3rd Gen Bolt in Cage

[Jon]

Wow this thread is on fire:flamethrwoer2:

I love the idea and I've been tempted to build my own. But I think you guys, having the shop and time to design and build will turn out a better product than a home built cage. All the internal cages posted look like they just bolt to the internal skin which is useless. This metal folds like dough. I'm sure some points have frame connections but why not just cut right through the floor and go straight to the frame? Stronger but anyone with a body lift will have to have a custom build, ohh well.

I got nuthin against the exo cage but my rig isn't that extreme.

Those with the cargo cover in mind- tint your damn windows!

Count me in!:boink:

 

[brian2sun]

If it's possible, a cage that tied into the body mounts would be ideal.

 

[Outdoorlogic]

Body mounts...Hmmm I like that idea..

 

[NTORACN]

Post your build would love to see what you come up with. We can share ideas .. I will say Tube isn't all that cheap.. I buy it by the truck loads... Now if you get your son involved and have him help It is worth every penny.. My Father wasn't into fabrication or cars.. He was into Hunting and shooting...

He's 15 1/2 years old and a very good kid. Since he just got his permit, I was thinking he might need the extra crash protection! LOL Tight fitting cages that also bolt in will be tough and require more effort. Welding them in is better and stronger, but stripping out the interior to weld them in and paint them is always a pain.

My dad wasn't into fabbing either, church was his thing. Thank God, at the time we lived on a farm in rural Idaho. My uncle and grandfather took the time to show me welding and fab skills. Its time to pass the skill on to my son!

 

[NTORACN]

Wow this thread is on fire:flamethrwoer2:

I love the idea and I've been tempted to build my own. But I think you guys, having the shop and time to design and build will turn out a better product than a home built cage. All the internal cages posted look like they just bolt to the internal skin which is useless. This metal folds like dough. I'm sure some points have frame connections but why not just cut right through the floor and go straight to the frame? Stronger but anyone with a body lift will have to have a custom build, ohh well.

I got nuthin against the exo cage but my rig isn't that extreme.

Those with the cargo cover in mind- tint your damn windows!

Count me in!:boink:

A bolt in cage that goes to the frame, that sounds good on paper, but may not be possible in a bolt in application. Proper mounting plate to the sheet metal design is usually fine in most DD situations. Anything you do to add strength in a roll over/crash/side impact is better than nothing, IMHO. Welding is always better, but not always the best solution in a DD application.

The space between the cargo cover and the back seats is perfect for a roll cage hoop and a good cross brace design. Designing a hoop behind the front seats that is strong and DOESN'T limit the front seat's from reclining, is gonna be tough.

 

[tacosmasher]

Not bolt in but it does look a bit crowded.

Is that a Ford Exploder?

 

[Big John]

What is wrong with that? Just because I want a cage doesn't mean I wanna ditch my ****, I swapped in the panels and found the cover and brackets, dammit, I'm going to use them. You can ditch your parts all you want.

It's awfully nice when you've got a $1,500 supercharger you just picked up hiding back there during transport. I keep expensive gear like jacks, a tool box, an air compressor, and 2 subs back there. You may not give two ****s, but there is no reason to get rid of the cargo cover. A tube design allowing me to keep it will be ahead of any other. People will know you have expensive stuff back there just By seeing how modded the truck is, last thing I need them to do is view the gallery of tools and expensive stealables back there that tint just can't hide

Wow! Maybe an interior cage is not for you.
Before you get more upset with me, let me expand on that.
Having built MANY cages for many different vehicle types, getting the cage in the rig in a fashion that will protect YOU almost always means giving up something. In a Jeep with hard doors you will most likely have to open your door to roll the window up/down. In an early Bronco you will most likely lose your glove box. In almost all in order to keep the "windshield bar" as far away from YOUR head as possible, you can kiss you sun visors goodbye. I could go on and on depending on the vehicle and the design.
I've looked hard at 3rd gens thinking on how I would build a cage. This is not an easy task by any stretch just to keep the basics, such as being able to get in and out like your used to. Or not hitting your head on the cage going over a small bump.
An interior cage in a 3rd gen will surely mean you will not be able to fold your back seat all the way down. There is not a ton of headroom in them as there is, especially with a sunroof. So to add ANY tubing to the front of the cabin will at best mean seriously padding the tube that should go from "A" pillar back to "B" pillar for anyone even near 6" tall or you will bonk your head on it all the time. Sun visors? Probably gone. Glove box? Tight, but doable. Harness bar? I'd have a serious concern of rear passengers smashing their face on it in an accident so the rear passengers should be harnessed to prevent this. There is also specific criteria to be met for a harness bar to prevent compressing your spine so to see this in a bolt in off the shelf one size fits all cage would be irresponsible at best.

