!!!! If we're gonna do this, let's DO THIS!