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Rollcage Questions

Discussion in 'Intermediate CJ-5/6/7/8' started by sleone, Jan 10, 2005.

  1. Jan 10, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2004
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    66
    I'm having a local shop build me a cage next week based off of the stage 2 design: http://www.jcroffroad.com/SWBcages.htm.

    This is my first jeep and my first cage. What suggestions do you have? I'm not too fond of the bow in the top and I think we're going to change that part of it to make it straight. If I have them space the front loop a little away from the dash will I still be able to remove the dash if I need to? Should I have them put a bar across the middle behind the seats?

    The guy is going to custom build it for me for $500. This sounds reasonable to me, but like I said, I've never done this before :) What do you think about prices? Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.

    Thanks
     
  2. Jan 10, 2005
    Boyink

    Boyink Super Moderator Staff Member

    Tulsa, OK
    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2002
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    Hi Steve -

    The site you posted is the place that's making the cage for SSDutch:
    http://www.boyink.com/supersizedutch_more/848_0_9_0_M/

    Not sure what you meant by:

    Do you mean how the spreaders (the inside bars that run front to back connecting the w/s hoop and the main middle bar, over the heads of the front seat passengers) have a bend in them?

    Not sure why the design as shown has that, headroom maybe? But note that if you just connect the center main hoop to the w/s hoop those bars will be at a different angle than the outer side bars. You'll have to decide what looks best to you.

    The other approach is to do the w/s hoop in one bar, then connect in to the main hoop with straight bars. I had this on my CJ5:
    [​IMG]

    But the fabricator talked me out of that approach for the CJ6.

    I'll have the same issue with spreaders, if you look at this pic, straight spreaders for the rear would be at a lightly different angle from the rear upper side bars. The alternatives were spreaders with a slight bend in them, or replacing the rear upper cross bar with a version with a bend at each end to place it up/out so straight spreaders will be parallel to the side bars.
    [​IMG]

    I choose the second approach, because it will also add some headroom.

    The side to side shoulder bar is great if you never use the back seat and want shoulder harnesses. For a family rig it'll always be in the way.

    Other considerations - TJ seatbelts that mount to the 'cage, seat mounts integrated into the cage, etc.

    $500 seems fair. I'm paying $800, but am also doing the integrated seat and seat belt mounts.
     
  3. Jan 10, 2005
    gte636p

    gte636p Member

    smyrna, Ga
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
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    492
    i just "finished" mine over the winter break, and it basically looks like boyink's old cage. i went for the bend in the middle 2 spreaders though, figuring that if it does roll it will take alot more force to bend those guys back straight than it would to bend them in the first place. other than that i don't really know what else to say. mine were bent locally and i did the welding. materials cost me $100 pre-bent but needed a little bit of attention and head scratching when it came time to weld everything in place.

    future plans for mine include the seat mounts boyink is talking about, and a bar across the front of the dash... just didn't have time/money to sit and think about things for very long.
     
  4. Jan 10, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2004
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    66
    The spreaders are what I'm talking about. I think I want them to be parallel to the outer bars like you described. I just think it's more aesthetically pleasing that way.
    I'm kinda leaning towards the shoulder bar so that if I decide to put in new seats I'll have the option of shoulder harnesses

    I'm thinking I want a cage that covers the back too, like the one in the link and what you're doing to SSDutch. I'm not sure what this will look like on a 5, hopefully it won't look goofy. Does anyone here have some pics of a 5 with a full cage?
     
  5. Jan 10, 2005
    Chris Insull

    Chris Insull All roads lead me back to the beach... 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Chesapeake, VA.
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    I wanted to do the same with mine but decided not to for "head clearance" reasons. It may sound (be) wrong, but with the angle of the soft top, all but the smallest kids would be banging their heads on every bump. (on or off-pavement!) I know that certain off road areas require the cage to cover all occupants, but I didn't want to restrict adults from riding in back. Future plans will be the design of a "non-permanent" rear seat cage. For the meantime, when I went over "pucker factor" obstacles out West, the rear seat passengers were cordially invited to get out and "spot". Just my .02 worth...
     
  6. Jan 10, 2005
    Boyink

    Boyink Super Moderator Staff Member

    Tulsa, OK
    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2002
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    With my Supertop on the CJ5, I couldn't build a cage that would be "above and behind" the rear seat passengers heads, due to the way Bestop decided that the rear of the top should have a slope to it.

    I always planned to solve that with a "dune bar" that would plug into the rear bumper.

    DanStew just posted pictures of his CJ5 cage last week...try a search.
     
  7. Jan 10, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2004
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    Well - I made my mind up somewhat ;) I just ordered racing seats from Summit and ordered a set of 4-point harnesses too. I guess we'll be integrating seats and belts into the cage.... :)

    DanStew sent me pictures of his cage and I like that design more than the JCR design. I'm going to take the fab shop some different pictures and see what we can come up with as far as including the features I want. I would like to be able to have full coverage over the rear seat and still be able to use the seat, have at least two frame tie-ins, and have the seats/harnesses integrated. I don't want the cage to detract from the overall appearance. A lot of the cages I see look too bulky or have to much going on.