Bottom line... You and I see a cage differently. I have to make sure the cage PROTECTS YOU, not hurt you. Over the years I've seen and had to fix numerous cages that were designed to look cool, or attach something that really didn't need to be there that didn't take into account what truly happens to the occupants in a serious rollover. Cages CAN hurt you so to anyone considering one, make sure you know the creature comforts you will lose before you buy. I guarantee you will lose something you like. Which could actually be part of your skull or even your life, or the life of someone you love because someone hit their head on it.

I hope this helps you gain a little insight to the comment that I guess I should have expanded on in the first place.

 

[fightman80]

Very interesting views here! After reading all of these comments, I'm going to retract my previous comment! I agree that the exo would not look as good as an internal cage, in fact....thought so before my previous post. I just thought you guys would be more in favour of function over form???

Either way, you guys are right, and the internal cage will protect the internal occupants from harm, just thought a bolt on exo-cage would be cool....this way you could remove it when need be??? That being said....it would be pretty hard to store something that big to......

Anyway, I'm anxious to see what you guys come up with! Your bumpers kick A$$, so I'm sure this project will be great too!

 

[Outdoorlogic]

Wow! Maybe an interior cage is not for you.
Before you get more upset with me, let me expand on that.
Having built MANY cages for many different vehicle types, getting the cage in the rig in a fashion that will protect YOU almost always means giving up something. In a Jeep with hard doors you will most likely have to open your door to roll the window up/down. In an early Bronco you will most likely lose your glove box. In almost all in order to keep the "windshield bar" as far away from YOUR head as possible, you can kiss you sun visors goodbye. I could go on and on depending on the vehicle and the design.
I've looked hard at 3rd gens thinking on how I would build a cage. This is not an easy task by any stretch just to keep the basics, such as being able to get in and out like your used to. Or not hitting your head on the cage going over a small bump.
An interior cage in a 3rd gen will surely mean you will not be able to fold your back seat all the way down. There is not a ton of headroom in them as there is, especially with a sunroof. So to add ANY tubing to the front of the cabin will at best mean seriously padding the tube that should go from "A" pillar back to "B" pillar for anyone even near 6" tall or you will bonk your head on it all the time. Sun visors? Probably gone. Glove box? Tight, but doable. Harness bar? I'd have a serious concern of rear passengers smashing their face on it in an accident so the rear passengers should be harnessed to prevent this. There is also specific criteria to be met for a harness bar to prevent compressing your spine so to see this in a bolt in off the shelf one size fits all cage would be irresponsible at best.

Bottom line... You and I see a cage differently. I have to make sure the cage PROTECTS YOU, not hurt you. Over the years I've seen and had to fix numerous cages that were designed to look cool, or attach something that really didn't need to be there that didn't take into account what truly happens to the occupants in a serious rollover. Cages CAN hurt you so to anyone considering one, make sure you know the creature comforts you will lose before you buy. I guarantee you will lose something you like. Which could actually be part of your skull or even your life, or the life of someone you love because someone hit their head on it.

I hope this helps you gain a little insight to the comment that I guess I should have expanded on in the first place.

Big John,

I could not have said it any better myself... A cage can be what kills you if made/ designed poorly.. That is why I always cringe when I see posting like " hey just got me a welder and a bender gonna make me a cage" There is a lot of thought, engineering, and head scratching that go into a proper cage. I have been in enough roll overs...FLOPS, Highspeed, endo, Scotty down the mountain To know that your head will find tube that is 5 feet away.. It will be a true challenge to build a cage that is safe, tight, and doesn't kill what little room there is. Will a bolt in cage system work? We will see.. I will not be responsible for your death !

