71 Blazer, full top convertible, what are your thoughts on attaching the full cage to the windshield frame, to prevent some of the flex in the cage, I have a cross bar at the top of the windsheild frame and it attaches at the floor, so no dash bar...

i'm gonna say bad idea - I think that the flex in the cage will just transfer to the WS frame, and possibly crack the glass. Just let the body/frame flex how it has been - nuttin wrong with that.

Let me first say I no nothing about good cage design.:flipoff2:

One of my friends has a sweet EB, that he sunk way too much money into. Had a beautiful cage built for it and they put two tabs on the front crossbar, that bolted down to the top of the windshied frame on either side.

The fab shop claimed it was a good idea... I can't really remember the reasoning anymore myself. personally the idea of letting 'em flex seperately makes sense. Just figured I'd through that out.

This is the same question I have since I will be building a sport cage for a friend when my bender comes. It will be on a TJ that already has the windshield mounted stringer that will be replaced by my bar that will go to the body tub. Should I fab a way to tie the windshield frame back in or just leave it? Sorry to piggyback on your thread, but it is relalvent to both of us.

Thanks.

bad idea.
you want an independant tube for your cage.

Originally posted by zachv
This is the same question I have since I will be building a sport cage for a friend when my bender comes. It will be on a TJ that already has the windshield mounted stringer that will be replaced by my bar that will go to the body tub. Should I fab a way to tie the windshield frame back in or just leave it? Sorry to piggyback on your thread, but it is relalvent to both of us.

Thanks.

I've seen it done both ways on TJ's. I had EOR add a couple of tabs after running without them for a couple of months. Without the tabs I got some shake in the windshield frame when hitting bumps in the road. On TJ's, it makes sense to put them in to replace the factory bars.

Thanks. I will do an independant bar from the roll bar to the tub mount and fab up a little connector to the windshield.

I have to say don't do it. I have a cage in my TJ, and I don't attach the window frame to it. It won't cure the flexing that you are trying to resolve. put in a dash bar. That might help.

The early blazer tubs flex baaddd!!!! do not attatch the windsheild frame to the cage the frame or the glass will lose that battle. put in a dash bar to make the cage ridgid, and let the windsheild frame move where it wants to. Adding to the flex problem is the frame flexing in front and pushing and pulling on the fenders which moves the winsheild frame. Mine moved so much that by running without doors it broke the door pillers off of the tub letting the dash flop around with the fenders! If you run without doors connect the door piller into the cage to prevent this problem.

P.S.

The flex your talking about isn't necessarily the cage moving but them flexing independently, which is good for your windsheild and frame, unless you get real creative and tie them together in several places on the door pillar, dash and windshield frame, but with a stock chassis frame I'd still say let them float from one another your talking a LOT of stress.

thanks guys

for a chopped unibody vehicle like a Jeep XJ, ZJ or MJ you want to tie it into the winshield frame to basically replace the unibody strength the roof provided.

For a truck with seperate frame, like your blazer, you don't want to tie it in because the body will flex independently of the frame.

Originally posted by kodak
I have to say don't do it. I have a cage in my TJ, and I don't attach the window frame to it. It won't cure the flexing that you are trying to resolve. put in a dash bar. That might help.

I think the distinction should be made between a body mounted cage on a TJ and a frame mounted cage on a Blazer. With body mounted cages on TJ's, all you are doing with running a mount to the windshield frame is duplicating the factory arrangement. With a frame mounted cage in a Blazer, I agree that you would have a lot of stress and should not tie them together.

I HAD to weld mine to the WS frame because when I hacked the top off (1989 full top) the body sagged so much the doord woul;d not shut. I even welded in 2"X4" rect. tubing inplace of my rockers. I jacked the body up at the rockers, and welded in a piece of 1"X1" angle iron to connect the cage and the WS frame. Then ground/bondo'd/painted the whole thing. Here is a pick---
http://www.yeild2me.rockcrawler.com/images/cagetop.gif





The cut across the top left the outer and inner sheetmetal with about a 1" gap between the two. When I welded the angle iron in, it closed the gap between the two, so that inner piece grinds aginst the top bar. I have wheeled Tellico twice and lots of local areas since this was down last June and have had zero problems. BUT, my cage is not tied into the frame.



rob

I don't like the idea of hooking them together, I know in my CJ when i hit some bumps in the road they move diffent ways too much for me to like if they were together.

get rid of the glass:fj:

My windshield frame is tied to the cage at the top of the cowl, but the windshield frame itself floats inside the front section of cage (saved it twice now). It was necessary to tie it in to provide support for the windshield and cowl after cutting the top and back out of my cab. However, I do agree that it would probably cause more problems that it would be worth if you had a more standard frame/body/cage setup where the cage is mounted to the frame. In my rig, the body (well, windshield, cowl, and floor) actually bolt inside the cage. Then the cage bolts to the frame through issolating bushings. There is no longer a connection from the "body" directly to the frame, so the cage/body move together and are completely rigid.