    All of this gives me a good starting point. Thanks for the comments and keep em coming! I'm sure I'll see more stuff I want before next week when I drop it off!
     
  8. Jan 11, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2004
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    Does anybody know how the Summit seats are mounted? I'm going to tie them into the cage like we've discussed but I'm trying to get an idea of how they mount before I start. Do I need anything special? Thanks
     
  9. Jan 11, 2005
    53Flattie

    53Flattie Intigator

    Easley, SC
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
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    842
    Here is a full cage in a flatfender:

    [​IMG]

    And here is the seat tie-in (I think Boyink is using this same idea):

    [​IMG]

    I used the Summit seats. They have 6 mounting holes on the bottom (2 rows of three). I made a frame that would bolt to the seat bottom, then "cup" over the roll cage tubes and secure with 2 pins. I did this so I could remove the seats easily if I needed access to the tool box or the gas tank. I don't have any pictures on the 'net, but I have plenty at home if you'd like.

    Just my opinion - the seats are umcomfortable as HECK!

    Here's the final product:
    [​IMG]
     
  10. Jan 11, 2005
    Mudweiserjeep

    Mudweiserjeep JEEP: Bouncy and Fun

    tipp city, ohio
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  11. Jan 11, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
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    I would love to see 'em too. I saw where you could buy mounting brackets from Summit but I didn't know if I had to use them or how to do it.

    Are the two mounting bars parallel? How far are they from the gas tank/toolbox?
     
  12. Jan 11, 2005
    Boyink

    Boyink Super Moderator Staff Member

    Tulsa, OK
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    I gave that pic to the fabricator, but as it turns out the seat tie-ins in a CJ6 are much simpler, as the main/middle hoop goes all the way to the floor. Connecting the middle hoop and front w/s hoop is all a straight shot. It's a *bit* tight by the gas tank inlet, but I decided to do away with the underseat tank so not a big deal.
     
  13. Jan 12, 2005
    53Flattie

    53Flattie Intigator

    Easley, SC
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    I'm a little late, but here you go...

    Overall shot:
    [​IMG]

    Close-up of pin:
    [​IMG]

    Hope this helps.
     
  14. Jan 12, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
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    Thanks for the pics - they clarify it a lot! :) So if I'm reading correctly, there is another pin at the rear of the seat bracket as well?

    Do the seats move around at all? It seems that they would have some play since the hitch pin isn't tight against the rollcage bar.
     
  15. Jan 13, 2005
    53Flattie

    53Flattie Intigator

    Easley, SC
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    Good point Steve. I forgot this part... The front pin in vertical and the rear pin is horizontal. I thought about that same thing - that they would "jump" up off the bar, if you hit a big bump or something. Or, if you rolled, and were upside down, all the weight of the seat would be resting on the little cotter pin holding the larger pin.

    But - with a little more thought, I came to the realization that with the 4-pt harness attached to the cage, the seats wouldn't come all the way off in any event b/c the seat belts would hold everything together.

    Clear as mud?

    Obviously the drivers seat doesn't rattle, b/c there's weight in it. Even without someone in the passenger side, surprisingly, it doesn't rattle either. If it did, I planned to buy a bicycle inner-tube and split it to fit over the rollcage tubes - but never had to.
     
  16. Jan 13, 2005
    sleone

    sleone Member

    Auburn, AL
    Joined:
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    Clear as mud! :D I like the idea of being able to remove the seats if need be....

    Next question - How did you attach the harnesses to the cage? I bought the Y-style 4 point harnesses and was thinking about welding a bolt to the cage where they would attach so that the harnesses could be removed or replaced if the need arose but I'm thinking that it might not be the best way to go because the bolt could break. Whatya think? Thanks for the input!
     
  17. Jan 13, 2005
    Mudweiserjeep

    Mudweiserjeep JEEP: Bouncy and Fun

    tipp city, ohio
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    I like your set up 53Flattie.
     
  18. Jan 13, 2005
    53Flattie

    53Flattie Intigator

    Easley, SC
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    The belts I used (Simpson) had "tabs" on the ends with ~1/2" hole in them. I drilled holes in the cage and use a 1/2" bolt. I think you can get belts with hooks on the ends (like a "dog chain") so they can be removed easily - FWIW.
     
  19. Jan 13, 2005
    jtgroover

    jtgroover Its a Jeep alright

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    I have the summit Seats in my 72 there is 6 Threaded Points on the bottom side for mounting them the stock mounts in my jeep had a wider mounting bracket so we had to modify it to work correctly
     
  20. Jan 13, 2005
    Boyink

    Boyink Super Moderator Staff Member

    Tulsa, OK
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    I should have pics of how SSDutch's is done soon...if I understood the approach the fabricator was talking about he was going to drill large holes in the cage (1" maybe?), then weld in solid steel bar, then drill and tap that for the harness to bolt into.
     
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