 

[Outdoorlogic]

Very interesting views here! After reading all of these comments, I'm going to retract my previous comment! I agree that the exo would not look as good as an internal cage, in fact....thought so before my previous post. I just thought you guys would be more in favour of function over form???

Either way, you guys are right, and the internal cage will protect the internal occupants from harm, just thought a bolt on exo-cage would be cool....this way you could remove it when need be??? That being said....it would be pretty hard to store something that big to......

Anyway, I'm anxious to see what you guys come up with! Your bumpers kick A$$, so I'm sure this project will be great too!

Thanks Fightman... You can really Thank Pikeman for the bumpers..He saw the work we were doing building Buggys, Crawlers, Desert Racers and Said " I am sure you guys can figure out how to build me a bumper " I owe Pikeman a ton for pointing me to the Runner world..Or wait should I be mad:bash: at him.. I sold my Crawler to buy a 3rd gen...

 

[Big John]

Big John,

I could not have said it any better myself... A cage can be what kills you if made/ designed poorly.. That is why I always cringe when I see posting like " hey just got me a welder and a bender gonna make me a cage" There is a lot of thought, engineering, and head scratching that go into a proper cage. I have been in enough roll overs...FLOPS, Highspeed, endo, Scotty down the mountain To know that your head will find tube that is 5 feet away.. It will be a true challenge to build a cage that is safe, tight, and doesn't kill what little room there is. Will a bolt in cage system work? We will see.. I will not be responsible for your death !

:iagree:
It is surely going to be a challenge that will be admirable if you pull it off. There is just no room in these boogers. People don't realize that even if you get it TIGHT, there will be a very hard piece of steel 2.5" or more closer to there head than anything was before the cage. If people get pissed when I tell them they lose creature comforts, wait till I tell them they need a bike helmet to safely drive their rig:bash:

 

[BrianSD_42]

I guarantee you will lose something you like. Which could actually be part of your skull or even your life, or the life of someone you love because someone hit their head on it.

This is what I was thinking as well....

For the average T4R member who uses their vehicle as a daily drivers AND lets family / friends ride in the car as well, a cage is a bad idea.

For one thing, if you get rear ended or sideswiped while driving, you could crack your f#cking skull open on the the steel tubing. This is because you will be driving around (no helmet) with a piece of solid steel tube next to you head.

Also, I am a decently tall guy 6-2 and I wouldn't want to sacrafice the head room.

I think this would be a great mod for a full time off-road vehicle but not for a car that carries friends or relatives or is a daily driver.

:vader:

 

[NTORACN]

As stated before. building a cage requires more than just owning a tubing bender and a welder. You better know how to weld properly and you better think about the design of your cage. Having raced in NASCAR and building my own cars, ALL aspects of occupant safety have to be considered.

 

[J-money$$$]

I completely understand what you will loose, and all of that is fine with me. I also realize that i will have to run harnesses for safety. I cant wait to see what you come up with. A cage may be a PITA until you roll and you walk away.... I love wheeling with tube doors too, and i think the only safe way to run them is in a caged vehicle with a harness.

As far as loosing creature comforts... I have a cargo cover that has sat in the shed since i bought the truck, i rarely fold the seats down, I never use the sunroof the list goes on and on. as long as my 6' 2'' a$$ fits in the thing without banging my head on a speedbump Im down

 

[Rc4r]

Thanks Fightman... You can really Thank Pikeman for the bumpers..He saw the work we were doing building Buggys, Crawlers, Desert Racers and Said " I am sure you guys can figure out how to build me a bumper " I owe Pikeman a ton for pointing me to the Runner world..Or wait should I be mad:bash: at him.. I sold my Crawler to buy a 3rd gen...

