Frame tie in's

I currently run a full cage in my 1974 CJ6. I am getting ready to have it tied to the frame and was looking for opinions. I have seen it done many ways but have concerns with all of them. The way I am gonna have it done is have custom rocker guards made which will obviously double as rocker protection and cage tie ins for the A and B pillar legs. Then the rear legs will tie in on their own directly t othe frame. There are three ways which I have thought of doing it.
The first is to weld the tie-ins/rocker guards directly to the frame with bolts at the cage feet effectivly making one solid unit. This worries me becuse it will remove all flex from the frame from the A pillars back. I am most concerned that the front of the frame will still flex and possibly break the frame at the welds at some point.
The second is to still use the rocker guards and rear mount welded to the frame but include a bushing mount between the cage and rockers to allow some flex.
The third is to not weld the rockers to the frame, but to bolt them to the frame that way I would only weaken the frame by drilling bolt holes. Then I would either run the bushing or solid mounts to the cage.
I am probably over thinking this but I only have one frame and this is a pretty drastic change My jeep does not see a ton of crazy off-roading, but I want to make it as safe as possible. Any suggestions or experiences would help a ton. Thanks

Scott

 

I like spring type bushings, there are a few links in the thread below too.

http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73653&highlight=cage

 

Scott,

Here is a whole thread on pirate I started asking about cage to frame tie in's...
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...ght=aallison28

There is some good information there. Personally, I like the one's that are premade and have the poly bushing. I think that is what I'm going to use on mine. Just make sure you design them so they do not make a "hinge" point in the cage.

I also like the one's that come up to a pad and you put a thick rubber bushing on top of the pad, then the tub, then the top of the pad that the cage attaches to. Then it's all through bolted together.

 

Pretty much any frame tie you do will decrease the frame flex from the a pillar back. After I did my frame ties I could feel the floor board flexing under my feet in front of the A pillar. I had stringer run from the a pillar to the grill hoop on each side and added some frame ties in the engine bay. This removed the frame flex completely from the entire jeep and allowed the suspension to do its job.

 

Thanks for the links. I read a bunch of the pirate ones last night. I think that I am gonna go with the poly bushings. My next question is should I weld the rocker protection to the frame or make it so it will bolt on and off? I am definately gonna start thinking about tieing the front into the cage as well. I already have a front stinger and tube fenders so it will just be a matter of tieing them all togther.

 

Really don't like this idea, problem being the bolts aren't "tight". The rubber is allowed to flex and the bolt tention isn't constant making them easier to break.

 

New linky updatie

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=840005&highlight=cage+frame+tie