Half cab with roll cage questions.

[brewchief]

Just picked up a half cab, planning on running it spring and fall and sometimes in the summer if the weather is bad so it needs to be relatively easy to remove and install.
I want to continue running a full cage including kickers to the rear, looking for ideas on how people have done this. I'm thinking a stub that will go out the back of the cab with a removable down tube.

Any thoughts from those that have done it?

 

[DirtDonk]

Looking forward to seeing what others have done again.
We've had discussions about this over the years, with some successful, and some not-so successful projects.
Most end up putting one in the bed and calling it a day. But the full cages are harder to come by, and fairly involved. But also fairly trick looking.
Hope a few of each type post up pictures and observations and tell us how they like living with them.

Meanwhile, back to the top.

Paul

 

[JSBX]

What about two separate cages. One for inside and one for the bed. You could connect them with the top off using a couple short tubes with tube clamps or not. Give Gordan with Bailiebilt a call. I am sure he could give you some ideas. He just built a custom inside half cab cage for me and it turned out great.

 

[Yeller]

Bailiebilt's half cab cage has been tested several times holds up very well, it is a production cage that he runs in his rig that has been upside down, more than once and I know one of them was very hard. Now if the kickers are a looks desire, I completely understand and get it LOL. If I was after that I would do a straight section of tube out of the back of the top with this type of connector installed so the top can be slid back over them.

 

[njy229]

I wouldn't want to cut up a half cab in good shape but I cut up an old rusty full cab top and modified it so I could run a full rollbar.

Below is the build thread, there are a few other examples of half cabs with full roll bars in the tread.

Fullcab to Halfcab Mod

I wanted to turn my 76 into a halfcab but also retain my rollbar. Instead of buying a good halfcab top and cutting it up I decided to modify my old top that had been sitting outside and rusting away. I don't have time to post everything at once so I'll just post a few pics ever few days when I...

classicbroncos.com

 

[brewchief]

I was thinking along the same lines as yeller with a joint like that and possibly a heim joint on the other end to allow a bit of adjustment if needed(and to allow the kicker to swing out of the wat to install the top).

The top I bought seems pretty solid but is unfortunately covered in bedliner, I don't want to chop it up to much but don't mind drilling some hole to bring a rollbar tube through it. I originally thought about replacing the back glass with lexon and running the tubes through that but this top has a sliding window and that wpuld be nice to keep.

 

[nvrstuk]

I was thinking along the same lines as yeller with a joint like that and possibly a heim joint on the other end to allow a bit of adjustment if needed(and to allow the kicker to swing out of the wat to install the top).

The top I bought seems pretty solid but is unfortunately covered in bedliner, I don't want to chop it up to much but don't mind drilling some hole to bring a rollbar tube through it. I originally thought about replacing the back glass with lexon and running the tubes through that but this top has a sliding window and that wpuld be nice to keep.

Read the "back glass" part and thought maybe what I did he might like but that rear slider sounds like a nice piece.

I'll send ya pic of what I did but if I did it again I'd run an "A" and "B" hoop inside the 1/2 cab and then run another let's say, "C" hoop directly behind the 1/2 cab and connect them together so it would like more cohesive and structurally sound when standing there looking at it. Something about the main hoop being OUTSIDE the passengar compartment in my mind, seems odd. That's why I did what I did.

I have windscreen and marine vinyl for a back pc and it attaches directly to my "B" pillar. I'm going to re-do it soon and make it 99% leak proof by attaching it to the top instead of the cage and anchoring it to the floor. A lot of air comes into the cab under it and shoots up under my seats.

My "B" hoop is within 3/8" of the top all the way to where the top and body bolt together. I also unsnap the sides and can attach it to the diagonal bars and by doing that the dogs have shade and it really changes the look of the Bronco. My wife tried it one day and it's great for Moab and other hot trips.

I'll look for pics of the back.

I didn't take that 2nd pic at Sand Hollow with the guy standing 20% off vertical. lol

(Edit: see the gaps at the top. This works well but aesthetically... lol I plan on using the same type of mounting for the top edge that vendors use for the bikini top- slide in and the sides will snap. Still need to ask the best method of securing the bottom to the floor)

 

[Broncobowsher]

I've always looked at half cabs and the packaging of a standard roll bar is tough. There is so little space. Inside has little space and the way the bulkhead sits behind the seats doesn't help. Not even easy to just do a bed mount roll bar. It will be interesting to see what you come up with.

 

[Speedrdr]

I've always looked at half cabs and the packaging of a standard roll bar is tough. There is so little space. Inside has little space and the way the bulkhead sits behind the seats doesn't help. Not even easy to just do a bed mount roll bar. It will be interesting to see what you come up with.

After buying a metal bulkhead for converting my wagon to a 1/2 cab, I put the shiny new part back on the shelf. I plan on going strsight down from the cab to the floor. Yes, it’s gonna be a lot of work to get the floor/bulkhead junction waterproof. If I’m lucky, it will at least give me enough room behind the seats to bring the cage rear roll bar down and out of the way of my head…although I have been told my head is hard as an anvil and deemed to be safe from all impacts.

 

[nvrstuk]

After buying a metal bulkhead for converting my wagon to a 1/2 cab, I put the shiny new part back on the shelf. I plan on going strsight down from the cab to the floor. Yes, it’s gonna be a lot of work to get the floor/bulkhead junction waterproof. If I’m lucky, it will at least give me enough room behind the seats to bring the cage rear roll bar down and out of the way of my head…although I have been told my head is hard as an anvil and deemed to be safe from all impacts.

HAHAHAA.... first hand experience here... I don't think I could drive a half cab every day like I do OR both my wife & I drive it for hours and hours at a time with the bulkhead in it's stock location... no way. I've got two in the barn I'll never want to use...

That extra bit of space makes all the difference for comfort and actually wanting to drive it instead of just taking it to a show on a weekend or something. I lowered floors also which makes a heck of a difference but being to slide those seats back or lean them back and have some room behind them for crud makes it comfortable.

 

[brewchief]

I definitely think the bulkhead will have to be vertical, I was thinking the lip on the top that bolts to the bulkhead may get cut off and changed to the outside. This would give a touch more room for seats, as it is right now it appears my seats would have to move forward maybe 2 inches, I'm tall enough that I really don't want to move them ahead any more the absolutely necessary. I am contemplating stretching the top a couple inches but was really hoping to avoid it as I think it will be a lot of work to stretch the top skin and have it turn out nice and not warped and wavy.

I've got an idea in my head how I think I can do the rollcage but it's hard to know if it will work until I remove my current cage and set the top on and get seats in the proper location.

 

[nvrstuk]

My seat backs are almost even with the back of the half cab if you put a straight edge all the way from side to side across the farthest outside point of the half cab. Since I don't have glass that makes it much roomier. I was going to move the glass location back a few inches but I don't miss it at all so I've never done fit the glass, just run my wind screen year round. Tonight I took a 2 hr drive at 50mph most of the way in high 30's temps and was fine. I am going to seal the sides & the bottom of the windscreen better.

My "B" pillar of my cage is within a 5/16" of the inside top edge of the opening (within 1/2" of the rain gutter) so it's out of the way... barely,,I mean barely fits in. No rattle but more important it can't hit my head. I worry about the sides of the 1/2 cab and even had long conversations about lining the metal interior sides of the half cab with roll cage padding but consensus was it wouldn't do much but I can't think that it wouldn't help ease the impact of a "T-bone" type collision...

Two buddies that are 6'4" both say it's got a lot more room than theirs and the extra few inches are night and day for comfort.