Sas then you get the best of both worlds

 

[Outdoorlogic]

I have a dana 60/14 bolt and coil overs sitting in the corner of my shop... You dont think I look at those everyday and say.... MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM:bluejump:

 

[Big John]

I have a dana 60/14 bolt and coil overs sitting in the corner of my shop... You dont think I look at those everyday and say.... MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM:bluejump:

Installing all that stuff isn't as fun as Scotty made it look:nono:

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

Wow! Maybe an interior cage is not for you.
Before you get more upset with me, let me expand on that.
Having built MANY cages for many different vehicle types, getting the cage in the rig in a fashion that will protect YOU almost always means giving up something. In a Jeep with hard doors you will most likely have to open your door to roll the window up/down. In an early Bronco you will most likely lose your glove box. In almost all in order to keep the "windshield bar" as far away from YOUR head as possible, you can kiss you sun visors goodbye. I could go on and on depending on the vehicle and the design.
I've looked hard at 3rd gens thinking on how I would build a cage. This is not an easy task by any stretch just to keep the basics, such as being able to get in and out like your used to. Or not hitting your head on the cage going over a small bump.
An interior cage in a 3rd gen will surely mean you will not be able to fold your back seat all the way down. There is not a ton of headroom in them as there is, especially with a sunroof. So to add ANY tubing to the front of the cabin will at best mean seriously padding the tube that should go from "A" pillar back to "B" pillar for anyone even near 6" tall or you will bonk your head on it all the time. Sun visors? Probably gone. Glove box? Tight, but doable. Harness bar? I'd have a serious concern of rear passengers smashing their face on it in an accident so the rear passengers should be harnessed to prevent this. There is also specific criteria to be met for a harness bar to prevent compressing your spine so to see this in a bolt in off the shelf one size fits all cage would be irresponsible at best.

Bottom line... You and I see a cage differently. I have to make sure the cage PROTECTS YOU, not hurt you. Over the years I've seen and had to fix numerous cages that were designed to look cool, or attach something that really didn't need to be there that didn't take into account what truly happens to the occupants in a serious rollover. Cages CAN hurt you so to anyone considering one, make sure you know the creature comforts you will lose before you buy. I guarantee you will lose something you like. Which could actually be part of your skull or even your life, or the life of someone you love because someone hit their head on it.

I understand your position, and thank you for the information since I did not know that much about cages.

I hope this helps you gain a little insight to the comment that I guess I should have expanded on in the first place.

I certainly do, as that is exactly the point of my first reply to your comment. You could have explained why I was wrong in a constructive way. You didn't have to belittle anyone. I understand your reasoning now that you've thoroughly explained why a cage is not something for a daily driver. I respect that.

Coming in here and saying "Seriously???," as if I was supposed to be an expert on cages, was uncalled for. Not all of us work with metal all day. I am here to learn new things, not to get *****ed at by people who are unwilling to show me why it was an unreasonable suggestion to make.

Thanks for taking the time to explain, after the fact, but you can see why that would piss someone off. If you didn't know something about something that I knew plenty about, I'd have posted why that was an unreasonable thing to say and explain why. When I read your reply, I pretty much read, "It's funny that you're uneducated on this subject, as you've said something that I find stupid. I will happily tell you that you're being stupid without stating the reason, then proceed to rub it in your face by saying Seriously????."

 

[JWaldz]

Installing all that stuff isn't as fun as Scotty made it look:nono:

x2

I've always wanted the sas with c/o setup.

 

[Outdoorlogic]

x2

I've always wanted the sas with c/o setup.

Having built enough rigs in my time I know it will suck But It will be so worth it.. I have read and re-read Scottys, Erik-B, Mossy Oaks, YOu name them I have read them probably 10 times each... If it wasnt so much work I would have done it al ready as I am not sold on the IFS yet..


Now back top the cage discussion..

I disagree a bit on the Wheeler only thing... I see no problem with running it on a daily driver.. Its just a new part of your rig you will learn to maneuver around.. Years ago I had the Tuffy overhead lock box.. I swear I hit my head on the stupid thing 100 times.. But I eventually learned... Same thing with cages in my past rigs. Is a cage something everybody needs..No .. However, if you wheel your rig it is something to consider... I would say before things like bumpers, lockers, gears...