Cage theory questions

[94xjsport94]

I bought a bender, notcher, and angle finder from a friend this weekend for a good deal. My winter/ fall project is a cage on the shitbox.

Currently:
05+ SD 60, 10.5 rear, 5.38's, 39" Krawlers, and some other junk. I have a B pillar hoop with an X tied into the B pillar of the Jeep now. I had a full D&C cage but pulled it out because I felt too cramped and wanted something different.

I want to do a chop like this:

I want the cage to resemble Ross's:

Should I do a halo around the roof and the tie A pillars into that or run A pillar bars up and across the roof line the length of the Jeep and tie them in with spreaders and why?

I am also a big fan of this hybrid cage on here:

I want to have a slight point in the middle above the windshield and then do whatever is stronger/ better in relation to the question above. I'll be doing a cowl spreader and 2 windshield bars too. Spreaders on the roof as needed and then another X on the C pillars with hoops coming down into the rear or dovetailed into the rear bumper.

 

[Jbh97009]

I have nothing really to add in regards to cages.... Other than I prefer the hybrid all day long, and I wouldn't personally chop mine. If you do chop it I would do it just like the one you posted above.

I really just wanted to say I love your jeep! The stance and those tires, wow!
Get a build thread going when you get started please!

 

[94xjsport94]

Thanks! I don't have a build on here but will probably make one when I start the cage. If I don't chop it I will be removing all the glass, making the rear half doors complete, and removing the hatch. Just think it would look funny without a hatch... Mine is messed up and it needs new shocks so why not just take it off lol.

 

[ROKRWLR]

I did a full c pillar hoop with a halo on mine then i pieced on a pillar bars and gusseted the connection. B pillar was the typical up through the roof bar (still had doors at that time). I found this was the easiest way for me to piece the tubework together in my small garage. I also didn't want to attempt the crazy bend that would be a pillar, roof bar, and c pillar all combined. that was way to 3d for me and my first tube bending attempt!

Mine is chopped, doved, and bobbed a bit in back. The cage behind the c pillar forms the reinforcing of that and a cargo platform since i moved the tank up flush with the bottom of "frame"

I ran it with doors for a few years before they came off and I added tube sides on tying a,b, and c together.

here's a couple angles of it.

 

[94xjsport94]

That's sorta what mine will look like in the rear. I'm thinking I'm going to do the A pillar and roof pieces as one piece of DOM and then see where I want to go after the C pillar. I'll be chopping it up the week after thanksgiving.

 

[ROKRWLR]

I really wanted to bend one tube A pillar to D pillar, but after looking at it how complicated that was, I went the easier route. Maybe if I had Bend Tech, I would have tried it. On my cage, the halo, B pillar, C pillar and D pillar bars are all 2D bends, and the A pillar only had an extra 3D slight bend to keep it close to the body (this is the only 3D tube in the cage).


If you do dove the back, don't forget that you automatically lose length of the body after turning the fenders in (It's more than you think it would be). I decided not to screw with the rear sheet metal crossmember and rebuilt that section out of 2x4x1/4 tube. I also had 2x4 tubes that inserted into the chassis rails to tie it together. This gave a good place to land the rear cage bars, and stiffened up the rear of the chassis. I built new shackle hangers into the this crossmember that moved the hole forward for better geometry (unweighted in the picture) and was much stronger than the stock boxes.

I also welded a 1/8" plate skid under the rails to add additional stiffening and a place to mount the gas tank.

 

[94xjsport94]

Mine will be similar. My rear axle is stretched about 3-4". I built new front hangers and reused my shackle relocation brackets for the rear after I tied them into the frame and bumper. I will be adding some tube to the front going back to the frame rails to strengthen it up as well. Not sure how my rear bars will come back into the rear or where they will land. I need to add some 2x4 into the frame but removing my rear bumper is a pain in the ass. I'd like to land them on the back of the frame rails. My gas tank will be removed from being in the floor and I'll have a fuel cell over the hole where it was.

 

[ROKRWLR]

Any pictures of your spring hanger? Is it a modified hanger or completely new?

That's my next step after I finish rebuilding the new front axle. I'm stretched to 108" at ride height now. 1.5" is in the rear axle spring seats and the rest is up front in the 3 link. I left room to shift back in the shackle hangers. I'm in the forward hole now and have 2 more holes behind it. My goal is 2 more inches back at 110" total.

 

[94xjsport94]

I'm at 108" now. Most my friends are pretty dang close in their rigs so it's nice to be able to watch someone else and follow their line and see how the rigs will react. Eventually I'd like to end up around 110-113". I reused my Deaver leaf springs I had for the rear instead of using Chevy 63"'s.

Old pictures from a year ago. All 1/4" plate boxed in and then through bolted to the floor. I did something very similar to what CalXJ93/ Atmos did to his in the Seirra Section. The tube will go from the front of the shackle box back to the frame.

 

[Lowrange2]

That sure is a nice role model Jeep.