Here is what I was thinking of building for my exo design that will hopefully start this week.

Came up with this at work on my last day of graveyard shift and since nobody else was there might as well be productive.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/exo/design/rough1.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/exo/design/rough2.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/exo/design/rough3.jpg

The solidworks file for who ever wants it. It does have the correctish dimensions for a 2000 ext cab tacoma.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/exo/design/exo.SLDPRT


Any corrections you guys think I should make?

cool and thanks for the file

that looks good. thats pretty close to how i want mine to look. im gunna start with a bed cage this summer i think. not sure if im gunna do a bed bar along the outside, wouldnt be a bad idea..

hey great design i wish i thought of it for mine its close to urs how much time did u spend thinking that up cause i spent months on mine

Doesnt the frame slope down from the rear?

Looks sweet though.

Nothing along the roofline to the A-pillar?

Doesnt the frame slope down from the rear?

Looks sweet though.

The frame does slope a little bit but thats why the dimension aren't perfect. This was just a guide for now.

Nothing along the roofline to the A-pillar?

Right now its only going to be a half exo. I will finish the truck fully at a later time or after I do the back half. I bought 250ft of 1.75x.120 wall DOM so I should have enough.

hey great design i wish i thought of it for mine its close to urs how much time did u spend thinking that up cause i spent months on mine

A few local guys had exos and seeing some pictures on the web.

I'd put a diagonal between the two main hoops to make sure the load spreads towards the rear.


:mr-t:

I'd put a diagonal between the two main hoops to make sure the load spreads towards the rear.


:mr-t:

Do you mean on the top between the two B-pillars? Or also along the sides too?

Do you mean on the top between the two B-pillars? Or also along the sides too?

Yeah.

Instead of the single tube down the middle, go from drivers side rear, (since that's where you're going to run the diagonal behind the cab to) to the front on the passenger side.

You could put an X up there, but one tube will do the job.


:mr-t:

The only complaint I have aside from the above post is the ladder style over what Im guessing is the ext. cab section. Nothing really wrong with it, just think it could look a little better.

not bitching, just trying to give constructive critisism.

Nothing wrong with constructive critisism. I'm changing the top part right now to include the diagonal on the top.

Whats a good way to protect the ext cab back with tubing instead of using a ladder design? I'm trying to protect the cab and I thought that bar would line up good with the tube doors but I'm differently up for ideas.

Here is a redesign of the top. I just need to learn how to do the tubing a little better.

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/exo/design/rough4.jpg
Right now I've been using 3D sketch and hopefully the line was lined up correctly then doing a plane normal to the line . Next I draw the circle on the plane. Next a sweep to make the tubing. There has to be a better way of drawing the tubing.

Anyone have a good website for drawing tubing in solidworks?

[QUOTE=Shefron;8095043]Here is a redesign of the top. I just need to learn how to do the tubing a little better.

QUOTE]


Run it to the opposite corners so you have a node on the driver side.


:mr-t:

You could think about doing something like this to help transfer more of the stress on the front part. The first is if you were gonna exo the whole thing. Or the second would be keeping the half exo. Yours looks good, these are just some thoughts I had. I'm not bashing, just trying to be constructive.

You could think about doing something like this to help transfer more of the stress on the front part. The first is if you were gonna exo the whole thing. Or the second would be keeping the half exo. Yours looks good, these are just some thoughts I had. I'm not bashing, just trying to be constructive.

X2 on the add-ons CORAM. I really like the design of this cage in general.

I probably should just do the full exo at once. I do like the lines of the updated cage by CORam.

Came up with this at work on my last day of graveyard shift and since nobody else was there might as well be productive.


i hate you:flipoff2: my brother works graveyard as an electrical engineer at a factory where he gets paid big bucks to do his homework for college courses...you guys suck! i gotta slave for the man!:D

i hate you:flipoff2: my brother works graveyard as an electrical engineer at a factory where he gets paid big bucks to do his homework for college courses...you guys suck! i gotta slave for the man!:D

Its not as much fun as you think. Staying awake on dayshift when your tired is easy compared to mids. The body starts to hurt alot.

Curious why folks don't drop two verticals directly behind the cab to the frame, and then add on some outer hoops off of those to protect the rest of the rear of the cab and tie into the outside (sliders) or whatever. Hopefully this isn't too confusing since I don't have anything to post, picture-wise. Basically, the two outer-most hoops directly behind the cab span the entire width of the cab and tie into virtually nothing but the sliders or whatever on the outside of the cab. I like the design but like I said earlier, I'd make the two main verticals behind the cab drop through the bed, directly to the frame. Cross-brace those for your center pillar of strength, then build two outer hoops off of the top of that structure to go out over the bed rails and down to your sliders. You can also put some sort of bracing or support between the frame-mounted verticals and the outer hoops to help strengthen the outer hoops from collapsing. Do you kinda see what I'm getting at?

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=363166&stc=1&d=1207288988

Ok I somewhat did this design minus the two bends on the runners.

