Easy Fix?

Anyone know an easy fix to make my roll bar functionable? It just mounts to the fenderwells, which of course won't do anything but crush them if it rolls over. I've got acess to a welder, but have little experience welding. I don't have acess to a pipe bender, which i was told would be needed to bend the pipe down to the frame. I don't plan on wheelin a lot, but if worse comes to worse I'd like a little protection.

 

Don't use pipe. Use tube.

 

this is all kinda new to me, i understand the basic concept of it, but i don't really know a lot about it.

Right now there are 1/4" plates under my fenders that the bar is mounted to, just come off of it and get to the frame from four points?? Or should I remove the plate and attatch directly to the bar itself.

 

I would keep the plates. Someone here posted some pics of the mounts a while back I can't remember who but I remember they accounted for the body flexing with some body mount like setup.

 

The fender mounts are the early roll bar, and I think they will hold. As long as there's plats to distribute the weight in a roll over they shouldn't pop through. If anything you can do more plate on the underside of it all (underneath the JEEP In the fenders)
and then brace to the sides. If you feel it is necessairy you can mount a later roll bar... I think... That goes to the floor. Someone may wanna check my reply.
I plan on using a fender mounted CJ5 par on my 2A.

 

If your going to do all that, you'll probably also want to add a front hoop by the winshield with a couple of spreader bars to protect you and the passenger if/when you roll.

 

There has been a lot of discussion all over the web on pipe VS different types of tube. There was a guy in Alaska I think it was that built a pretty killer rig all out of schedule 40 pipe. One of the guys here that I wheel with built a buggy out of schedule 40 pipe. DOM is as good as it gets, but take a look at some of the roll over pics and make your own choices. I don't think many of the jeeps in the roll over pics had DOM cages?

 

Guess I should have added, the pic is a spring bushing through a piece of tube. That is mounted to a piece of 1/4" angle gusset on my back bumper. It will go straight up to my back roll bar mount. I built my roll bar from a front hoop kit from 4wd hardware and some pieces of other roll bars. It came out pretty good. I was planning on tying mine to the frame also. I just haven't gotten that far yet. Probably this winter.

 

Cages mounted to the frame are always a better idea, but depending on your use perhaps not practical. If staying with plates, make sure the upper and lower plates are not the same size. This helps mitigate a "shear" effect if a rollover happens. Inspecting the condition of the sheet metal is a must, and could be the deciding factor for mounting options... If you decide to mount to the frame or fab a windshield hoop, this is not the project to hone your welding skills. Practice makes perfect, yes, but imperfection is NOT desired in this area... Find someone who is experienced with 'cage fabrication. JMHO!!