Offroad-Express

Scored a free stock TJ cage, so thought id "add a bit" to it. Ive never been entirely comfortable with the young fella in the back without any overhead protection, so, well, ya just start doing.............

The initial idea was to add a spreader across the factory front bars (that go from windscreen to B hoop) and from the centre of that spreader, adding a T back to the B hoop. On the back theres to be a spreader at the top corner of the side hoops, with two bars returning from the top corner of the side hoops back to the centre of the B hoop, triangulating the rear.

Seeing as how the freebie didnt have the stock front bars, and rather than using my original ones (keeping the original cage in its original state) had to make some up, from there the creative juices were flowing and decided to pop a bar down to into the firewall also, a-la the Rokhard4x4 clamp on version of cage. So the new bars will tie back into the windscreen, as per factory, as well as into the firewall. A bar will also probably be added across the top of the dash also.

And before anyone starts bleating, I'm just tacking the thing together for the sake of ensuring everything fits, a suitably ticketed person is going to be doing the required welding, and the cage will be certed.... eventually.

Heres some progress pics......

Once the original cage was off.....




The replacement one goes on.....




And the start of the new barwork....

All TJ's have the same internal cage, wether theyre hard or soft top. Two side hoops at the rear, a B-hoop, and then bars bolted into the windscreen from the B-hoop. The soft-top never comes into to contact with the cage aside from a bracket on the B-hoop that holds the soft-top bow.

That needs to be kept clear for access into the rear seats. However, after taking a tip from DB, i'm probably going to set up a couple of tabs, top of one side, bottom of the other, to bolt a diagonal brace onto should it ever need to be put in.

Sadam_Husain wrote: dont you have an endless supply of scaffold tube as well?

Maaayyyyybbeeeeeeee

Made the opposite side last night. Then figured the puny 1.2mm steel i used for the mounting plates at the windscreen and B hoop were just too flimsy. So tonight made some up out of 6mm. And of course while drilling the holes my little battery drill ran out of puff, so things have stagnated for tonight. A little bit each night should see it sorted by the weekend...... [tui ad!]

oh how i hate battries drying mid hole. but can resort to a two speed wrist breaker

Got the mounting plate holes sorted, and proceeded to trim the bars up to fit. Had a mate rock over and stitch all the joins up, so all good to go. Need to sit down over the next few days and shape the mounting plates to suit, make em all nice and tidy and perrrrrty looking. Then its onto the spreaders etc. The hard part (i hope) is over.

Thought i best have a nosy at the LVVC regs on dimensions etc and the plan will work to comply to the 160mm restriction from the centreline of seats, as well as the 700mm radius from seat position mid point adjusted. .... figured id best check that now, rather than later!

Onward and upward.

Got some 90deg elbows today to start the front spreader, but decided theyre going to have to go. Realised last night that my seatbelts arent the right ones to be able to have any part of the A-Zone inside the 700mm limit, so managed to position the spreader to just outside the 900mm requirement and can leave the stock seatbelts in.... though for $254.00 i might just change em anyway. So tomorrow, the elbows will be cut and the front spreader will be repositioned accordingly, and ill begin playing with the "T" back to the B hoop.

.............If the wife lets me

coxsy wrote:oh how i hate battries drying mid hole. but can resort to a two speed wrist breaker

this is wrong on so many counts...

Nice work XJ

Yup, good ol reliable Rexy....... can always count on ya!

ok typed before thinking, but if i
did there would be no laughs or my god did i type that

Good work, but no photos = never happened Get the updated photos on of progress.

not much has progressed, in fact went backwards today.

Took the 90deg elbows off, and turned them ino 45deg ones, tacked the sprader into place while the rest was bolted in. Took it all out, titiched it all up, re-fitted it and we're twisted out by about 20mm at the top. So tomotrrow out it comes aging, gets cut and another attempt will be made.

Spend the rest of the time earlier tidying up the mounting plates and farting about.

I'll pop up some pics tomorrow night..... all going well.

erm.... probably ought to have left the rear seat in and done some measuring before tearing into. No way I can get a rear spreader through the back, nor the roof bars in, without it cracking an adults forehead. Seems ill just be finishing the front set up, which will therefore essentially be a glorified RT mount, and leave it at that.

Anyone for a spare Stock cage?

Right, mission is complete.

Tacked fitment worked out ok...






however.... tacked is one thing, welded is another. Everything got blazed up, and lo and behold the heat twisted the whole shebang. so out came the grinder and discs and it all got taken apart agan, re-tacked in place, then braced in place with as much scaffold tube and clip i could fit onto it.....


(lifting the darned thing out was a mission!!!)

Re-welded it together while braced in place, used the flapper wheel to spruce it all up...


Painted.....


And fitted.....

So, in summary, it didnt end up how I had intended, but it did end up! Would i do it again? Probably not. Would i pay through the nose to buy the CnC machined clamp in version? Definatley not. Would i pay someone else to do it for me... more than likely.

All and all im happy with the outcome. Its a bit of added protection that wasnt there beforehand, and i got to have a play in the shed.

Onwards and upwards... next mission.... suggestions????????

Look good though

xj wrote:Onwards and upwards... next mission.... suggestions????????

V8.

Note the 350 Chev in commie sitting in the driveway. Think his wife is away soon, might get a swap! LOL

Cage looks good. Next mod should be a V8.