A little storage unit I had to make to keep the tubing out of the way. 260 ft of 1.75Dia by .120 Wall DOM by 20ft. The brackets made from scrap metal laying around the garage. They held up perfectly.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Storage.jpg

The setup for bending and cutting. And the o famous HF horizontal bandsaw. Worked like a freaking charm.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/setup.jpg

Tack welded B pillar. Its alot tighter to the body then whats pictures but ran into a problem with how much the body's roof slants in the back. Couldn't bend the top of the B pillar due to the X brace that needs to be fab up.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Bpillar.jpg
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Bpillar2.jpg

Mocked up of the halo for the roof. Ran out of time to cut the legs to the right size and notch. We are going to build supports right behind the doors. Also picture of my two newbie helpers.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Halo.jpg


We fucked up 3 sticks trying to make the B-pillar :eek:. I just had a bad day of measuring stuff correctly and using the right lines. All the fucked up sticks will be used on something else with no problem. We also manage to get the runners made but no pictures since I need to notch them. We are going to tack weld the exo together then cut the welds on the frame so I can weld it up fully.

lookin good man. If you havent bent up a mock 90 already you should. Its worth its weight in gold.

The bender buddy is our friend. :D

Sunday work.

We busted our ass of for today and for some reason the 4wheeling god was shining down on us. We still need to do a few more items on the exo like the A-pillars, bar across windshield wipers, X brace and a few other ones. But over all I think made dam good progress on the build. Also we will be installing a rectangle tubing on the rear of the frame.

So much left to do to the truck.

Pictures....
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo1.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo2.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo3.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo4.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo5.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo6.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/exo7.jpg

It's looking really good! Good work!

If you're done, how much tubing did you end up using? All 260 ft? I'm planning to do almost this exact same exo design on my friend's truck this summer.

It's looking really good! Good work!

If you're done, how much tubing did you end up using? All 260 ft? I'm planning to do almost this exact same exo design on my friend's truck this summer.

Thanks

By sunday I should know how much tubing it tooks since we still have some more stuff to finish. I would rather of bought to much tubing then not enough.

When you are working on it this weekend think about two things.. How much protection is the "halo" going to provide where it is positioned now in relation to the edge of the cab, despite the placement of the A pillar in a roll/flop (think about Johnson's rig as well as mine) .. Second thing, with as heavy as the truck is don't you think you need to tie the main B pillar into the frame/sliders, and not just the sliders?? Just some food for thought..

And you have the Bender/notcher for at least two more weekends, and plenty of tube.

looking good man! I did an exo on a 98 4 runner and I never realized how "round" they are until you try follow the body lines. I swear I will never do it again! The new taco i'm building will do just fine without the cage! good work though, looks sick!

When you are working on it this weekend think about two things.. How much protection is the "halo" going to provide where it is positioned now in relation to the edge of the cab, despite the placement of the A pillar in a roll/flop (think about Johnson's rig as well as mine) ..

Been redone but I dont have batteries for the camera tonight due to the girlfriend. *cough* Nick was a awesome help for the cost of beer. :flipoff2:

Second thing, with as heavy as the truck is don't you think you need to tie the main B pillar into the frame/sliders, and not just the sliders?? Just some food for thought..

The B-pillar will be tied to the frame with a X-brace and then another piece from the lower edge of the B-pillar to the frame. The same as yours but I didnt bend the B-pillar to the frame and then a short piece to the sliders. Went the opposite way due to the difficulity of all those bends. :laughing:

And you have the Bender/notcher for at least two more weekends, and plenty of tube.

Thanks for the use of the bender and notcher.


Pictures will be updated tomorrow.

i love the design, i might steal it and modify , hope you dont mind.

What up brian??? When you comin down again? Today i went to sandy beach and wow, i found a trail for you:D

dont expect your ext cab windows to survive or the top of the cab, its ok to make more than one bend to follow the contour of the body.

dont expect your ext cab windows to survive or the top of the cab, its ok to make more than one bend to follow the contour of the body.

Thankyou :beer: I beleive he has redesigned the top etc. A freind of ours that has built a cage or two helped him out today, so if I know the two of them they came up with something a bit more structuraly sound!

i love the design, i might steal it and modify , hope you dont mind.

What up brian??? When you comin down again? Today i went to sandy beach and wow, i found a trail for you:D

PM sent :D

Any updates? Pictures possibly?

I'll have some more update pictures this weekend. i woul have them now but I'm at work.

Update from Sunday. Wish I could have had more time this weekend but the woman pulled me away form the garage for a dinner and movie. A birthday gift.

