Roll Cage For the Baja Races

[gago1101]

Has anyone installed a roll cage in their truck or heard of one? I was hoping to mod the truck for the Baja 500 and 1000 races next year. I can not find any bolt one cages made for the 4Runner. I guess custom one is possible, but would appreciate help if anyone has heard of a fabricator that has done this.

I also ran across a UK fabricator, Safety Devices. They make one for Toyota Prado 150 and the Lexus GX. Does anyone know how different the cab dimensions are between the Lexus and the 4Runner? Not sure it could be a direct fit.

 

[1engineer]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...ebut-2010-4runner-baja-1000-ivan-stewart.html

 

[Jefffeet]

I cannot comment on Euro models -vs-North American examples, however Safety Devices cages typically fit extremely close to the interior of the vehicle. It is probable that the SD cage was patterned using a non-sunroof vehicle. For an event like Baja you might consider a custom cage that would exploit every part of the rules for your class, linking all suspension points to the cage would be preferable, if the rules allow.

 

[gago1101]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...ebut-2010-4runner-baja-1000-ivan-stewart.html

I have checked that one out. I think it was built by Toyota itself (TMS Motorsports Technical Center, Torrance, CA).

I have a feeling I will end up doing this custom, but the look of the Safety Devices cage is appealing as I would still be able to use the truck for daily use.
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150 Station Wagon Multi Point Bolt-in Roll Cage | Safety Devices ? Experts In Automotive Safety Solutions

I am waiting for my Score International rule book and the answer from Safety Devices, will update.

If you guys know of good fabricators in the Bay area CA, please share.

 

[8JulietDelta]

I have checked that one out. I think it was built by Toyota itself (TMS Motorsports Technical Center, Torrance, CA).

I have a feeling I will end up doing this custom, but the look of the Safety Devices cage is appealing as I would still be able to use the truck for daily use.
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150 Station Wagon Multi Point Bolt-in Roll Cage | Safety Devices ? Experts In Automotive Safety Solutions

I am waiting for my Score International rule book and the answer from Safety Devices, will update.

If you guys know of good fabricators in the Bay area CA, please share.

Check out TC Designs. Tony puts out some awesome work. We used him for the race cars but I'm sure he could help you out.

TC Design

 

[jrob]

Most racing organizations require weld in cages anyhow. There are usually minimum requirements for tubing specs, welds, and connection points. Bolt in cages and connection points are seldom, if ever approved. I was looking into a cage for my 350z for road racing and it was gonna be $$$$. I imagine one for a big SUV would be quite involved.
Good luck! That would be an awesome race!

Edit: just looked at your garage pictures. Your truck is one of the images that came up when I started searching 5th gen 4runners. It was the first lifted one I saw and it was extremely influential and motivating for me to purchase the 2010 that I have today.
Thanks!

 

[Grabber]

Purchase RuleBook

I think you need this. You can find rough info on-line but it's all in here.

 

[CarborundumK]

Sorry to bring back a pretty old thread but I wanted to see if anyone had gone through with a cage on a 5th gen.

I am not after a Score tagged cage for Dakar but I am toying around with the idea of a small rally where 4 or 6 point roll bars are encouraged (or required now).

 

[METIS]

Check out TC Designs. Tony puts out some awesome work. We used him for the race cars but I'm sure he could help you out.

TC Design

2nd. TC is the only cage fabricator to use in the SF Bay Area.

 

[CarborundumK]

2nd. TC is the only cage fabricator to use in the SF Bay Area.

If they are still getting recommendations after five years from the original post I take that as a good sign - cheers!

I am waiting for a call back from another fabricator that is a little closer (okay, 1,000 miles closer) but I will give TC a call as well. I should be in California for some wheeling later this summer and could always drop the 4Runner off for some work afterwards.

 

[Jetboy]

FWIW - it's really hard to build a proper cage in a vehicle with a hard top. Just physically fitting it in to place without welding in place is pretty tricky. That's why most SCORE type cages on stock class vehicles actually have cut the entire cab top off, built the cage, then welded the cab top back on to make it look "stock" for manufacturer reasons.

The closest vehicle I know of to what you want is probably Canguro racing. They have a race approved cage in Monica and I don't think they cut the top off. But they also did basically remove the entire interior, so it's not very stock looking.

I would be totally fine personally with a bolt together cage for safety when you consider it's also supplemented by the OEM structure. I would also look to FJ80 landcruisers for some ideas on how to fit a cage with an interior. There are a lot of them out there.

Finally - a tube cage without cross braces is basically worthless. No point in doing it without adding some lateral sheer bracing IMO. And when you do that you're going to make some major compromises to your interior space.

good luck!

 

[CarborundumK]

FWIW - it's really hard to build a proper cage in a vehicle with a hard top. Just physically fitting it in to place without welding in place is pretty tricky. That's why most SCORE type cages on stock class vehicles actually have cut the entire cab top off, built the cage, then welded the cab top back on to make it look "stock" for manufacturer reasons.

The closest vehicle I know of to what you want is probably Canguro racing. They have a race approved cage in Monica and I don't think they cut the top off. But they also did basically remove the entire interior, so it's not very stock looking.

I would be totally fine personally with a bolt together cage for safety when you consider it's also supplemented by the OEM structure. I would also look to FJ80 landcruisers for some ideas on how to fit a cage with an interior. There are a lot of them out there.

Finally - a tube cage without cross braces is basically worthless. No point in doing it without adding some lateral sheer bracing IMO. And when you do that you're going to make some major compromises to your interior space.

good luck!

Hi Jetboy,

Thank you! I have a few FJ80 builds from Mud and Pirate on file but I forgot to look at Canguro racing's 200 series. Cheers! If one of the shops I contacted comes up with something brilliant for the 5th gen I will be sure to share but after mocking something up this morning to check clearances it looks a lot tighter than I thought it would be (I must have been dreaming of a Tundra when I posted this question last night).

Just for anyone else with the same 'bright idea' to look at cages for a 5th gen, I agree that you would want, make that need cross-bracing. The setup I was thinking of was similar to an FJ80 setup I wheeled in with a friend in Thailand years ago. It was a braced cage from behind the driver seat to the rear hatch but it was not fully caged from the A pillar to the B pillar. It had a door brace from the B-pillar down along the driver and passenger doors to the base of the A-pillar. It wasn't tagged or intended for racing or doing anything for you in a front end collision. The guy who built it was an engineering consultant for Ford and Toyota in Thailand and designed this setup to provide rollover protection without putting a big pipe near the driver or front passenger's head. For a street driven, weekend wheeled vehicle it seemed like a decent compromise.

 

[phillyd2]

For reference we also have a thread on all the things NOT to do.....