well cutting the crap out of it... A little feedback is good

[RWKHausSupply]

Well cutting the top and most of the sides off the XJ. Also removing the cage and going to redo it all with new seats, new tube and hopfully alot less lbs..

Here are the first shots. Any recommendations? I am going to do 1x3x.120 tube up to rockers at existing XJ floor hieght about the same distance out as the stock rockers (meaning about 5" higher then it was with rocker gaurds). Then build a cage tube stucture off of that. Keeping leafs in the rear, got new seats and goin to replate the foor in the seat mounting area.

Thanks

PS drank a decent amount of Gentlemans before and during this to help with the design lol...

 

[Goatman]

.120 wall is too light for the rockers.


Have fun,

 

[vetteboy]

Cutting these things apart is really kind of a pain in the ass. Especially once you get to the rear wheelwell area...there's like all these different layers of sheetmetal, and you think you've cut through everything and somehow the damn piece is still hangin there.

I would also advise against .120 for something that will be hitting other things.

 

[BrettM]

What are your goals?

Why keep the rear 1/4 panels?

Steal some ideas from Scrappy's rig

 

[RWKHausSupply]

well the thought for the .120 wall was for the structure, then plating the structure with .25 and doing boat sides.

I am not keeping the rear 1/4's, I just needed to get the roof off asap so to remove the cage adn seel it as a whole. I will be removing the rockers adn then at the rear wheel wells coming back to the outer side to keep as much as feesable of the well to help with crap from being thrown into the cab adn in hopes to keep it less prone to cops pulling me over when I do ever drive it on the streets.

I will be removing the entire upper portion pretty much from the floor up, windshield back, except the rear wells as mentioned.

As for the upper tube work I am thinking that I might go 4130/40 in a 1.5x.065, to help with wieght, any opinions here?

 

[RWKHausSupply]

another question that maybe someone can help me on..

IF I go cell above the floor, what pump do I run? Do they make low cost cells with internal pumps? I dont ever remember seeing any. SO If I do a ext pump I have to get a ext regulator with return right? I read like 55psi was good to the rail?

 

[Goatman]

If you're going to keep it licensed then you need to keep the factory tank and fuel cell, or go through some crap getting it smogged. I guess the Jeepspeed guys do it, but no one else really does.

I wouldn't bother using chromoly, the small weight savings isn't worth the extra risk of it not getting properly welded. Most of the tube work is only a few hundred pounds anyway.


BTW, what axles are you running, and what tire size?

 

[cracker]

Good Job robert. Cut that shit up

Don't forget the windshield

 

[RWKHausSupply]

If you're going to keep it licensed then you need to keep the factory tank and fuel cell, or go through some crap getting it smogged. I guess the Jeepspeed guys do it, but no one else really does.

I wouldn't bother using chromoly, the small weight savings isn't worth the extra risk of it not getting properly welded. Most of the tube work is only a few hundred pounds anyway.


BTW, what axles are you running, and what tire size?

Ummm.. Ok sounds better anyways, since I full 20ft stick and then some other like 5-10ft pieces of 1.75x120 DOM. Guess I will just use that.

Yeah I figured that the take might cause DOT and smog issues..not to mention $$ issues lol

I am on the HP30 will all the bling crap and 8.8 rear with full truss and also chromo axles and such. Tires are 35's. I never plan on goingn bigger then 35's, but one day may upgrade the front axle, but no plans currently. I am mainly doingn this to gain more interior room (with the int cage and being my size it was cramped), to loose some weight (after the cage is got slow and heavy), and to raise the rockers...

 

[RWKHausSupply]

Good Job robert. Cut that shit up

Don't forget the windshield

Nope windshield is staying for many reasons...

 

[RWKHausSupply]

made a little progress today. Was able to cut out the A-pillars of the old cage, cut off the old rocker gaurds, and cut out the rockers and pass side rear 1/4.

Have to ask though....

How high have others gone in the rocker hight when tubing them and doing any kind of boat or smooth frame to rocker area? I found that when cutting that a 3.5x3.5" piece of tube would fit very nicly in the front area that was left after cutting, and mold in nicly in the rear area of the rocker. Making for a clean and easy attachment to the body and firewall. But that leaves the bottom of the rocker level with the floor. I dont know if I should go any higher though, since getting in and out would sacrifice and at 6'4 and 280lbs I need the room.

heres where its at now..

 

[Mike L]

Ummm.. Ok sounds better anyways, since I full 20ft stick and then some other like 5-10ft pieces of 1.75x120 DOM. Guess I will just use that.