Picked up a tube welding positioner and Pipe Master from www.trick-tools.com. Well worth the money if you have a plasma. I can work a tube notcher but I have some issues with it and a buddy has it. Complex notches are made easy after setup with the pipe master and a plasma.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/tubeholder.jpg

Top brace. It looks like there is a huge gap on the back drivers corner but its not welded in and needs to be held down a little while welding. Makes it really easy to access the roof to work on the swamp cooler. Nice jungle gym.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Topbrace.jpg


X-brace. Looks aligned to me.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Xbrace.jpg

Side braces. The braces from the side runners to the frame will clear the tires at full compression but I will need to strap the suspension down to figure out the placement of the back ones.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Rearbrace.jpg
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Rearbrace2.jpg

Tool box design that will be added. I was going to use the bed mounts but they are to low so time to cut them off and make a tube mount.

Tool box as it sits now. The box is sitting on the gas tank and the hard lines on the tank.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/toolbox.jpg
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/toolboxside.jpg

Tube mount design
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/toolboxmount1.jpg
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/toolboxmount.jpg

Now the question is which side braces to added. Style 1 or Style 2.

Style 1
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/addbrace1.jpg

Style 2
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/addbrace2.jpg

The top brace will pushing right into place and not leave a gap as you see right now!!!!

No comment on the top brace fitment or "secondary B pillar" that sticks out from the body like 3"..... You could try something like this though to tie in the slider to the back... Granted you may have to hack off the back of your slider and extend it to make it work (unless you put another bend in said tube), but It would make it easier to modify your fuel filler neck (I'll get more pics of how I mounted it etc tomorrow) and produce a cleaner look IMO

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1139857/flatbed051.jpg

It's lookin' really good! I really like the changes. I would say I like style 2 because it doesn't have that awkward gap above the slider like style 1 has.

No comment on the top brace fitment

I'll have a picture later tonight to show that it fit perfectly. I already have it welded in but just need to finish one more weld for the night.

No more gap on top tube.
http://www.nmtorra.com/truckbuild/Exo/small/Gap2.jpg

Damn Shefron! this looks sick! How much tubing have you used so far? Damn i wish my truck looked like this, when i finish the new turbo set up on the hatch i'll be able to tear in to the truck......

Damn Shefron! this looks sick! How much tubing have you used so far? Damn i wish my truck looked like this, when i finish the new turbo set up on the hatch i'll be able to tear in to the truck......


Well I still have 4 untouched sticks of 20ft plus a 15ft section. Almost all my drops have fit somewhere else. Its to the point now that I just set all the 5+ in long pieces in the middle of the garage floor and see which one is long enough for a area. In the end I may have pieces that area 1-5 inches long left over and 2.5in long pieces are perfect for bushing sleeves.

13sticks-4.7sticks=8.3 sticks used x 20ft = 166 ft about.

Not sure how much I would be looking forward to building another exo but at least now I'm a little better at it.

so is the cage done? where are the pictures i have been waiting some time now to see the finished cage.

yep I finished it somewhat. Nothing is ever done but I will try to get update pictures this weekend

ha, I was wondering about this last night... didnt know what had happened to ya.

i am really interested in how you tyed it into the front

i am really interested in how you tyed it into the front


Sorry about the long over due update.


ignore all the rachet straps in the pictures. Those have finally been removed as today since I made some new hold downs.

http://www.nmtorra.com/offroading/Peurco%20nov%208/small/DSC_0239.jpg

I really hate the fender to bumper tie in but that will be changed in a month or two
http://www.nmtorra.com/offroading/Peurco%20nov%208/small/DSC_0238.jpg

Windshield wipers still work and hood can normally open all the way. It was giving me issues right here.
http://www.nmtorra.com/offroading/Peurco%20nov%208/small/DSC_0218.jpg

http://www.nmtorra.com/offroading/Peurco%20nov%208/small/DSC_0164.jpg

I like the way it turned out!

What up Mike? Truck looks good. Kinda funny how you used to rock the tube doors when your junk was stock now you're wheelin with the full doors.:D

What up Mike? Truck looks good. Kinda funny how you used to rock the tube doors when your junk was stock now you're wheelin with the full doors.:D

Nah I still have thee tube doors but we thought it was going to be freakin freezing but it was the warmest day in 2 weeks. T-shirt weather. So hows the Tacoma going?

I like the way it turned out!

Thanks man. It wont have been possible without friends helping. Now I just need to finish all the parts I recieved today.

Taco is good. Starting on an "82" now.

Taco is good. Starting on an "82" now.

Whys that. Thought the Tacoma was already built strong or do you just want something to thrash bad?

Also did you ever get the hydro assist fix or figured out?

The "82" was $300 running. Couldn't pass it up and didn't know what I was gonna do with it. The more I looked at it I decided it would be fun to build.

The "82" was $300 running. Couldn't pass it up and didn't know what I was gonna do with it. The more I looked at it I decided it would be fun to build.

You might as well tube it all out since you know if you build it you will trash it bad. I saw a old video of nicks truck and dam that thing used to look dam good.

If you wheeled like the NUGSTER your shit would look USED too.:D

If you wheeled like the NUGSTER your shit would look USED too.:D

I was more thinking of johnson rig. When first bought it there wasnt a scratch on it.

Shit compared to Nuggets rig Johnsons is pristine:lmao:

i like the way it turned out!

x2