Exo Cage design

[CRASH]

Yes but when the body flexes it will rip thoese bolts right out.

Mike, I don't know what kind of experience you have with XJ's, but on several threads, you have proven to me that you don't know what the hell you are talking about.

We have done empirical experiments with 2 and 4 door XJ's, measuring deflection under load with and without cages and frame reinforcements, and I can tell you that even an uncaged XJ doesn't flex as much as people think. With an 8 point cage, they are very, very stiff. There are some points vulnerable to deflection, like the rear hatch area, but a couple of simple gussets can even fix that.

Rant off, carry on.

 

[rockwerks]

I like the tie-ins to the rain-gutter/pinch seam, an excellent idea on a unibody.

c-rok has those gutter tie ins as an option also

 

[JeepFreak21]

You could but where you would be exiting the roof, more the likely it would be too close to the pinch seam on the gutters to get that tight of a seal and even with the cage the body will probably flex enough to wallow out the gromit. Just saying I wouldnt do it on my dd. Hell my cb antenna cable that runs out my driver door and along the gutter makes my jeep fill with water when it rains and you think 2 or more rubber gromits wont leak?

The URF cages all go through the roof. Maybe CRASH, Jes, Gary E, or SeanP will chime in.
Billy

edit: -1

 

[rockwerks]

Mike, I don't know what kind of experience you have with XJ's, but on several threads, you have proven to me that you don't know what the hell you are talking about.

We have done empirical experiments with 2 and 4 door XJ's, measuring deflection under load with and without cages and frame reinforcements, and I can tell you that even an uncaged XJ doesn't flex as much as people think. With an 8 point cage, they are very, very stiff. There are some points vulnerable to deflection, like the rear hatch area, but a couple of simple gussets can even fix that.

Rant off, carry on.

x2 kinda what I was eluding too

 

[CanMan]

I have been looking and reconsidering my plans on this. I may just go with a full cage inside(give the passangers something to hold on to), and just some on the outside around the fenderwells and hood area.

Ive helped on roll cages on unibody as well as full framed cars before IE: 1st gen Camaros, Mustangs, Novas, Chevelle, C10, since thats what my unk does for a living. Ill probably have him give me some pointers and maybe help fab the tubes up. I probably wont be wheelin the XJ hard enough to need an exo cage, just some protection incase something goes wrong. Looking at pix, most people dont even have a cage of any sort.

 

[88rockxj]

Yes but when the body flexes it will rip thoese bolts right out.

umm no it wont , i dont know where you got that idea but its wrong, dead wrong. a properly built cage that goes as far as exo and interior parts to the cage it will be tied into the frame rails which is part of the body (jeeps are unibodys if ya didnt know there capt) and the cage and body will be one unit.


body flex is for suspensions that arnt built properly, if youre building a cage build your suspension properly, the suspension is built to flex that is why its there. just becuase you flex your xj on some rocks and open your hatch and it wont shut dont mean its going to rip those 4 bolts out, and those 4 bolts will be acompanied by atleast 12 other bolts.


and just a question, have you ever even built a cage, exo or interior for that matter?

 

[JeepFreak21]

I have been looking and reconsidering my plans on this. I may just go with a full cage inside(give the passangers something to hold on to), and just some on the outside around the fenderwells and hood area.

Check out the URF style "roof rack" too... it may be a good compromise for you.
Billy

 

[davidt]

this one has held up well, one of my buddies (Jake Hallenbeck) did it. My favorite and most functional I have seen

 

[mikecooper]

No i havent built one in an xj, maybe im wrong, never said i wasnt. I posted my "opinion" to what i "thought" was correct. As for my experience from the body flexing, it bas building a cage on an 83 yota with 383 stroker, 205,207, portal axles and no frame stiffening(other than the cage) on 53" michelin xls. When the rear was at full droop the cab creaked and wallowed out where the x behind the drivers seat tied into the roof about .5". Ok I am wrong shoot me, f****s

 

[CanMan]

this one has held up well, one of my buddies (Jake Hallenbeck) did it. My favorite and most functional I have seen

Is that 1.75 x .120 DOM, or a different size, or material like chromoly? I like it.

Id like to see the pix of the yota on 53 inchers, if you dont mind.

 

[mikecooper]

dont have any pics, was way b4 my digi days and i wasnt much of a photographer. the yota is long gone but the 383 now lives in a 69 c10.

 

[88rockxj]

No i havent built one in an xj, maybe im wrong, never said i wasnt. I posted my "opinion" to what i "thought" was correct. As for my experience from the body flexing, it bas building a cage on an 83 yota with 383 stroker, 205,207, portal axles and no frame stiffening(other than the cage) on 53" michelin xls. When the rear was at full droop the cab creaked and wallowed out where the x behind the drivers seat tied into the roof about .5". Ok I am wrong shoot me, f****s

well ummmm if hes gonna be going with 53" tires and rockwells/portals im pretty sure that he would be saying bye bye to the stock uni body frame rails


dont you?if he didnt then those 4 bolts ripping through his roof would be the least of his problems

 

[BrettM]

No i havent built one in an xj, maybe im wrong, never said i wasnt. I posted my "opinion" to what i "thought" was correct. As for my experience from the body flexing, it bas building a cage on an 83 yota with 383 stroker, 205,207, portal axles and no frame stiffening(other than the cage) on 53" michelin xls. When the rear was at full droop the cab creaked and wallowed out where the x behind the drivers seat tied into the roof about .5". Ok I am wrong shoot me, f****s

a uni-body is a whole different animal then a cab on frame

 

[BrettM]

this one has held up well, one of my buddies (Jake Hallenbeck) did it. My favorite and most functional I have seen

"has held up well"

to what? a flop? multiple flops? half roll? full roll? a couple rolls?

 

[davidt]

flops and a full roll, not sure on the material...

 

[Chattxj]

I dont know which monthly issue, but in Petersons magazine they had a 4 door XJ with an exo cage and it looked pretty good. If I can find it in my house ill tell you which month it is.

 

[Beej]

As for my experience from the body flexing, it bas building a cage on an 83 yota with 383 stroker, 205,207, portal axles and no frame stiffening(other than the cage) on 53" michelin xls. When the rear was at full droop the cab creaked and wallowed out where the x behind the drivers seat tied into the roof about .5". Ok I am wrong shoot me, f****s

Oh yeah? Well I built an 84 yota with a 385 double-stroker, 206, 208 and double portal axles with full quad-quadio and no frame stiffening and my cab didn't move at all when ramping 10459 on a 90 degree ramp...

dont have any pics, was way b4 my digi days and i wasnt much of a photographer. the yota is long gone but the 383 now lives in a 69 c10.

So even though you managed to build and run what must have been an unbelievable mechanical acheivement, you didn't document it?
Unbelievable...

 

[CanMan]

So even though you managed to build and run what must have been an unbelievable mechanical acheivement, you didn't document it?
Unbelievable...

I was kinda thinkin the same thing. Even a noob does, which I have on my '64 El Camino and '69 Chevelle SS, which im not a noob to.

 

[JeepFreak21]

I have on my '64 El Camino and '69 Chevelle SS

Pics in 30 minutes or I call BS!





















Billy :laugh3:

 

[CanMan]

Heres the links to the two:

68_Chevelle

and

My_'64

and

'66_Malibu

and

'67_Camaro

And yes they are mine, But im selling the 1966 Chevelle (Anyone?) to buy an XJ of course!