Building an Exo-cage for a friend ... help out with some pics!

[wanablikemike]

I'm building an exo-cage for a friend (and for the money) so I figured it's as good a time as any to get a "pic's of your exo-cage" thread going in this new XJ forum. I'm particularly looking for basic exo's with integrated front and rear tube bumpers. Thanks guys.

Oh, and for all you potential flamers, YES I know how to search. It's a public forum and I hope this will be a cool thread for everyone. So, you!

[Goatman]

Just pics, or some discussion?

What are the design goals?

[Fullsizexj]

here was my old one

[xjride]

[wanablikemike]

xjride, what kind of grille is that?

burrow, what was wrong with the old one?

thanks for the responses guys. i'm getting underway and i'll see if i can't post some pic's soon.

discussion is more than welcome =)

[john0089]

not mine...but on of my favorite exos

[keepviper13]

Finished mine about a month ago... It was around 125ft.
I wouldn't go much less, this was about as little as i would go and still feel like i can roll it and keep wheelin...

[TJP]

I like the style cage Goatman built. Clean looks and well built. Full exo's tend to get caught on trees rocks and such. Check out some of Goatmans posts.


Here's a sample

[redranger4.0]

Originally Posted by xjride

the back of that rig

[xjride]

grille is off a new 07 commander

Originally Posted by wanablikemike

xjride, what kind of grille is that?

burrow, what was wrong with the old one?

thanks for the responses guys. i'm getting underway and i'll see if i can't post some pic's soon.

discussion is more than welcome =)

[wanablikemike]

What do you guys think about tying the top rails into the rain gutters to make the whole thing more rigid. All my XJ's have flexed like crazy (the unibody i mean). If I built some brackets that strapped the top cage rails to the rain gutters like a roof rack maybe his doors will still latch somewhat correctly after a couple years of wheeling.

Anybody seen this or have input?

Thanks again guys.

[lgraham09]

I didn't build the exo but I did build the tube doors.

[XJ_ranger]

Originally Posted by wanablikemike

What do you guys think about tying the top rails into the rain gutters to make the whole thing more rigid. All my XJ's have flexed like crazy (the unibody i mean). If I built some brackets that strapped the top cage rails to the rain gutters like a roof rack maybe his doors will still latch somewhat correctly after a couple years of wheeling.

Anybody seen this or have input?

Thanks again guys.

definatley tie into the rain gudders...



you can kinda see in this pic how we tied it in on a friends junk

[lookin4fun_inca]

Originally Posted by wanablikemike

What do you guys think about tying the top rails into the rain gutters to make the whole thing more rigid. All my XJ's have flexed like crazy (the unibody i mean). If I built some brackets that strapped the top cage rails to the rain gutters like a roof rack maybe his doors will still latch somewhat correctly after a couple years of wheeling.

Anybody seen this or have input?

Thanks again guys.

I dont feel that with a well designed and triangulated cage (internal or external) that ties to the front and rear bumpers and at least one very well located sleeved frame location, is it necc. to tie to the roof at all.

In my personal experience with a well laid out internal cage I was able to hold on to the tube above the drivers side door on all trails (including the hammers with pleantly of chances to flex the body) and never felt more then maybe a slight varience of flex difference from the roof line at the top of door to tube distance. At most I would say a 1/16-1/8". Never did it 'pinch' or even discomfort my hand that was wedged in that gap.

So yes you can tie it in if YOU feel its necc, but I dont feel it is.

[lookin4fun_inca]

Originally Posted by XJ_ranger

definatley tie into the rain gudders...



you can kinda see in this pic how we tied it in on a friends junk

Yeah I would tie to the roof in that design opie. Theres no triangulation from the corners anywhere. Yet?

[XJ_ranger]

Originally Posted by lookin4fun_inca

Yeah I would tie to the roof in that design opie. Theres no triangulation from the corners anywhere. Yet?

gussets are in the plans, didnt have time that day... The roof was used as part of the structure of the cage, providing a shear plane in the roof...

[Fullsizexj]

Originally Posted by wanablikemike

xjride, what kind of grille is that?

burrow, what was wrong with the old one?

thanks for the responses guys. i'm getting underway and i'll see if i can't post some pic's soon.

discussion is more than welcome =)

Nothing was wrong with it, just decided to do this instead

[GPSflyer]

Most of this exo was tubing that was leftover bends from other projects.

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by TJP

I like the style cage Goatman built. Clean looks and well built. Full exo's tend to get caught on trees rocks and such. Check out some of Goatmans posts.

Here's a sample

I always ask what the design goals are for a cage, since that determines to a large degree what you do. I believe that for pure safety reasons not much cage is needed, since most XJ rollovers don't cave in the roof, so a couple of simple hoops with tie ins will make an XJ pretty safe. Many cages I've seen are less safe, in my view, because the tubing inside is too close to the passengers heads. To me, issues are safety, adding rigidity, protecting the body, and asthetics. I wanted minimum interior cage, for rigidity, and a minimum exo cage to protect the body and for asthetics since I don't particularly like the looks of exo cages. Safety is assumed with the amount of cage I have, with good head clearance inside.

Here's a few pics of what I ended up doing, and why:



On the inside the cage is tied into the A, B, and C pillars, using the shoulder harness bolts and the tube is directly welded to the inside of the A pillar (actually welded to a strap that is attached to the A pillar). The exo B top bar is connected in two places through the roof to the interior B pillar hoop, but there's no pic of that.



The exterior A pillar is attached to the side of the cowl, then to the rock rail, with tube running forward under the fender. I did it under the fender for looks and for side clearance. With no tubes running down the sides it doesn't have the typical exo cage look, yet it has very good roof protection (it's been tested) and good rigidity.

[Tommy_M]

I like how goatman doesn't have all the exo around the rig as well. It looks clean. I plan on doing something very similar with my zj as I would like to keep the roof intact. I plan on coming threw the roof and attaching to my existing cage.

GOATMAN

I got one question for you. Is there are reason why you didn't tuck the roof exo closer to the roof? I was planning on having minimal space between my roof and the bars I will have on the exterior. Almost sitting on the roof.

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Tommy_M

I like how goatman doesn't have all the exo around the rig as well. It looks clean. I plan on doing something very similar with my zj as I would like to keep the roof intact. I plan on coming threw the roof and attaching to my existing cage.

GOATMAN

I got one question for you. Is there are reason why you didn't tuck the roof exo closer to the roof? I was planning on having minimal space between my roof and the bars I will have on the exterior. Almost sitting on the roof.

Well, I didn't put any curve in the roof halo, it's flat. I actually made it on the garage floor. In the middle it's pretty close to the roof, but on the sides there is some space between the cage and the body. You can make it fit tighter, but you might need a slight curve in the cross bars. I didn't care much about it being really tight to the roof, a little space provides some protection for the sheetmetal when rubbing the top up against rocks and trees.

[TJP]

bump to clean up

[featherflicker]

This thread has some pics of the one lgraham09 posted being "tested" on Upper Helldorado.

http://www.planet4x4.net/forums/trip...js-2007-a.html

There is also a blue one there that I helped a friend build. If you want more pics of it pm me with your e-mail.

No red star

[TJP]

Tech to the top BS to the bottom...

[lgraham09]

Originally Posted by featherflicker

This thread has some pics of the one lgraham09 posted being "tested" on Upper Helldorado.

http://www.planet4x4.net/forums/trip...js-2007-a.html

There is also a blue one there that I helped a friend build. If you want more pics of it pm me with your e-mail.

No red star

That cage and the one john0089 are both built by some guys out of topeka, ks