Yeah I figured that the take might cause DOT and smog issues..not to mention $$ issues lol

I am on the HP30 will all the bling crap and 8.8 rear with full truss and also chromo axles and such. Tires are 35's. I never plan on goingn bigger then 35's, but one day may upgrade the front axle, but no plans currently. I am mainly doingn this to gain more interior room (with the int cage and being my size it was cramped), to loose some weight (after the cage is got slow and heavy), and to raise the rockers...

So whose chromo 8.8 shafts do you have?

 

[RWKHausSupply]

So whose chromo 8.8 shafts do you have?

Yukon has them and you can order them from moser I believe? Alloy USA also told me about 3-4 months ago that they were going to release them very soon.

Oh mine are yukon.

 

[Mike L]

Yukon has them and you can order them from moser I believe? Alloy USA also told me about 3-4 months ago that they were going to release them very soon.

Oh mine are yukon.

Just curious, thanks. :sunshine:

 

[RWKHausSupply]

well havent gotten much else done, Waiting on some guy to come get the cage, then I can lay out the seats and build around them. But here are two pictures of it with the existing cage that is coming out.

If anyone cares to mark up where they think cage members should go that would be great. I have a few idea's but all the more ideas and thoughts the better.

I will say that I am inserting 3.5x3.5x120 tube in to the front firewall opening seen in the pictures and it spans back to the rear rocker cutout area and I am welding it to both ends as complete as poss. Then taking 14"x30" of 3/16" plate and welding it to the inside of that tube at floor level and then welding it to the floor and bolting it to the old seat studs and then through bolting it through the floor to the frame plates that are currently welded to the sleeved frame rails. then doing 1x3x.120 tube from the frame up to the rocker tube, and finially taking 3/16" plate and semi boat siding it as far forward as I can without blocking the full traction control arm bolts.

So the under side and rocker foundation should be pretty well taken care off, as well as having the existing door hinges to use as tie in areas and the front and rear bumpers. so its mainly just a cage to work out as not having is hideous looking, but that may not be poss.

 

[BrettM]

I would make new A-pillars that sit just outside the windshield frame, both for aesthetics, and to help protect the windshield during sliding or flops.

I would also get rid of those giant triangle gussets. They don't look to be adding much strength, and if you really need/want a large gusset there it would look much better with tube.

I think you would benefit from using thin-wall chromo (.090, I wouldn't use .065) for interior supports like an X behind the seats, but I would use .120 or even .188 in any place that would contact ground on a full roll.

 

[RWKHausSupply]

I would make new A-pillars that sit just outside the windshield frame, both for aesthetics, and to help protect the windshield during sliding or flops.

I would also get rid of those giant triangle gussets. They don't look to be adding much strength, and if you really need/want a large gusset there it would look much better with tube.

I think you would benefit from using thin-wall chromo (.090, I wouldn't use .065) for interior supports like an X behind the seats, but I would use .120 or even .188 in any place that would contact ground on a full roll.

Well that cage you see is coming out, I posted that but maybe it wasnt seen? In any case yeah it will be all tube this time. I was going to do all chromo but as mentioned it really wont save much weight, so planning on A&B, front exo portion and rear down tubes to be 1.75x.120 DOM, then do all interior tube in a 1.5 or even 1" for gussets.

 

[tech kid]

well havent gotten much else done, Waiting on some guy to come get the cage, then I can lay out the seats and build around them. But here are two pictures of it with the existing cage that is coming out.

If anyone cares to mark up where they think cage members should go that would be great. I have a few idea's but all the more ideas and thoughts the better.

I will say that I am inserting 3.5x3.5x120 tube in to the front firewall opening seen in the pictures and it spans back to the rear rocker cutout area and I am welding it to both ends as complete as poss. Then taking 14"x30" of 3/16" plate and welding it to the inside of that tube at floor level and then welding it to the floor and bolting it to the old seat studs and then through bolting it through the floor to the frame plates that are currently welded to the sleeved frame rails. then doing 1x3x.120 tube from the frame up to the rocker tube, and finially taking 3/16" plate and semi boat siding it as far forward as I can without blocking the full traction control arm bolts.

So the under side and rocker foundation should be pretty well taken care off, as well as having the existing door hinges to use as tie in areas and the front and rear bumpers. so its mainly just a cage to work out as not having is hideous looking, but that may not be poss.

sorry if im asking a question that has nothin to do with this build, but how much tube do ya have in the current cage? just wondering since im about to build a similar cage in the cherokee im getting this weekend.

preciate the help

 

[tealcherokee]

most cages run 80-120 feet depending on how nuts you get

 

[RWKHausSupply]

well no one is really coming up with any tubing locations but I am about to do something like this unless I get some reason to change...