are these good bends for a roll bar?

[bluebronco69]

check out the pics i asked about this a while back and you guys requested pics so you can tell me for sure. and if they are not, can i gusset them with another piece of tube???
thanks

 

[Bitch'nBronco]

I would gusset those, the bends should be ok, but just to be on the safe side. I have seen bends like those collapse in a rollover before, but sometimes they work out. Its better to be safe than sorry... a couple of gussets are cheap insurance

 

[z70what]

i would definitely go w/ the gussets on those bends... just to be safe.


Luke

 

[jabranovich]

rollbar

I have a rear end and chassis shop,we do a lot of racecars,drag race and circle track,a full Mandrel bender like we use does not "shrink" the tubeing like that,even with smooth bends we use .136 wall so that after bend the outside of bend is not less than .125,depending on how you plan on using your veh. whats important is what is your wall thickness?Is your bar electric seam welded or DOM tubing?If its DOM or a wall thickness over .136 and you don't plan on rolling off a 40' cliff it should be fine.Is there any splits or cracks at bends?If there is don't use it,Is it mounted to floor or frame?

 

[bluebronco69]

it is floor mounted, and i will be using large 3/16 or 1/4 inch plating on both sides of the flooring for this, no this truck wont see alot of off road time, it is going to be the girlfriends bronco so all daily driving and some sand dunes at SOB not sure onthe wall i would say it is over .125 (1/8th) but i havent measured i can tonight, also dont know what kinda tubing either (dom etc) nope no cracks or anything at the bends.


so the question is this, for gussets, since that seems to be the general concensus, can i use some of the same wall thickness tubing, and weld it in at a 45 angle to the upright bars? will that be strong enough?
thanks

ps keep up the ideas

 

[Apogee]

Those are muffler type crush bends which in an of themselves are typically not a good sign. I'd be worried that it's muffler tubing, but a quick drilled hole would answer that and could be welded back up when you add the gussets...assuming the wall thickness turns out to be acceptable.

I would make U-shaped sheet metal gussets out of 11 ga sheetmetal so that you gusset the bends on both side of the tubes and add some cross-section to the bend. That should significantly stiffen things up. How you weld them in should be taken into consideration as well and will depend on the gusset design you use. You could also cope a section of rectangular tubing to gusset them as well if you don't have access to sheetmetal tools.

I remember the original thread and if you think you want a roll cage, then it's definitely worth having a good, strong one.

 

[bluebronco69]

defintily dont have sheetmetal work, but i was thinking of just using my grinder and some tubing to notch the tubing as appropriate, and then welding it in 45 degrees to the upright hoop, i think that should be strong enough, i have a lincol pro 135 mig so that shoudl be hefty enough for that job. no it is not muffler tube, it is atleast .125 wall, havent measured that is just by eye, iw il measure tomorrow.
is that an ok design for the gussets?
i drew in what i am talkign about let me know
thanks

 

[fordtrucks4ever]

I would not gusset that tubing. You stand a better chance of someone getting impaled when the strap tears loose. Which is more likely than the tubing collapsing. A rollbar will protect you on a slow rollover. If at speed and vehicle does multiple rolls down a steep hill or starts slamming down, it doesnt matter what its made of. Your person is already beyond salvaging if getting the ragdoll treatment.

 

[Apogee]

That design will work and you could also just use a section of similar diameter tubing split down and the center and then ground on the ends to fit into the contour of the crushed area. End result would be that you wouldn't be able to see the crushed areas and it would be hella stout.

 

[bluebronco69]

well i think i will gusset it with some like tubing, and another plus side would be a good grab handle for the back seaters, any other thoughts on this?

 

[Gummi Bear]

I'd grind out those 'stitch' welds on the coupling as well, and reweld them properly. They were done cold, and with a poor method.

That's a dead-end cage. It may help keep the top from squshing down on you a little in a slow roll over, but it'll come apart in a faster one.

Personally, I don't see those cages as much more than a hoop to stretch a bikini top over, and not as a roll bar. You'd do just as well with PVC.

At a very minimum, I'd look into a simple cage like one from Complete Off Road, they're DOM, and darn cheap for what you get. If you think she may get more serious, you can add to the COR cage, or look in to the several other cool options out there.

Sorry if it hurt your feelings, but I'd rather run nothing but a hard top, and always have that on my mind, than a false sense of security from a poorly built cage.

 

[FerrumCampitor]

Is that type of "crimp" in the tubing what happens when you bend TUBE with a PIPE bender?

 

[Gummi Bear]

Is that type of "crimp" in the tubing what happens when you bend TUBE with a PIPE bender?

Yup.

Sometimes it will crinkle too, like cheap muffler bends.

I'd rather use an electrical bender to make a cage than a pipe bender, and do that to the tubing.

 

[FerrumCampitor]

Well I got one for Christmas so I have what I have. I'll try the sand in the tube and/or garage spring tricks. If those don't work and I still get some crimping, then I'll just gusset the H**L out of it. Won't have the new cage done for the round up though. I do plan on having an "offroad" modified Edlebrock by then though. And a write up to go with it. Imagine that Jason! ha ha.

 

[Skiddy]

I'd grind out those 'stitch' welds on the coupling as well, and reweld them properly. They were done cold, and with a poor method.

I would have to agree with you on that

 

[68 Broncoholic]

Might as well add some bracing for now like this...


OR

 

[Gummi Bear]

Might as well add some bracing for now like this...

This one is a no - go, and here's why:

All of the bracing you've added in that picture, is just added weight, no structural gain. The nodes are all dead ended, in the event of a roll or a crash, where is that energy going to be absorbed? It will concentrate on those dead ends, and buckle the tube further, causing a worse failure of an already questionable safety device.

The second one is better, but the upper corners need the tube to go to the apex of the bend in order for them to be their most efficient. Go that route, and forget the gussets.

As I said before, I'd replace the cage before doing anything further with it. It's poorly thought out, not well construted, and due to that, I'd even question the building material.

 

[jabranovich]

rollbar

I agree with Apoge,gusset it with same size tubing on a 45 like you have in your picture,with near .125 wall it should be pretty strong

 

[mlogan24]

. . . It may help keep the top from squshing down on you a little in a slow roll over, but it'll come apart in a faster one. . . . You'd do just as well with PVC.

So you're saying my PVC cage will protect me in a SLOW rollover? ;D

 

[bluebronco69]

ya i do plan on redoing the connecting points i didnt like the welds to begine with. what else do you folks thinks
might jsut switch to a smitty bar, pretty cheap and sturdy