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Rusty's Off Road roll bar

J

jamesbtaylorjt

NAXJA Forum User
Location
hobart indiana
I just found this roll bar by Rusty's. It's just a single hoop that mounts to the floor and the driver and passanger seat belt mounts. Would this be enough reinforcement for the unibody to put a sliding rag top in?
 
I don't think you really need more reinforcement to put in a ragtop. I doubt the sheetmetal roof itself is doing a whole lot to keep the body stiff. Couldn't hurt, but even that 'roll bar' won't do anything for structural integrity.
 
One hoop ain't gonna get it for support of the roof. The sheetmetal provides a great deal of strength to the roof structure. I suggest that a 6 point cage tied in to the unibody is a suitable way to regain the strength lost by cutting out the top of the roof.
 
After seeing one in person on someone else's rig it surely is more of a "show bar".
Better than nothing, but not by much.
 
Between the roof braces "side to side" bracing and I would assume the "rails" running lenghtwise in the roof metal there is alot of structure.
Thought experiment... Imagine a cereal box with both ends open. It flexes side to side right? if you add braces it will effectivly stiffen the box up.
Thats what our jeeps are like, a big cereal box with stiffeners... (no toy inside), once you start cutting them out you are going to get more and more flex. This is where the "Taco" term comes from. This just isnt one of those things you can slap in, Unibodies behave much different than cab on frame vehicles.
 
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T and J Performance has a good deal on a weld-in cage.

I know you said in your other email that you didn't have the cash for building a cage but its fairly affordable. Don't do the top till you can afford the cage.
 
2 hoops like that, 1 at the b pillar and 1 at the c pillar tied together with braces and tied into the pillars like the rustys single hoop would replace the structure cut out for the sliding ragtop. That seems to be a lot of work to have a sort of open top.
 
jamesbtaylorjt said:
I just found this roll bar by Rusty's. It's just a single hoop that mounts to the floor and the driver and passanger seat belt mounts. Would this be enough reinforcement for the unibody to put a sliding rag top in?
Click to expand...
What do you plan to do with the jeep? Mild, Hardcore, street? If you plan on wheeling it just do a full cage.
 
That bar isn't going to add much rigidity since its a single hoop. That bar is mostly just designed to save your skull; not your jeep. Take a carboard box, and try to twist it. Then cut a large hole in one side of the box. Now, try twisting it again. Hopefully, that painted a strong enough picture in your head to help you formulate a plan to combat the strength loss.
 
and if you are that intent on having an open air vehicle, get a wrangler or bronco with the removable back piece.
I dont want to discourage an experiment in modification, but its a bit of work for no gain in performance to put a rain-leaking roof rag top on. I bought an xj that the PO had installed a damn sun-roof in and all that thing did was leak. Might as well go full monty and cage it then cut the roof off from the b-pillar back.
 
I had to sell my 4 door jk when work got slow and miss it badly. Always liked the xj and couldn't afford another jk so got it. But I just want to look up and see the blue sky when I'm driving. I only do light wheeling a few times a year. It's used for towing my motorcycles and boats mostly.
 
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